Judges 21
1 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!”
Y LOS varones de Israel habían jurado en Mizpa, diciendo: Ninguno de nosotros dará su hija á los de Benjamín por mujer.
2 But now the Israelis went to Bethel and they cried loudly to Yahweh all day, until the sun went down.
Y vino el pueblo á la casa de Dios, y estuviéronse allí hasta la tarde delante de Dios; y alzando su voz hicieron gran llanto, y dijeron:
3 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]
Oh Jehová Dios de Israel, ¿por qué ha sucedido esto en Israel, que falte hoy de Israel una tribu?
4 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.
Y al día siguiente el pueblo se levantó de mañana, y edificaron allí altar, y ofrecieron holocaustos y pacíficos.
5 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?”
Y dijeron los hijos de Israel: ¿Quién de todas las tribus de Israel no subió á la reunión cerca de Jehová? Porque se había hecho gran juramento contra el que no subiese á Jehová en Mizpa, diciendo: Sufrirá muerte.
6 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).
Y los hijos de Israel se arrepintieron á causa de Benjamín su hermano, y dijeron: Una tribu es hoy cortada de Israel.
7 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?”
¿Qué haremos en cuanto á mujeres para los que han quedado? Nosotros hemos jurado por Jehová que no les hemos de dar nuestras hijas por mujeres.
8 Then [one of] them asked, “What group from any of the tribes of Israel did not send any men here to Mizpah?”
Y dijeron: ¿Hay alguno de las tribus de Israel que no haya subido á Jehová en Mizpa? Y hallaron que ninguno de Jabes-galaad había venido al campo á la reunión:
9 [They realized that] when the soldiers were counted, there was no one from Jabesh-Gilead [city] who had come there.
Porque el pueblo fué contado, y no hubo allí varón de los moradores de Jabes-galaad.
10 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.
Entonces la congregación envió allá doce mil hombres de los más valientes, y mandáronles, diciendo: Id y poned á cuchillo á los moradores de Jabes-galaad, y las mujeres y niños.
11 [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].”
Mas haréis de esta manera: mataréis á todo varón, y á toda mujer que hubiere conocido ayuntamiento de varón.
12 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].
Y hallaron de los moradores de Jabes-galaad cuatrocientas doncellas que no habían conocido hombre en ayuntamiento de varón, y trajéronlas al campo en Silo, que es en la tierra de Canaán.
13 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.
Toda la congregación envió luego á hablar á los hijos de Benjamín que estaban en la peña de Rimmón, y llamáronlos en paz.
14 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].
Y volvieron entonces los de Benjamín; y diéronles por mujeres las que habían guardado vivas de las mujeres de Jabes-galaad: mas no les bastaron éstas.
15 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.
Y el pueblo tuvo dolor á causa de Benjamín, de que Jehová hubiese hecho mella en las tribus de Israel.
16 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?
Entonces los ancianos de la congregación dijeron: ¿Qué haremos acerca de mujeres para los que han quedado? Porque el sexo de las mujeres había sido raído de Benjamín.
17 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.
Y dijeron: La heredad de los que han escapado [ha de ser] lo que era de Benjamín, porque no sea una tribu raída de Israel.
18 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.”
Nosotros empero, no les podemos dar mujeres de nuestras hijas, porque los hijos de Israel han jurado, diciendo: Maldito el que diere mujer á Benjamín.
19 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].”
Ahora bien, dijeron, he aquí cada un año hay solemnidad de Jehová en Silo, que está al aquilón de Beth-el, y al lado oriental del camino que sube de Beth-el á Sichêm, y al mediodía de Lebona.
20 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.
Y mandaron á los hijos de Benjamín, diciendo: Id, y poned emboscada en las viñas:
21 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].
Y estad atentos: y cuando viereis salir las hijas de Silo á bailar en corros, vosotros saldréis de las viñas, y arrebataréis cada uno mujer para sí de las hijas de Silo, y os iréis á tierra de Benjamín:
22 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].’”
Y cuando vinieren los padres de ellas ó sus hermanos á demandárnoslo, nosotros les diremos: Tened piedad de nosotros en lugar de ellos: pues que nosotros en la guerra no tomamos mujeres para todos: que vosotros no se las habéis dado, para que ahora seáis culpables.
23 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.
Y los hijos de Benjamín lo hicieron así; pues tomaron mujeres conforme á su número, pillando de las que danzaban; y yéndose luego, tornáronse á su heredad, y reedificaron las ciudades, y habitaron en ellas.
24 The other Israelis went to their homes in the areas where their tribes and clans lived, the areas that God had allotted to them.
Entonces los hijos de Israel se fueron también de allí, cada uno á su tribu y á su familia, saliendo de allí cada uno á su heredad.
25 At that time, the Israeli people did not have a king. Everyone did what they themselves thought was right.
En estos días no había rey en Israel: cada uno hacía lo recto delante de sus ojos.
