Oixuna ya longwa koonakukalamo muGibea
1 Momafiku enya muIsrael inamu kala ohamba. Nomulumenhu umwe Omulevi okwa kala ngaashi omunailongo komunghulo weemhunda daEfraim. Ndele ye okwe likongela omukainhu, omwalikadi wopomunghulo muBetlehem shomuJuda. 2 Ndelenee omwalikadi waye wopomunghulo okwe mu handukila nokwa dja po puye ta i keumbo laxe muBetlehem shomuJuda. Ndele oko a kala eehani nhee. 3 Opo nee omulumenhu waye okwa fikama ndele te mu shikula a kundafane naye nombili, opo e mu alule. Omupiya waye okwa li puye neendongi mbali. Nomukainhu okwe mu twala meumbo laxe. Ndele xe yomwalikadi omunyasha eshi e mu mona, okwa hafela okuuya kwaye. 4 Ndele xemweno, xe yomwalikadi omunyasha, ina hala oku mu lekela, opo nee winya a kala puye omafiku atatu, ndele tava li ndele tava nu ndele va kala ko oufiku. 5 Ndelenee fimbo ongula inene mefiku etine vo va penduka ndele pokufikama kwaye xe yomwalikadi omunyasha ta ti koshitenya: “Pameka omwenyo woye nokapambu komungome, opo nee tamu dulu okuya.” 6 Ndele vo va kala po, naaveshe vavali va lila nova nwina pamwe. Opo nee xe yomwalikadi omunyasha ta ti komulumenhu: “Itavele nge, u kale po oufiku, nomwenyo woye nau kale wa hafa. 7 Ndelenee omulumenhu eshi a fikama a ye, xemweno e mu fininika, opo nee a kala po vali oufiku.” 8 Ongula inene yefiku etitano fimbo ye ta fikama a ye, xe yomwalikadi omunyasha ta ti: “Pameka omwenyo woye u uhale po fiyo okomatango.” Ndele vo aveshe vavali va lya. 9 Ndelenee omulumenhu eshi a fikama a ye pamwe nomwalikadi waye nomupiya waye, xemweno yaye, xe yomwalikadi omunyasha ta ti kuye: “Tala, etango tali ningine, onguloshi ye uya. Kaleni apa mu nangale. Tala, ola toka nokuli, kala apa u nangale. Nomwenyo woye nau hafe, opo mu shiive okuushuka ongula inene mu ye komatwali eni.” 10 Ndelenee omulumenhu ina hala vali okunangala, nokwa fikama ndele ta i neendongi mbali nomwalikadi waye wopomunghulo, ndele a fika ponhele ya shaama naJebus, nokutya Jerusalem. 11 Ndele vo eshi ve uya kuJebus netango ola ningina nokuli, omupiya ta ti komwene waye: “Tu yeni koshilando eshi shOvajebusi, tu ka nangale mo.” 12 Ndelenee omwene waye ta ti kuye: “Itatu dulu okuya mo moshilando shovanailongo, omo muhe novana vaIsrael, ndelenee tu nokutwikila fiyo okuGibea.” 13 Ye ta ti vali komupiya waye: “Ila tu ye konhele imwe tu nangale muGibea ile muRama.” 14 Osho hano va twikila vali. Netango ole va ninginina puGibea shOvabenjamin. 15 Ndele vo ova tengunukila kuGibea va nangale mo. Ndele va ya mo ndele tava kala mondabo yoshilando. Ndele inapa monika nande umwe ou e va ifana meumbo ile e va nangeka.
16 Ndelenee tala, onguloshi omulumenhu umwe a kulupa, a dja koilonga yaye yomepya, nomulumenhu ou okwa dile keemhunda daEfraim ndele a kala muGibea omunailongo. Ndelenee ovalumenhu vomonhele oyo va li Ovabenjamin. 17 Ndele ye eshi a yelula omesho aye okwa mona ovaendanandjila ava mondabo yoshilando. Nomulumenhu a kulupa ta pula: “Oto i peni nowa dja peni?” 18 Ndele ye ta ti kuye: “Fye ohatu di kuBetlehem shomuJuda, komunghulo weemhunda daEfraim, oko handi di; ndele nda ile fiyo okuBetlehem shomuJuda, ndele handi i kovakwetu keumbo. Ndelenee apa kape na ou te tu idililile meumbo laye, 19 nande tu nomwiidi neendja keendongi detu ndele tu na yo omungome nomaviinyu kwaame mwene nokomupiya woye omukainhu nokomulumenhu omunyasha, ou e li povapiya voye. Inatu pumbwa sha.” 20 Opo nee omulumenhu a kulupa ta ti: “Ombili nai kale naave! Keshe eshi to shi pumbwa, ame opo ndi li. Ashike ino nangala mondabo oufiku.” 21 Opo nee ye e va twala meumbo laye ndele ta pe eendongi eendja. Ndele vo eshi va kosha eemhadi davo, va lya ndele tava nu. 22 Fimbo tava hafifa eemwenyo davo, ovalumenhu vomoshilando, ovalumenhu vai, va dingilila eumbo, ndele tava konghola unene konhu; ndele tava popi nomulumenhu a kulupa, omwene weumbo, ndele tava ti: “Omulumenhu ou e uya meumbo loye, mu eta kufye, tu nangale naye.” 23 Opo nee omulumenhu, omwene weumbo okwa pita pondje kuvo ndele ta ti kuvo: “Ahowe, ovakwetu, inamu ninga owii, omulumenhu ou eshi e uya meumbo lange. Inamu ninga oshififahoni shi fike opo.” 24 Omona wange okakadona oye ou, ye okakadona, nomwalikadi waye wopomunghulo. Ame handi va eta pondje ndele va ningileni osho sha wapala momesho eni, ndelenee omulumenhu ou inamu mu ningila oshififahoni shi fike opo. 25 Ndelenee ovalumenhu eshi inava hala oku mu pwilikina, omulumenhu okwa kwata omwalikadi waye wopomunghulo, ndele te mu twala pondje kuvo. Ndele vo ova nangala naye noku mu hepeka oufiku aushe fiyo okeengula, ndele ve mu efa eluwa eshi tali tende. 26 Ndele petendo leluwa omwalikadi e uya ndele ta wile po ponhu yeumbo lomulumenhu omo omwene waye a li nokwa nangala ko fiyo kwa yela. 27 Nomwene waye eshi a penduka ongula ndele ta yeulula oivelo yongulu ndele ta piti pondje a ka twikile eengeda daye, tala, apa pa nangala omwalikadi waye, omwalikadi waye wopomunghulo moshivelo shongulu nomake aye koikulo yoposhi. 28 Ndele ye ta ti kuye: “Penduka tu ye.” Ndelenee kape nenyamukulo. Opo nee ye okwe mu londeka kondongi yaye. Nomulumenhu okwa fikama ndele ta i keumbo laye. 29 Ndelenee ye eshi e uya keumbo, okwa kufa omukonda ndele ta timbaula omwalikadi waye wopomunghulo oinhimbu omulongo naivali, ndele e i tumina moshilongo ashishe shaIsrael. 30 Nakeshe umwe ou e shi mona, okwa tya: “Oshinima sha fa eshi, inashi ningwa noinashi monika okefiku ovana vaIsrael va pita mo medu laEgipiti fiyo onena eli. Shi diladileni, kundafaneni, popyeni!”
