1 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. 2 And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole months. 3 And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 4 And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.
5 ¶ And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. 6 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry. 7 And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. 9 And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. 10 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him. 11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. 12 And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah. 13 And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 14 And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin. 15 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.
16 ¶ And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
22 ¶ Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay , I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was , till it was light. 27 And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.
29 ¶ And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds .
Ovitjitwa oviyaukise vyovature va Gibea
1 Momayuva ngena kamwa ri ombara mOisrael. Nu pa ri omurumendu Omulevi ngwa turire otja owozonganda kokure tjinene mehi rozondundu ra Efraim. Eye we ripahera omukazendu wa Betlehem mehi ra Juda a rire omukazendu we omumbanda. 2 Nungwari omukazendu we omumbanda ngwi wa posa kuna ye, a zu po pu ye na yaruka koya ihe kObetlehem, mehi ra Juda. Neye wa kakara ngo oure womieze vine. 3 Nomurumendu ngwi we ritwa mondjira okuteza omukazendu we na karora okumutekura kutja a kotoke. Eye wa twaerera omukarere we nousino uvari. Nomukazendu we we mu urikira ondjuwo ya ihe. Nu ihe yomukazendu tje mu muna we mu tjakanena nenyando. 4 Nu ihe omukwe we mu tjaera kutja a kare; neye wa kara puna wo omayuva yetatu. Nowo va rya nave nu, neye wa rara mbo. 5 Meyuva oritjaine eye nomukazendu we va penduka omuhuka omunene nave rirongere okuyenda. Nu ihe yomukazendu arire tja tja komukwe we: “Rutenga ryee ovikurya, tjazumba a rire tji mwa i.”
6 Nowo va kara novarumendu aveyevari va haama pamwe ave ri nave nu. Tjazumba ihe yomukazendu arire tja ningire komurumendu a tja: “Ngo tji rara muno rukwao, u kare nomutima wondjoroka.”
7 NOmulevi tja sekama okuyenda, omukwe we otje mu kondjisa nga tja rara mo rukwao. 8 Nu meyuva oritjatano, tja vanga okuyenda omuhuka omunene, ihe yomukazendu arire tja tja ku ye: “Ngo tji ri ovikurya rukwao u kare nga komapeta.” Nu aveyevari otji va rya pamwe.
9 Nomurumendu tja sekama okukumuka puna omukazendu we omumbanda nomukarere we, ihe yomukazendu otja tja nai ku ye: “Tara, eyuva ratoko, rara muno ouṱuku mbwi, nu kara nomutima wondjoroka. Tjazumba omuhuka omunene u yende u yaruke koyoye.”
10 Nungwari omurumendu ka vangere okurara mo, notja sekama a kutire ousino we auyevari na ka wondja puna omukazendu we omumbanda nomukarere we, na kavaza ombarakana na Jebus, okutja Jerusalem. 11 Nu tji va kavaza kOjebus eyuva ara toko, omukarere arire tja tja komuhona we: “Arikana, ngatu konde kotjihuro tjOvajebusi tu karare mo.”
12 Nungwari omuhona we wa kotora ku ye a tja: “Ayee, kako, katu nokukonda kotjihuro tjovandu vambangu mbe he ri Ovaisrael, ngatu kapite kOgibea.” 13 Tjazumba a tja nai komukarere we: “Indjo, ngatu rore okuvaza popezu na tjimwe tjovirongo mbyo, tu karare mOgibea poo mOrama.” 14 Nowo arire tji va kapita komurungu, neyuva re ve hitira popezu na Gibea tjomuhoko wa Benjamin. 15 Nowo va konda okukarara mOgibea. Nu ingwi Omulevi wa hita motjihuro na kakara morupare rwomarandero, tjinga ape ha ri omundu ngwe ve ṋanga okukarara mondjuwo ye.
16 Nungwari ongurova kwe ya omurumendu omukururume ngwa za koviungura vye vyotjikunino. Omurumendu ngwi rukuru wa zire kehi rozondundu ra Efraim na kara otja owozonganda mOgibea, novature votjirongo ho va ri Ovabenjamin. 17 Nomukururume ngwi tja taviza wa muna omuyenda porupare rwomarandero wotjihuro, ne mu pura a tja: “Ove mo zu pi, nu mo i pi?”
18 NOmulevi we mu zira a tja: “Oweṱe ovayenda mbu twa za kObetlehem mehi ra Juda, nu matu i kokure tjinene kehi rozondundu ra Efraim ami ku mba za. Ami mba ire kObetlehem kehi ra Juda, nambano me yaruka koyandje, nungwari kape na ngu me ndji sekirisa mondjuwo ye. 19 Nu vari eṱe tu nomahozu novikurya vyousino wetu; neṱe nomukazendu wandje omumbanda tu nomboroto nomavinu; eṱe tu na avihe, mbi twa sokuhepa.”
20 Omukururume opa tjera nai: “Ove waakurwa! Hita mondjuwo yandje! Nu avihe mbi mo hepa me ku ṱunine. Arikana, o rara morupare rwomarandero ouṱuku mbunombwi.”
21 Neye otje ve yakura moye na yandja omahozu kousino. Nu imba ovayenda va koha ozombaze zawo, nave ri nave nu.
22 Nowo ngunda ava ri mondjoroka, ovarumendu votjihuro, mba ri ovapikapike tjinene, va kovera ondjuwo ndji nave kongora omuvero tjinene. Nowo va hungira komukururume ngwi omuini wondjuwo ave tja: “Pitisa omurumendu ngwi ngwa hiti mondjuwo yoye; matu vanga okurara pu ye!”
23 Nomuini wondjuwo otja pita pendje na tja ku wo: “Ayee, kako, vakwetu, amu tjiti ondjito yohoṋi otja indjo. 24 Tareye, omukazona wandje omunene eye ngwi puna omukazendu omumbanda womurumendu ngwi! Owo meve pitisa ku eṋe; tjiteye ku wo otja pu mape tjata ku eṋe. Nungwari komurumendu ngwi amu tjiti ko ondjito yohoṋi otja indji.” 25 Nungwari ovarumendu mbo kave vangere okuzuva ku ye. Ingwi Omulevi opa kamburira omukazendu we omumbanda ne mu pitisa pendje ku wo. Nowo ve mu tjera nokumutatumisa ouṱuku auhe nga komuhuka omunene; nu tji pa tji otji ve mu esa a yende.
26 Nu mokutja kweyuva omukazendu wa kotoka na wire pehi momuvero wondjuwo yomukururume mu mwa ri omurumendu we, na saravara mbo nga tji kwa yere. 27 Nomurumendu we tja penduka omuhuka wa yezurura omuvero wondjuwo na piti pendje kutja a yende; mokamanga otja muna omukazendu we omumbanda a saravara momuvero wondjuwo, nomake we aye ri komuti omutyakaṋa wokehi yomuvero. 28 Eye we mu isana a tja: “Penduka tu kawondje!” Nungwari ka perwe eziriro. Tjazumba otja tyakaṋa orurova romukazendu we kokasino, a kumuka na yaruka komaturiro we. 29 Nu tja kavaza kondjuwo ye arire tja toora oruvyo na kondo orurova romukazendu we omumbanda movindimbu omurongo na vivari ne vi hindi komihoko omurongo na vivari vya Israel. 30 Nu auhe ngwa muna otjiṋa hi, wa tja: “Otjiṋa otja ihi nga mba katjiya tjitwa nu katjiya munika okuza koruveze Ovaisrael ndu va zire mehi ra Engipte okuya nguno nga ku ndinondi. Ripureye na tjo, raerasaneye nu tyasaneye!”
