Jueces 21
1 Los hombres de Israel juraron en Mizpa: Ninguno de nosotros dará su hija como esposa a los de Benjamín.
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 El pueblo llegó a Bet-ʼEl, y allí permanecieron ante ʼElohim hasta llegar la noche, alzaron la voz e hicieron un gran llanto.
But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
3 Y decían: ¿Por qué, oh Yavé, ʼElohim de Israel, sucedió esto en Israel, que hoy falte una tribu de Israel?
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 Aconteció que al día siguiente, el pueblo madrugó, edificaron allí un altar y ofrecieron holocaustos y ofrendas de paz.
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 Entonces los hijos de Israel dijeron: ¿Quién hay de todas las tribus de Israel que no subió con la congregación ante Yavé? Porque hubo un solemne juramento relacionado con el que no subiera ante Yavé en Mizpa, y dijeron: ¡Que muera sin compasión!
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 Los hijos de Israel se compadecieron de su hermano Benjamín y dijeron: ¡Hoy fue cortada una tribu de Israel!
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 ¿Cómo haremos en cuanto a esposas para los que quedan, al recordar que juramos por Yavé que no les daremos a nuestras hijas como esposas?
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 Y dijeron: ¿Quién hay de entre todas las tribus de Israel que no subió a Yavé en Mizpa? Y notaron que ninguno de los habitantes de Jabes Galaad fue al campamento, a la congregación.
Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
9 Hicieron un recuento de la gente, y no se halló a ninguno de Jabes Galaad.
[They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
10 Entonces la congregación envió allá 12.000 hombres de entre los más valientes y les ordenaron: ¡Vayan y maten a filo de espada a los habitantes de Jabes Galaad con las mujeres y los niños!
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 Esto es lo que harán: Exterminarán completamente a todo varón y a toda mujer que tuvo unión carnal con varón.
[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 Entre los habitantes de Jabes Galaad hallaron 400 doncellas que no habían tenido unión carnal con varón, las cuales llevaron al campamento en Silo, situado en la tierra de Canaán.
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 Toda la congregación envió emisarios para que hablaran con los hijos de Benjamín que estaban en la peña de Rimón y les proclamaran paz.
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 Los de Benjamín volvieron, y les dieron las mujeres que habían conservado vivas de entre las mujeres de Jabes Galaad, pero no fueron suficientes para ellos.
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 El pueblo se compadeció de Benjamín, porque Yavé abrió una brecha en las tribus de 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 Entonces los ancianos de la congregación dijeron: ¿Qué haremos en cuanto a mujeres para los que quedan, ya que las mujeres de Benjamín fueron exterminadas?
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 Y agregaron: Que los supervivientes sean herederos de Benjamín, para que no sea borrada una tribu de en medio de Israel.
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 Pero nosotros no podemos darles mujeres de entre nuestras hijas. Porque los hijos de Israel se juramentaron: ¡Maldito el que dé esposa a Benjamín!
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 Y dijeron: Miren, se acerca la fiesta anual de Yavé en Silo, al norte de Bet-ʼEl, al oriente del camino que sube de Bet-ʼEl a Siquem, y al sur de 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 Dieron orden a los hijos de Benjamín: Vayan y pongan emboscadas en las viñas.
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 Estén alerta, y cuando las hijas de Silo salgan a danzar, salgan de las viñas y cada uno rapte esposa para él de las hijas de Silo, y luego se irán a la tierra de Benjamín.
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 Sucederá que cuando sus padres o sus hermanos vengan a pleito ante nosotros, les diremos: Hágannos el favor de concedérnoslas, porque en la guerra no tomamos esposa para cada uno de ellos, ni ustedes las dieron a ellos para que ahora sean culpables de pecado.
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 Así lo hicieron los hijos de Benjamín, y de entre las danzantes que raptaron llevaron mujeres según el número de ellos. Y regresaron a su heredad, reedificaron las ciudades y vivieron en ellas.
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 También los hijos de Israel se fueron de allí, cada uno a su tribu y a su familia, y salió cada uno con destino a su heredad.
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 En aquellos días no había rey en Israel. Cada uno hacía lo que le parecía bien.
At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
