Benyaminfo Yerenom
1Israelfo aka ntam wɔ Mispa sɛ, wɔremfa wɔn mmabea mma ɔbarima biara a ofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu aware.
2Nnipa no kɔɔ Bet-El kɔtenaa Onyankopɔn anim kosii anwummere, maa wɔn nne so, suu denneennen kae se, 3“Ao Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, adɛn nti na saa asɛm yi asi? Mprempren yɛn mmusuakuw no mu baako ayera!”
4Adekyee mu no, nnipa no sii afɔremuka, na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyew ne asomdwoe afɔre. 5Wobisae se, “Abusuakuw bi wɔ hɔ a wannya ɔnanmusini bere a yɛkɔɔ nhyiamu kɛse wɔ Awurade anim wɔ Mispa no ana?” Saa bere no, na wɔaka ntankɛse wɔ Awurade anim sɛ, obiara a wamma no, ɛsɛ sɛ owu.
6Na Israelfo no dii yaw wɔ Benyaminfo no ho kae se, “Nnɛ yi, abusuakuw baako afi yɛn mu; na nʼase reyɛ atɔre. 7Na ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama wɔn a wɔaka no, esiane Awurade ntam a yɛaka sɛ yɛremfa yɛn mmabea mu biara mma wɔn aware nti?”
8Enti wobisae se, “Bere a yɛde yɛn ho kyerɛɛ Awurade wɔ Mispa no na obi nni hɔ bi ana?” Ɛhɔ na wohui sɛ, obiara amfi Yabes Gilead amma saa aguabɔ no ase bi. 9Na wɔkan nnipa no nyinaa no, wɔannya obiara a ofi Yabes Gilead. 10Enti wɔsomaa akofo mpem dumien kɔɔ Yabes Gilead sɛ wonkokunkum obiara a ɔwɔ hɔ a mmea ne mmofra ka ho. 11Wɔkae se, “Eyi na ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ. Munkum ɔbarima ne ɔbea biara a ɔnyɛ ɔbabun.” 12Yabes Gileadfo mu no, wohuu mmabun ahannan a wɔne mmarima nnaa da, na wɔde wɔn baa nsraban a ɛwɔ Silo wɔ Kanaan asase so hɔ.
13Na Israelfo bagua no somaa asomdwoe abɔfo ma wɔkɔɔ Benyaminfo nkae no a na wɔte Rimon botan ho no nkyɛn. 14Na Benyaminfo no san kɔɔ wɔn afi mu, na wɔde mmabun a wofi Yabes Gilead a wɔankum bi no maa wɔn aware. Nanso mmea no anso wɔn so.
15Nnipa no dii Benyaminfo no ho yaw, sɛ Awurade ama mpaapaemu aba Israel mmusuakuw no mu. 16Enti Israel ntuanofo no bisae se, “Sɛ wɔatɔre mmea a wofi Benyamin ase yi, ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na yɛanya yerenom ama mmarima a wɔaka no? 17Ɛsɛ sɛ Benyaminfo a wɔaka no nya adedifo sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a Israel abusuakuw bi ase ntɔre. 18Nanso yɛrentumi mfa yɛn mmabea mma wɔn aware, efisɛ yɛaka ntankɛse sɛ, obiara a ɔde ne babea bɛma Benyaminni aware no, Awurade nnome mmra ne so.” 19Afei wɔdwenee Awurade afeafe afahyɛ no ho, nea wodi wɔ Silo, a ɛwɔ Lebona ne Bet-El ntam, wɔ ɔkwan a efi Bet-El kosi Sekem no apuei fam.
