Okuyarurwa ko koupe kwomuhoko wa Benjamin
1 Ovaisrael, mba woronganene mOmispa, va tjitire omakwizikiro ku Muhona ave tja: “Kape na umwe wetu, ngu ma yenene okukupisa omusuko we kOmubenjamin.” 2 Nokuzambo Ovaisrael va ya kObetel nave kakara ngo komurungu wa Ndjambi nga kongurova. Nowo va rira tjinene, 3 ave tja: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, pa tjitirwa tjike nai kutja pe kaere omuhoko umwe wOvaisrael ndindondi?”
4 Nu omuhuka omunene wependukirwa raindo otjiwaṋa tja sekama, atji tungu otjipunguhiro mbo natji punguha ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozohange. 5 Tjazumba Ovaisrael arire tji va pura nave tja: “Omuhoko uṋe momihoko vya Israel mbu he ere kombongarero komurungu wa Muhona?” Orondu pa tjitirwe oruyano rwakatjotjiri kutja auhe ngu he ere ku Muhona mOmispa ma sokuṱa. 6 Nungwari Ovaisrael va ṱondjenda nomuhoko wawo Ovabenjamin nave tja: “Israel ndinondi tja pandjarisa umwe womihoko vyatjo. 7 Nambano matu tjiti vi kutja tu mune ovakazendu okukupisa kOvabenjamin mba sewa po? Orondu twa tjita oruyano ku Muhona kutja katu nokuvepa ovasuko vetu.”
8 Nowo tji va pura ave tja: “Omuhoko uṋe momihoko vya Israel mbu he ere komurungu wa Muhona kOmispa?” Pa munika kutja kape na umwe okuza kOjabes mOgilead ngwe ere kozondanda okukara pombongarero ndjo. 9 Notjiwaṋa tji tja varwa pa munika kutja kapa ri umwe wovature va Jabes mOgilead. 10 Ombongarero otji ya tuma ovarumendu omayovi omurongo na yevari, ovarwe ozombangaṋe, nomarakiza nga: “Twendeye mu kazepe ovature avehe va Jabes mOgilead, novakazendu novanatje wina. 11 Ihi tji mamu sokutjita, otjo hi: Zepeye ovarumendu avehe, nomukazendu ngamwa auhe ngwa rara puna omurumendu wina.” 12 Nu mokati kovature va Jabes mOgilead va kavaza mo ovasuko omasere yane mbe hiya rara puna ovarumendu. Nowo va etwa kozondanda kOsilo tji tji ri mehi ra Kanaan.
13 Nombongarero aihe ya tuma ovahindwa okukahungira kuna Ovabenjamin, mba ri pOruuwa rwa Rimon nave ningire okutjita ohange. 14 Ovabenjamin opu va kotokera, nave pewa ovasuko imba mba hupisirwe movakazendu va Jabes mOgilead; nungwari otjivaro tjovasuko mba katja yenenene ku wo.
15 Otjiwaṋa tja ṱondjenda nOvabenjamin, Muhona tjinga a haṋene omihoko vya Israel. 16 Novanane wombongo arire tji va tja: “Matu sokutjita vi na imba mba hupu kutja ve mune ovakazendu wina, imba ovakazendu vOvabenjamin tjinga ava nyonwa?” 17 Nu komurungu owo va tja nai: “Otjiwaṋa tjOvaisrael katji sokupandjarisa omuhoko umwe waimbi omurongo na vivari vyatjo. Ngatu pahe omuhingo wokutja omuhoko wa Benjamin au ha yanda. 18 Nungwari eṱe oveni kamaatu kupisa ovasuko vetu ku wo, Ovaisrael tjinga ava tjitire oruyano ave tja: ‘Nga sengwe ingwi ngu ma kupisa omusuko we kOmubenjamin.’ ”
19 Nowo opu va tjera nai: “Tara, pena omukandi wa Muhona, mbu tjitwa ombura aihe mOsilo.” Silo tji ri komukuma wokeyuva kokunene kwa Betel, komuhuka wondjira onene ndji ronda okuza kObetel okuyenda kOsikem, na komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho kwa Lebona. 20 Nowo va raera Ovabenjamin ave tja: “Twendeye mu kaṱare movikunino vyomivite, 21 nu mu katjevere nawa. Ovasuko va Silo tji mave tukuruka okupunda outjina motuteto, piteye momivite, nu auhe nge rikamburire omukazendu movasuko va Silo ne mu tware kehi rOvabenjamin. 22 Nu ndoovazu ooihe poo ovaṱena kwawo mave ya ku eṋe okutjita otjiposa, otji mamu tja nai ku wo: ‘Ve yandjeye ku eṱe, orondu katu ve kamburire ku eṋe movita kutja ve rire ovakazendu vetu. Nu tjinga amu he ve yandjere ku eṱe otji mu hi nokutura ondjo yokuteya omakwizikiro weṋu.’ ”
23 NOvabenjamin va tjita nao; auhe we ritoororera omukazendu movasuko imba mbaa ve pundu na twara. Owo va yaruka komahi wawo oveni, ave katungurura ovirongo vyawo nave tura mu vyo. 24 Nu moruveze tjingero ndo Ovaisrael va ya, nu auhe wa yaruka komuhoko we na keṱunḓu re, na kehi nda ri otjirumatwa tje omuini.
