Babhenjamini banopiwa bakadzi
1 Balume be Iziraela bakabe batuna ku Mizipha beti, “Akuna wedu unowolobodza nkololokadzi uwe ku Babhenjamini.” 2 Bathu bakayenda ku Bhetele bakagala mbeli kwe Ndzimu kunoti madekwana, bemilidza mahwi, belila kwazo 3 beti, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, ngekutini ikoku kwashingikala mu Iziraela? Ini ludzi gumwe gusipo mu Iziraela nasi.”
4 Kwakati tjimuka bathu bakabaka tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo bakadusa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwipo zwe mbakisano.
5 Baiziraela bakabhuzwa beti, “Ndiupi mu njudzi dzose dze Iziraela wakakong'wa kuwokubungana mbeli kwa Yahwe?” Ngoti bakabe batuna kuti iye unokong'wa kuwokubungana mbeli kwa Yahwe ku Mizipha, nge malebeswa unowobulawa. 6 Ngono bathu be Iziraela bakabe ne ngoni ne zwikamu zwabo Babhenjamini beti, “Nasi ludzi gung'ompela gwathubugwa mu Iziraela, 7 tithame tjini ngekwe bakadzi muna ibaba bakasala, ngoti takatuna kuti atitowobapa bakololokadzi kuti babalobole kene?”
8 Bakabhuzwa beti, “Ndigupi gwe njudzi dze Iziraela gwakakong'wa kuwokubungana mbeli kwa Yahwe ku Mizipha?” Bakawana kuli kuti akuna we Jabeshi Giliyadi wakabuya ku nshangano we bukotokelo. 9 Ngoti kwakati bathu be bagwa, kukawanika kulikuti akuna we bathu be Jabeshi Giliyadi uyapo.
10 Ndizo gubungano likatumila balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina zwibili (12 000) be babhayani, likabadwa likati, “Yendani munobulaya bagali be Jabeshi Giliyadi nge thumo kose ne bakadzi ne bana. 11 Tjamakafanila thama ndiyetji, nlume mmwe ne mmwe ne nkadzi mmwe ne mmwe wakatongo walilana abulawe.” 12 Mu bagali be Jabeshi Giliyadi bakawana baanadi bali mazana manna (400) basathu bakawalilana, bakabayisa ku bukotokelo ku Shilo mu shango ye Kanana.
13 Ngono gubungano lose likatumila dama ku Babhenjamini bakabe bali ku shongwe ya Rimoni, lileba mbakiso kubali. 14 Babhenjamini bakashanduka mu tjibaka itjetjo, bakapiwa bakadzi be Jabeshi Giliyadi bakabe baletjiwa ku tjila, koga bakasibalizane.
15 Bathu bakahwila ngoni Bhenjamini ngobe Yahwe bakabe badusa buli mu njudzi dze Iziraela.
16 Bakulu be gubungano bakabhuzwa kakale beti, “Basala tibathamile tjini kuti bawane bakadzi, ngoti bakadzi be Bhenjamini bakalobesiwa?” 17 Bakadwilila beti, “Kwakafanila kube ne thaka ye malimbelimbe e Bhenjamini, kuti ndizo ludzi gusidzimidziwe mu Iziraela. 18 Tokonegwa nekubalobodza bakololokadzi bedu, ngoti tili Baiziraela takatuna titi, ‘Wakalongwa bhiso iye unowolobodza nkololokadzi uwe ku N'bhenjamini.’ ” 19 Ndizo bakati, “Bonani, kuna Nzano wa Yahwe we gole ne gole ku Shilo ku burwa gwe Bhetele, kunobhuda zhuba kwe zila yakazhuka inodwa ku Bhetele iyenda ku Shekemu, ku bunandzwa gwe Lebona.” 20 Bakalaya Babhenjamini beti, “Yendani munolalila ku minda dze mizhambi, 21 mulinge, apa bakololokadzi be Shilo bebhudila kuzhe kunozana mizano, mubhude mu minda dze mizhambi ngono mmwe ne mmwe azwitolele nkadzi mu bakololokadzi be Shilo bayende ku shango ya Bhenjamini. 22 Ha botate babo ne hazwadzi dzabo bangang'ong'ola kutili towobadwa titi, ‘Mutithamile buthu nge kubabhatsha, ngoti atizobawanila bakadzi mu ngwa, ngono amutemuli nlandu ngoti ate imwi makabapa bakololokadzi benyu.’ ”
23 Ndizo ndiko sekwa kathama Babhenjamini. Kwakati banana batjazana, nlume mmwe ne mmwe katola ng'ompela kube nkadzi uwe. Bakabgwilila ku shango yabo, bakabaka mizi bakagala muili. 24 Mu tjibaka itjetjo Baiziraela bakayenda, bebgwilila kanyi kwabo ku njudzi dzabo ne misha yabo, mmwe ne mmwe ku thaka iye.
25 Mu mazhuba iyawo kwakabe kusina mambo mu Iziraela, mmwe ne mmwe wakabe ethama tjaanobona tjakalulwama mu mesho awe.
1 Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. 2 And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; 3 And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? 4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?
8 ¶ And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. 11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 13 And the whole congregation sent some to speak to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. 14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. 15 And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; 21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.