< Oweruza 19 >
1 Pa nthawi imeneyo ku Israeli kunalibe mfumu. Mlevi wina ankakhala kutali ku dziko lamapiri la Efereimu. Iyeyu anatenga mzikazi wa ku Betelehemu, mʼdziko la Yuda.
2 Tsiku lina mzikazi uja anakwiyira mwamuna wake ndipo anamuchokera kupita kwa abambo ake ku Betelehemu mʼdziko la Yuda. Anakakhala kumeneko miyezi inayi.
3 Mwamuna wake anamulondola kuti akayankhule naye mofatsa kumupempha kuti abwerere. Iye anali ndi antchito ake ndi abulu ake awiri. Anafika ku nyumba kwa mkazi uja ndipo iye anamulowetsa mʼnyumba ya abambo ake. Abambo aja atamuona mnyamata uja anamulandira mwachimwemwe.
4 Mpongozi wake, yemwe anali abambo a mtsikanayo, anamupempha kuti aswere. Choncho anakhalako masiku atatu. Ankadya, kumwa ndi kugona komweko.
5 Tsiku lachinayi anadzuka mʼmamawa kukonzekera kuti azipita kwawo, koma abambo ake a mtsikanayo anawuza mkamwini wawo uja kuti, “Yambani mwadya chakudya, ndipo kenaka mutha kupita.”
6 Choncho onse awiri anakhala pansi ndi kudya ndi kumwa pamodzi. Atadya, abambo a mtsikanayo anati, “Chonde mugonenso konkuno musangalale.”
7 Ndipo pamene mwamunayo anakonzeka kuti azipita, apongozi ake anamuwumirizanso kuti asapite. Choncho anagona komweko usiku umenewo.
8 Mmawa wa tsiku lachisanu, atadzuka kuti azipita abambo ake a mtsikanayo anamuwuza kuti, “Yambani mwadya chakudya ndipo mutandale mpaka madzulo.” Choncho awiriwo anadya pamodzi.
9 Pambuyo pake munthu uja pamodzi ndi mzikazi wake ndiponso mtumiki anakonzeka kuti azipita. Koma abambo a mtsikana uja anatinso kwa iye, “Onani tsopano kukuda. Gonani konkuno pakuti tsiku latha kale. Gonani ndipo musangalale. Mawa mudzuka mʼmamawa ndi kumapita kwanu.”
10 Koma munthuyo sanafune kugonanso tsiku limenelo. Choncho ananyamuka kumapita, ndipo anakafika ku malo oyangʼanana ndi Yebusi (ndiye kuti Yerusalemu). Iyeyo anali atatenga abulu ake awiri okhala ndi zokhalira zake, ndipo mzikazi wake uja anali naye limodzi.
11 Akuyandikira ku Yebusi nʼkuti kutada ndithu. Tsono mtumiki uja anawuza mbuye wake kuti, “Tiyeni, tipatukire ku mzinda wa Ayebusiwa ndipo tigone.”
12 Mbuye wake anamuyankha kuti, “Ayi, tisapatukire ku mzinda wa alendo, anthu amene sali Aisraeli. Koma tipitirire mpaka ku Gibeya.”
13 Tsono anamuwuza mtumiki wake uja kuti, “Tiye tipite ku amodzi a malo awa, ku Gibeya kapena ku Rama ndipo tikagone kumeneko.”
14 Choncho nayenda ulendo wawo, ndipo dzuwa linawalowera akuyandikira ku Gibeya mʼdziko la Benjamini.
15 Ndipo anapatukira kumeneko kuti alowe mu mzinda wa Gibeya kukagona usiku umenewo. Anakalowa mu mzindamo ndi kukakhala pabwalo popeza panalibe munthu amene anawalandira ku nyumba kwake kuti akagone.
16 Pambuyo pake anangoona munthu wina wokalamba akuchokera ku ntchito ya ku munda kwake madzulo. Iyeyu anali wa ku dziko la mapiri ku Efereimu, koma ankakhala ku Gibeya. Koma anthu a kumeneko anali a fuko la Benjamini.
17 Munthu wokalamba uja anakweza maso ndipo anaona munthu wa paulendo uja atakhala pabwalo la mzindawo, ndipo anamufunsa kuti, “Kodi mukupita kuti? Nanga mukuchokera kuti?”
18 Iye anayankha kuti, “Tikuchokera ku Betelehemu ku dziko la Yuda ndipo tikupita kutali ku dziko lamapiri la Efereimu kumene ndimakhala. Ndinapita ku Betelehemu mʼdziko la Yuda ndipo tsopano ndikubwerera kwathu. Koma palibe aliyense amene wanditengera ku nyumba yake.
19 Tili ndi udzu ndi chakudya cha abulu athu. Tilinso ndi buledi ndi vinyo wokwanira ifeyo: ine, mdzakazi wanuyu, ndi mtumiki amene ali nafeyu. Palibe chimene tikusowa.”
20 Munthu wokalambayo anati, “Mtendere ukhale nanu. Ine ndikuthandizani pa zosowa zanu zonse, koma musagone pabwalo usiku uno.”
21 Choncho anapita nawo ku nyumba yake, ndipo anawapatsa abulu ake chakudya. Alendo aja anasamba mapazi awo, nalandira chakudya ndi chakumwa.
22 Pamene ankadya mosangalala, anangoona anthu ena achabechabe a mu mzindawo azungulira nyumba ija nʼkumamenya chitseko. Tsono anawuza mwini nyumbayo, munthu wokalamba uja kuti, “Mutulutse munthu amene wabwera mʼnyumba yakoyu kuti tigone naye.”
23 Koma mwini nyumba uja anatuluka ku bwalo nawawuza kuti, “Ayi, abale anga musachite zoyipa zotere. Popeza munthu uyu walowa mʼnyumba mwanga muno, musachite chinthu chonyansa chotere.
24 Onani, pano pali mwana wanga wamkazi wosadziwa mwamuna pamodzi ndi mzikazi wa mlendoyu. Ndikutulutsirani amenewa tsopano ndipo atengeni ndi kuchita nawo chomwe chikukomerani. Koma musachite chinthu chonyansa ndi munthuyu.”
25 Koma anthuwo sanafune kumumvera. Choncho mlendo uja anagwira mzikazi wake namutulutsa kuja kumene kunali iwo. Tsono iwowo anagona naye ndi kuchita naye zonyansa usiku wonse mpaka mmawa. Mʼbandakucha anamulola kuti apite.
26 Ndipo mmawa kukucha mzikazi uja anabwerera nakagwa pansi pa khomo pa nyumba imene mwamuna wake anali, ndipo anakhala pomwepo mpaka kunayera.
27 Mwamuna wake anadzuka mʼmamawa, natsekula chitseko cha nyumba kuti atuluke ndi kumapita. Koma anangoona mzikazi wake uja ali thapsa pa khomo la nyumbayo, manja ake ali pa khonde.
28 Iye anati kwa mkaziyo, “Dzuka tizipita.” Koma sanayankhe kanthu. Kenaka anamukweza pa bulu wake ndipo ananyamuka kumapita kwawo.
29 Atafika ku nyumba yake, anatenga mpeni, nagwira mzikazi wake uja ndi kuduladula thupi lake nthuli khumi ndi ziwiri. Kenaka anazitumiza ku zigawo zonse za Israeli.
30 Aliyense amene anaona zimenezi ankanena kuti, “Zoterezi sizinaonekepo kuyambira pamene Aisraeli anatuluka mʼdziko la Igupto mpaka lero lino. Ganizirani bwino chinthu chimenechi ndipo tiwuzeni zoyenera kuchita!”