25 Nu moruveze tjingero ndo kamwa ri ombara mOisrael, auhe aa tjiti otja kombango ye.
Wives for the Men of Benjamin
1 When the Israelites had met at Mizpah before the war with Benjamin, they had made this sacred promise: “None of us will ever let our daughters marry any man from Benjamin.”
2 After the war with Benjamin, the Israelites went to the place of worship at Bethel and sat there until sunset. They cried loudly and bitterly 3 and prayed, “Our Lord, you are the God of Israel. Why did you let this happen? Now one of our tribes is almost gone.”
4 Early the next morning, the Israelites built an altar and offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask his blessing. 5 Then they asked each other, “Did any of the tribes of Israel fail to come to the place of worship? We made a sacred promise that anyone who didn't come to the meeting at Mizpah would be put to death.”
6 The Israelites were sad about what had happened to the Benjamin tribe, and they said, “One of our tribes was almost wiped out. 7 Only a few men of Benjamin weren't killed in the war. We need to get wives for them, so the tribe won't completely disappear. But how can we do that, after promising in the Lord's name that we wouldn't let them marry any of our daughters?”
8-9 Again the Israelites asked, “Did any of the tribes stay away from the meeting at Mizpah?”
After asking around, they discovered that no one had come from Jabesh in Gilead. 10-11 So they sent 12,000 warriors with these orders: “Attack Jabesh in Gilead and kill everyone, except the women who have never been married.”
12 The warriors attacked Jabesh in Gilead, and returned to their camp at Shiloh in Canaan with 400 young women.
13 The Israelites met and sent messengers to the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock, telling them that the Israelites were willing to make peace with them. 14 So the men of Benjamin came back from Rimmon Rock, and the Israelites let them marry the young women from Jabesh. But there weren't enough women.
15 The Israelites were very sad, because the Lord had almost wiped out one of their tribes. 16 Then their leaders said:
All the women of the Benjamin tribe were killed. How can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are left? 17 If they don't have children, one of the Israelite tribes will die out. 18 But we can't let the men of Benjamin marry any of our daughters. We made a sacred promise not to do that, and if we break our promise, we will be under our own curse.
19 Then someone suggested, “What about the Lord's Festival that takes place each year in Shiloh? It's held north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and just east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.”
20 The leaders told the men of Benjamin who still did not have wives:
Go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards near the festival. 21 Wait there for the young women of Shiloh to come out and perform their dances. Then rush out and grab one of the young women, then take her home as your wife. 22 If the fathers or brothers of these women complain about this, we'll say, “Be kind enough to let those men keep your daughter. After all, we couldn't get enough wives for all the men of Benjamin in the battle at Jabesh. And because you didn't give them permission to marry your daughters, you won't be under the curse we earlier agreed on.”
23 The men of Benjamin went to Shiloh and hid in the vineyards. The young women soon started dancing, and each man grabbed one of them and carried her off. Then the men of Benjamin went back to their own land and rebuilt their towns and started living in them again.
24 Afterwards, the rest of the Israelites returned to their homes and families.
Israel Was Not Ruled by a King
25 In those days Israel wasn't ruled by a king, and everyone did what they thought was right.
