Judges 21

¹ When the Israelite don gather for Mizpah, dem don make promise to God say: “None of us go allow any Benjamin people marry our daughter.”

² Naso the people of Israel con go to Bethel and dem sit there for the presence of God until evening. Dem mourn so loud and bitter:

³ “LORD God of Israel, why this don happen? Why the tribe of Benjamin dey disappear from Israel?”

⁴ The people build altar for there for the next morning, dem offer fellowship sacrifice and dem burn some sacrifices.

⁵ Dem ask say, “Shey any group dey out of the tribes of Israel wey no go to gathering in the presence of God for Mizpah?” (Dem don take oath say dem go kill anyone wey no go to Mizpah.)

⁶ The people of Israel con feel sorry for their brothers Benjamin people and dem talk say, “today Israel don lose one of hin tribes.

⁷ Wetin make we do to provide wives for the men of Benjamin wey remain? We don make promise to God say we no go give them any of our daughters.”

⁸ When dem ask if any group dey out of the tribes of Israel wey no go to the gathering for Mizpah, dem find out say no one from Jabesh for Gilead don go there;

⁹ for the roll call of the army nobody come from Jabesh.

¹⁰ Naso the assembly send 12,000 of their soldier men wey brave pass with order say, “Make una go and kill everyone for Jabesh, including the women and children.

¹¹ Make una kill all the males, and also every woman wey no be virgin,”

¹² Among the people for Jabesh dem find 400 young virgins, so dem bring them to the camp for Shiloh, wey dey for the land of Canaan.

¹³ Then all the assembly con send word to the Benjamin people wey dey for the Rock of Rimmon and dem offer to end the war.

¹⁴ The Benjaminite come back, and the other Israelites con give them the girls from Jabesh wey dem never kill. But dem no plenty.

¹⁵ The people con feel sorry for the tribe of the Benjamin because God don break the unity of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁶ Naso the leaders of the gathering talk say, “Women no dey for the tribe of Benjamin again. Wetin we go do to provide wives for the men wey remain?

¹⁷ Israel must not lose one of hin twelve tribes. We must find a way on how the tribe of Benjamin go survive,

¹⁸ But we no fit allow them marry our daughters, because we don put a curse on top anyone of us wey allow Benjamin people marry one of our daughters.”

¹⁹ Dem con think say, “The yearly festival of God for Shiloh dey come soon.” (Shiloh na north of Bethel, south of Lebanon, and east for the road between Bethel and Shechem.)

²⁰ Dem tell the Benjamin people say, “Make una go and hide for the vineyards

²¹ And make una watch, when the young women of Shiloh come out to dance during the festival, make una come out of the vineyards. Make each of una take wife by force from among them and make una take her go back to the territory of Benjamin with una.

²² If their papa or brothers come meet una and protest, una fit talk say, ‘abeg make we keep them, because we no take them from una for battle make dem be our wives. And since una no give them to us, una no dey guilty of breaking una promise.’”

²³ The Benjamin people do this; each of them choose wife from the women wey dey dance for Shiloh and dem carry them away. Then dem go back to their own territory, rebuild their towns, and live for there.

²⁴ For that same time the rest of Israelite don commot, and every man don go back to him own tribe and family and to him own property.

²⁵ King no dey for Israel at that time. All the people just dey do as dem like.