Jongʼad Bura 21
1 Jo-Israel nosekwongʼore e piny Mizpa niya, “Onge kata achiel kuomwa mabiro chiwo nyare mondo okendi gi ja-Benjamin.”
When the Israeli men gathered at Mizpah [before the battle started], they vowed, “None of us will ever allow one of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin!”
2 Ji nodhi Bethel, kama ne gibetie e nyim Nyasaye nyaka odhiambo, ka gitingʼo dwondgi kendo ka giywak malit.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Ne giywak niya, “Yaye Jehova Nyasaye, ma Nyasach Israel, angʼo momiyo ma osetimore ne Israel? Angʼo ma omiyo dhoot achiel nyalo lal e Israel kawuono?”
They kept saying, “Yahweh, God of us Israeli people, [it is as though] one of the tribes of us Israelis does not exist any more! (Why has this happened to us?/It is terrible that this has happened to us!)” [RHQ]
4 Kinyne gokinyi ji nogero kendo mar misango ma gichiwo misango miwangʼo pep kod misango mar lalruok.
Early the next morning the people built an altar. Then they completely burned some sacrifices [on the altar], and also offered other sacrifices to maintain fellowship with God.
5 Eka jo-Israel nopenjo niya, “En dhoot mane e kind dhout Israel duto mapok ochokore e nyim Jehova Nyasaye?” Nimar ne gisekwongʼore ni dhoot moro amora ma ok ochokore e piny Mizpa e nyim Jehova Nyasaye nyaka negi.
Then, because they had vowed that anyone who did not meet with them at Mizpah [to help fight the men of the tribe of Benjamin] would be killed, they asked among themselves, “Were there any of the tribes of Israel who did not come to Mizpah to meet with us in the presence of Yahweh?”
6 Koro jo-Israel ne nigi kuyo nikech owetegi, ma jo-Benjamin. Negiwacho niya, “Kawuononi dhood Israel achiel olal.
The Israelis felt sorry for their fellow Israelis from the tribe of Benjamin. They said, “Today one of our Israeli tribes (has disappeared/no longer exists).
7 Ere kaka wanyalo miyo jogo modongʼ mon, nimar wasekwongʼore e nyim Jehova Nyasaye ni ok wanamigi nyiwa mondo gikendi?”
Yahweh heard us solemnly declare that we would not allow any of our daughters to marry any man from the tribe of Benjamin. What can we do to make certain that the men of the tribe of Benjamin who were not killed will have wives?”
8 Eka negipenjo niya, “En dhoot Israel mane mane ok ochokore e piny Mizpa e nyim Jehova Nyasaye?” Negifwenyo ni onge ngʼama noa Jabesh Gilead manobiro mochokore e chokruokno.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Nimar kane gikwano ji, negiyudo ni onge ngʼama noa jo-Jabesh Gilead.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Eka chokruokno nomiyo jolweny alufu apar gariyo chik mondo gidhi Jabesh Gilead kendo gineg joma odak kanyo machwo, kaachiel gi mon gi nyithindo.
So all the Israelis decided to send 12,000 very good soldiers to Jabesh-Gilead to kill the people there with their swords, even to kill the married women and children.
11 Negiwacho niya, “Ma e gima onego utim. Neg dichwo moro amora to gi nyako moro amora mosengʼeyo dichwo.”
[They told this to those men]: “This is what you must do: You must kill every man in Jabesh-Gilead. You must also kill every married woman. [But do not kill the unmarried women].”
12 Kuom joma nodak Jabesh Gilead negiyudo nyiri mia angʼwen mapok ongʼeyo chwo kendo negiterogi e kambi mar Shilo man Kanaan.
So those soldiers [went to Jabesh-Gilead and killed all the men, married women, and children. But they] found 400 unmarried young women there. So they brought them to their camp at Shiloh, in Canaan, [across the river from the Gilead area that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin].
13 Eka oganda mane ochokore duto nooro chiwo mar kwe ne jo-Benjamin e lwanda mar Rimon.
Then all the Israelis [who had gathered] sent a message to the 600 men who were at Rimmon Rock. They said that they would like to make peace with them.