20Na wɔka kyerɛɛ Benyamin mmarima a wɔda so hwehwɛ yerenom no se, “Monkɔtɛw wɔ bobe nturo no mu. 21Sɛ mmea a wofi Silo no ba bɛsaw wɔn asaw no a, mumpue mfi bobe nturo no mu, na mo mu biara betumi afa wɔn mu baako de no akɔ fie sɛ ne yere. 22Na sɛ wɔn agyanom ne wɔn nuanom mmarima ba sɛ wɔmpene so a, yɛbɛka akyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Yɛsrɛ mo, monte ase. Momma wɔmfa mo mmabea no, efisɛ bere a yekunkum Yabes Gileadfo no, yɛannyaw mmea a ɛbɛso wɔn nyinaa so amma wɔn. Munnni ntam no ho fɔ, efisɛ ɛnyɛ mo na mode mo mmabea maa wɔn aware.’ ”
23Enti Benyamin mmarima no yɛɛ sɛnea wɔkyerɛɛ wɔn no. Wowiawiaa mmea a wɔbaa afahyɛ no ase, de wɔn kɔɔ asase a ɛyɛ wɔn agyapade no so. Na wɔkyekyeree wɔn nkurow no bio tenaa mu. 24Na Israelfo mmusuakuw ne mmusua no fii hɔ san kɔɔ wɔn ankasa afi mu.
25Saa bere no na Israel nni ɔhene, nti na nea nnipa no gye di sɛ eye wɔ wɔn ani so no na wɔyɛ.
Wives for the Men of Benjamin
1The men of Israel had made a promise at Mizpah. They had said, “Not one of us will give his daughter to be married to a man from Benjamin.”
2The people went to Bethel. They sat there until evening in front of God. They wept loudly and bitterly. 3“Lord, you are the God of Israel,” they cried. “Why has this happened to Israel? Why is one tribe missing from Israel today?”
4Early the next day the people built an altar. They brought burnt offerings and friendship offerings.
5Then the Israelites asked, “Has anyone failed to come here in front of the Lord? Is anyone missing from all the tribes of Israel?” The people had made a promise. They had said that anyone who failed to come to Mizpah in front of the Lord must be put to death.
6The Israelites were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. After all, they were their fellow Israelites. “Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel,” they said. 7“How can we provide wives for the men who are left? We’ve made a promise in front of the Lord. We’ve promised not to give any of our daughters to be married to them.” 8Then they asked, “Has any tribe of Israel failed to come here to Mizpah in front of the Lord?” They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come. No one from there had gathered together with the others in the camp. 9They counted the people. They found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead had come to Mizpah.
10So the community sent 12,000 fighting men to Jabesh Gilead. They directed them to take their swords and kill those living there. That included the women and children. 11“Here is what you must do,” they said. “Kill every male. Also kill every woman who is not a virgin.” 12They found 400 young women in Jabesh Gilead who had never slept with a man. So they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan.
13Then the whole community sent an offer of peace to the men of Benjamin. The men were at the rock of Rimmon. 14So the men of Benjamin returned at that time. They were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there weren’t enough women for all of them.
15The people were very sad because of what had happened to the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord had left a gap in the tribes of Israel. They weren’t complete without Benjamin. 16The elders of the community spoke up. They said, “All the women of Benjamin have been wiped out. So how will we find wives for the men who are left? 17The men of Benjamin who are still alive need to have children,” they said. “If they don’t, a tribe of Israel will be wiped out. 18But we can’t give them our daughters to be their wives. We Israelites have made a promise. We’ve said, ‘May anyone who gives a wife to a man from Benjamin be under the Lord’s curse.’ 19Look, a feast is celebrated every year in Shiloh to honor the Lord. Shiloh is north of Bethel. It’s east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. It’s south of Lebonah.”
20So they told the men of Benjamin what to do. They said, “Go. Hide in the vineyards 21and watch. The young women of Shiloh will come out. They’ll join in the dancing. When they do, run out of the vineyards. Each of you grab a young woman from Shiloh to be your wife. Then return to the land of Benjamin. 22Their fathers or brothers might not be happy with what we’re doing. If they aren’t, we’ll say to them, ‘Do us a favor. Help the men of Benjamin. We didn’t get wives for them during the battle. You aren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. After all, you didn’t give your daughters to them. Your daughters were stolen from you.’ ”
23So that’s what the men of Benjamin did. While the young women were dancing, each man caught one. He carried her away to be his wife. Then the men returned to their own share of land. They built the towns again. They made their homes in them.
24At that time the Israelites also left. They went home to their tribes and family groups. Each one went to his own share of land.
25In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right.
