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Akazi a Abenjamini

21 Aisraeli anali atalumbira ku Mizipa kuti, “Palibe mmodzi wa ife adzapereke mwana wake wamkazi kuti akwatiwe ndi mwamuna wa fuko la Benjamini.”

Anthu anapita ku Beteli kumene anakakhala pansi pamaso pa Mulungu mpaka madzulo. Iwo anakweza mawu nalira kwambiri. Iwo ankanena kuti, “Yehova Mulungu wa Israeli, nʼchifukwa chiyani izi zachitika mʼdziko la Israeli kuti lero fuko limodzi lisowe mu Israeli?”

Mmawa mwake anthu anadzuka namanga guwa lansembe ndi kupereka nsembe zopsereza ndi nsembe zachiyanjano.

Kenaka Aisraeli anafunsa kuti, “Kodi ndani pakati pa mafuko a Israeli sanafike ku msonkhano wa Yehova?” Anatero chifukwa anachita malumbiro aakulu okhudza munthu amene alephere kupita ku Mizipa ndi kuti woteroyo ayenera kuphedwa.

Tsono Aisraeli anamva chisoni chifukwa cha abale awo, Abenjamini. Iwo anati, “Lero fuko limodzi lachotsedwa mu Israeli. Kodi tingawapezere bwanji anthu otsalawa akazi woti awakwatire? Paja ife tinalumbira kwa Yehova kuti sitidzapereka ana anthu aakazi kuti awakwatire. Kenaka anafunsa kuti, ‘Kodi mu fuko la Israeli ndani amene sanabwere pamaso pa Yehova ku Mizipa?’ ” Tsono panapezeka kuti panalibe ndi mmodzi yemwe wochokera ku Yabesi Giliyadi amene anapita ku msonkhano ku misasa kuja. Pamene anthu anawerengana anangoona kuti anthu a ku Yabesi Giliyadi palibe.

10 Choncho msonkhano unatumiza anthu ankhondo 12,000 ndi kuwalamula kuti, “Mukaphe anthu onse okhala ku Yabesi Giliyadi, kuphatikizapo akazi ndi ana.” 11 Izi ndi zimene mukachite. “Mukaphe mwamuna aliyense ndi mkazi aliyense amene anadziwapo mwamuna.” 12 Iwo anapeza atsikana 400 pakati pa anthu okhala mu Yabesi Giliyadi amene anali asanadziwepo mwamuna ndipo anabwera nawo ku misasa ku Silo mʼdziko la Kanaani.

13 Kenaka msonkhano wonse unatumiza uthenga kwa Abenjamini amene ankakhala ku thanthwe la Rimoni kuwawuza kuti nkhondo yatha. 14 Choncho Abenjamini anabwera nthawi imeneyo ndipo Aisraeli anawapatsa akazi a ku Yabesi Giliyadi amene sanaphedwe. Koma sanapezeke owakwanira.

15 Aisraeli anamvera chisoni Abenjamini, chifukwa Yehova anachita ngati waligwerula dzino fuko la Israeli. 16 Choncho akuluakulu a msonkhano anati, “Kodi tikawapezera kuti akazi anthu otsalirawa kuti awakwatire popeza kuti akazi a fuko la Benjamini anaphedwa?” 17 Iwo anati, “Abenjamini amene anapulumukawa ayenera kukhala ndi zidzukulu, kuti mtundu wa Israeli usafafanizike. 18 Ife sitingathe kuwapatsa ana anthu aakazi kuti akwatire. Paja tinalumbira kuti, ‘Akhale wotembereredwa aliyense amene adzapereka mwana wake wamkazi kwa mwamuna wa fuko la Benjamini kuti akwatire.’ 19 Ndipo anati, ‘Paja ku Silo kuli chikondwerero cha chaka ndi chaka cholemekeza Yehova. Tsono Silo ali kumpoto kwa Beteli, kummawa kwa msewu wochokera ku Beteli kupita ku Sekemu, ndiponso kummwera kwa Lebona.’ ”

20 Choncho anawalamulira Abenjamini aja kuti, “Pitani mukabisale mʼminda ya mpesa 21 ndipo mukakhale tcheru. Ana aakazi a ku Silo akadzatulukira kudzavina nawo magule, pomwepo inu mutuluke minda ya mpesa ndi kukawagwira aliyense wake ndi kupita nawo ku dziko la Benjamini. 22 Ngati abambo awo kapena alongo awo adzabwera kudzadandaula kwa ife, tidzawawuza kuti, ‘Chonde, tikomereni mtima powalola kuti atenga ana anu aakaziwo popeza kuti ife sitinawapezere akazi pomenya nkhondo. Inunso simunachite kuwapatsa. Mukanatero ndiye mukanapalamula.’ ”

23 Abenjamini anachitadi zimenezi. Mwa akazi amene ankavina aja anagwirapo ena, malingana ndi chiwerengero chawo, nawatenga kuti akhale akazi awo. Kenaka ananyamuka kubwerera ku dziko la kwawo, nakamanganso mizinda yawo ndi kumakhalamo.

24 Pambuyo pake Aisraeli anachoka kumeneko ndi kubwerera kwawo, ku mafuko ndi ku mabanja awo, aliyense ku dera la cholowa chake.

25 Masiku amenewo kunalibe mfumu ku Israeli. Aliyense ankangochita zimene zomukomera yekha.

Wives for the Benjamites

21 The men of Israel had taken an oath(A) at Mizpah:(B) “Not one of us will give(C) his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite.”

The people went to Bethel,[a] where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. Lord, God of Israel,” they cried, “why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing(D) from Israel today?”

Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.(E)

Then the Israelites asked, “Who from all the tribes of Israel(F) has failed to assemble before the Lord?” For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah was to be put to death.

Now the Israelites grieved for the tribe of Benjamin, their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe is cut off from Israel,” they said. “How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath(G) by the Lord not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?” Then they asked, “Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the Lord at Mizpah?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead(H) had come to the camp for the assembly. For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there.

10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Kill every male(I) and every woman who is not a virgin.(J) 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh(K) in Canaan.

13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace(L) to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon.(M) 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them.

15 The people grieved for Benjamin,(N) because the Lord had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, “With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs,” they said, “so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out.(O) 18 We can’t give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath:(P) ‘Cursed be anyone who gives(Q) a wife to a Benjamite.’ 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh,(R) which lies north of Bethel(S), east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem,(T) and south of Lebonah.”

20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, “Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the young women of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing,(U) rush from the vineyards and each of you seize one of them to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, ‘Do us the favor of helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war. You will not be guilty of breaking your oath because you did not give(V) your daughters to them.’”

23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the young women were dancing,(W) each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance(X) and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.(Y)

24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.

25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.(Z)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 21:2 Or to the house of God