14 Omiyo jo-Benjamin noduogo e sechego kendo nomigi mond jo-Jabesh Gilead mane odongʼ. To mon-go ne ok nyal romogi duto.
So the men came back from Rimmon Rock. The Israelis gave to them the women from Jabesh-Gilead whom they had not killed. But there were [only 400 women. But there were] not enough women [for those 600 men].
15 Ji nokuyo nikech Jehova Nyasaye nomiyo dhood Benjamin olal e kind dhout Israel.
The Israelis [still] felt sorry for the men of the tribe of Benjamin, because Yahweh had (decimated/almost wiped out) one of the Israeli tribes.
16 Kendo jodong ogandano nowacho niya, “Ka oseneg mond Benjamin, ere kaka wabiro miyo jogi mane otony mon?”
The Israeli leaders said, “We have killed all the married women of the tribe of Benjamin. Where can we get women to be wives of the men who are still alive?
17 Negiwacho niya, “Jo-Benjamin mane otony nyaka bed gi nyithindo mabiro chamo mwandugi mondo omi dhood Israel kik tieki.
These men must have wives to give birth to children, in order that their families will continue. If that does not happen, all the people of one of the tribes of Israel will die.
18 Ok wanyal miyogi nyiwa obed mondegi, nimar wan jo-Israel wasekwongʼore kama: ‘Okwongʼ ngʼatno mochiwo nyare mondo okend gi ja-Benjamin.’
But we cannot allow our daughters to marry these men, because we vowed that Yahweh will curse anyone who gives one of his daughters to become a wife of any man of the tribe of Benjamin.”
19 To neuru, nitiere nyasi mar higa ka higa mar Jehova Nyasaye e Shilo, man yo nyandwat mar Bethel, kod yo wuok chiengʼ mar yo madhi Shekem, kochomo yo milambo mar Lebona.”
Then [one of] them (had an idea/thought of something that they could do). He said, “Every year there is a festival to honor Yahweh at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel and east of the road that extends from Bethel to Shechem, and it is south of Lebonah [city].”
20 Omiyo negimiyo jo-Benjamin chik, kagiwacho niya, “Dhiuru kendo upondi e puothe mzabibu
So the Israeli leaders told the men of the tribe of Benjamin, “[When it is the time for that festival], go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards.
21 kendo uritane. Ka nyiri moa Shilo owuok oko mondo gibi e nyasi, to ringuru uwuogi mapiyo kua e puothe mzabibu mondo ngʼato ka ngʼato oyud dhako kuom nyirigo mondo udog-go e piny jo-Benjamin.
Keep watching for the young women to come out of the city to dance. [When they come out], all of you should run out of the vineyards. Each of you can seize one of the young women of Shiloh. Then you can all return to your homes [with those women].
22 Ka wuonegi kata owetegi obiro donjo irwa, to wabiro wachonegi ni, ‘Timnwa ngʼwono kuom konyogi, nikech ne ok wayudonegi mon e kinde mag lweny, kendo un uonge gi wach, nikech un ne ok umiyogi nyiu.’”
If their fathers or brothers come to us and complain [about what you have done], we will say to them, ‘Be kind to the men of the tribe of Benjamin. When we fought them, we did not leave any women alive to become their wives, and you did not give those young women to the men from the tribe of Benjamin. [They stole them]. So you will not be guilty, [even though you said that you would not allow any of your daughters to marry one of them].’”
23 Omiyo mano e gima ne jo-Benjamin notimo. Ka nyirigo ne miel, ngʼato ka ngʼato nomako nyako achiel kuom nyirigo moloko chiege modhigo dala. Bangʼe negidwogo e lopgi mi gigero mier kanyo midakie.
So that is what the men of the tribe of Benjamin did. [They went to Shiloh at the time of the festival]. And when the young women were dancing, each man caught one of them and took her away and married her. Then they took their wives back to the land that God had given to them. They rebuilt their cities [that had been burned down], and they lived there.
24 E sechego jo-Israel nowuok kanyo ma gidok e miechgi kendo e dhoutgi ka ngʼato ka ngʼato dok e lope owuon.
The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
25 E kindeno Israel ne onge ruoth; kendo ngʼato ka ngʼato ne timo kaka ohero.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