A Woman Is Murdered
1 Before kings ruled Israel, a Levite was living deep in the hill country of the Ephraim tribe. He married a woman from Bethlehem in Judah, 2 but she was unfaithful and went back to live with her family in Bethlehem.
Four months later 3 her husband decided to try and talk her into coming back. So he went to Bethlehem, taking along a servant and two donkeys. He talked with his wife, and she invited him into her family's home. Her father was glad to see him 4 and did not want him to leave. So the man stayed three days, eating and drinking with his father-in-law.
5 When everyone got up on the fourth day, the Levite started getting ready to go home. But his father-in-law said, “Don't leave until you have a bite to eat. You'll need strength for your journey.”
6 The two men sat down together and ate a big meal. “Come on,” the man's father-in-law said. “Stay tonight and have a good time.”
7 The Levite tried to leave, but his father-in-law insisted, and he spent one more night there. 8 The fifth day, the man got up early to leave, but his wife's father said, “You need to keep up your strength! Why don't you leave right after lunch?” So the two of them started eating.
9 Finally, the Levite got up from the meal, so he and his wife and servant could leave. “Look,” his father-in-law said, “it's already late afternoon, and if you leave now, you won't get very far before dark. Stay with us one more night and enjoy yourself. Then you can get up early tomorrow morning and start home.”
10 But the Levite decided not to spend the night there again. He had the saddles put on his two donkeys, then he and his wife and servant traveled as far as Jebus, which is now called Jerusalem. 11 It was beginning to get dark, and the man's servant said, “Let's stop and spend the night in this town where the Jebusites live.”
12 “No,” the Levite answered. “They aren't Israelites, and I refuse to spend the night there. We'll stop for the night at Gibeah, 13 or maybe we can even reach Ramah before dark.”
14 They walked on and reached Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin just after sunset. 15 They left the road and went into Gibeah. But the Levite couldn't find a house where anyone would let them spend the night, and they sat down in the open area just inside the town gates.
16 Soon an old man came in through the gates on his way home from working in the fields. Most of the people who lived in Gibeah belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, but this man was originally from the hill country of Ephraim. 17 He noticed that the Levite was just in town to spend the night. “Where are you going?” the old man asked. “Where did you come from?”
18 “We've come from Bethlehem in Judah,” the Levite answered. “We went there on a visit. Now we're going to the place where the Lord is worshiped, and later we will return to our home in the hill country of Ephraim. But no one here will let us spend the night in their home. 19 We brought food for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves, so we don't need anything except a place to sleep.”
20 The old man said, “You are welcome to spend the night in my home and to be my guest, but don't stay out here!”
21 The old man brought them into his house and fed their donkeys. Then he and his guests washed their feet and began eating and drinking. 22 They were having a good time, when some worthless men of that town surrounded the house and started banging on the door and shouting, “A man came to your house tonight. Send him out, so we can have sex with him!”
23 The old man went outside and said, “My friends, please don't commit such a horrible crime against a man who is a guest in my house. 24 Let me send out my daughter instead. She's a virgin. And I'll even send out the man's wife. You can rape them or do whatever else you want, but please don't do such a horrible thing to this man.”
25 The men refused to listen, so the Levite grabbed his wife and shoved her outside. The men raped her and abused her all night long. Finally, they let her go just before sunrise, 26 and it was almost daybreak when she went back to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door and lay there until sunrise.
27 About that time, her husband woke up and got ready to leave. He opened the door and went outside, where he found his wife lying at the door with her hands on the doorstep. 28 “Get up!” he said. “It's time to leave.”
But his wife didn't move.
He lifted her body onto his donkey and left. 29 When he got home, he took a butcher knife and cut her body into twelve pieces. Then he told some messengers, “Take one piece to each tribe of Israel 30 and ask everyone if anything like this has ever happened since Israel left Egypt. Tell them to think about it, talk it over, and tell us what should be done.”
Everyone who saw a piece of the body said, “This is horrible! Nothing like this has ever happened since the day Israel left Egypt.”
