Laitloekkung 19
1 Te vaeng tue ah khaw Israel ah he manghai tal pueng. Te dongah Ephraim tlang hlaep ah aka kuep Levi hlang loh Judah Bethlehem lamkah huta pakhat te yula la a loh.
At that time the Israeli people had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi who lived in a remote place in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. He had previously taken as a wife a woman who was a slave. She was from Bethlehem, in the area where the tribe of Judah lives.
2 Tedae anih taengkah a yula tah a cukhalh dongaha va taeng lamloh a napa im Judah Bethlehem la cet tih hla li om.
But she started to sleep with other men also. Then she left him and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem. She stayed there for four months.
3 Te dongaha yuu te ha mael khaw ha mael laeh saeh tila a lungbuei te yam pah ham a va te thoo tiha yuu taengla cet. Te vaengah amah taengkah cadong pakhat neh laak rhoi te a khuen. A va te a napa ima paan puei tih huta kah a napa loh a hmuh hatah anih doe hama kohoe.
Then her husband took his servant and two donkeys and went to Bethlehem. He went to ask her to come back to live with him again. When he arrived at her father’s house, she invited him to come in. Her father was happy to see him.
4 Tedae huta kah a napa, khosoih masae loh a parhaeng. Te dongah hnin thuma om puei hataha caaka ok uh tih rhaeh uh.
The woman’s father asked him to stay. So he stayed there for three days. During that time he ate and drank and slept there.
5 Hnin lia om nen tah mincang ah thoo tih caeh hamla hlah uh bal. Tedae huta kah a napa loh a cava te, “Buh kamat nen khaw na lungbuei duel lamtaha hnuk la cet mai,” a ti nah.
On the fourth day, they all got up early in the morning. The man from the tribe of Levi was preparing to leave, but the woman’s father said to him, “Eat something before you go.”
6 Te dongah ngol rhoi tih thikat la a caaka ok rhoi. Te vaengah tekah hlang te huta kah a napa loh, “Ueh mai lamtah na lungbuei voelphoeng la rhaeh rhoi mai dae,” a ti nah.
So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. Then the woman’s father said to him, “Please stay another night. Relax/Rest and have a joyful time.”
7 Tekah hlang loh caeh hamla thoo bal coeng dae a masae loh a hloep dongah mael tih hnap rhaeh.
The man from the tribe of Levi wanted to leave, but the woman’s father requested him to stay one more night. So he stayed again that night.
8 A hnin nga mincang ah caeh hamla thoo bal. Te vaengah huta kah a napa loh, “Na thinko duel rhoi dae lamatah khovoei duela rhing rhoi mai,” a ti nah. Te dongah amih rhoi long te buh koep a caak rhoi bal.
On the fifth day, the man got up early and prepared to leave. But the woman’s father said to him again, “Have something to eat. Wait until this afternoon, [and then leave].” So the two men ate together.
9 Te phoeiah caeh hamla a yula neh cadong te a thoh puei hatah hula kah a napa, a napa loh, “Kholaeh ham khohnin loh khum coeng ta, khohnin loh thok coeng tih pahoi rhaeh rhoi mai lamtah na thinko voelphoeng sak rhoi mai, na longpuei te thangvuen ah na thoh thil vetih na dap khaw na paan bitni,” a ti nah.
In the afternoon, when the man from the tribe of Levi and his slave wife and his servant got up to leave, the woman’s father said, “It will soon be dark. The day is almost over. Stay here tonight and have a good/joyful time. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and leave for your home.”
10 Tedae rhaeh hamla hlang loha huem pawt dongah thoo tih nong. Te vaengah amah taengaha khih laak rhoi neh a taengkah a yula te Jerusalem kah Jebus dan laa pawk puei.
But the man from the tribe of Levi did not want to stay for another night. He put saddles on his two donkeys, and started to go with his slave wife [and his servant] toward Jebus [city], which is [now named] Jerusalem.
11 Jebus taengah tah khohnin khaw dalh thok tih a boei te cadong loh, “Cet uh sih lamtah Jebusi khopuei la ng'ael phoeiah rhaeh uh sih,” a ti nah.
Late in the afternoon, they came near to Jebus. The servant said to his master, “We should stop in this city where the Jebus people-group live, and stay here tonight.”
12 Tedae anih te a boei loh, “Kholong kho la ael boel sih, amih te Israel ca moenih, te dongah Gibeah la cet uh mai sih,” a ti nah.
But his master said, “No, it would not be good for us to stay here where foreign people live. There are no Israeli people here. We will go on to Gibeah [city].”
13 Te phoeiah cadong te, “Cet sih lamtaha hmuen pakhat te moeh sih, Gibeah ah khaw Ramah ah khaw rhaeh uh mai sih,” a ti nah.
He said to his servant, “Let’s go. It is not far to Gibeah. We can go there, or we can go a bit further to Ramah. We can stay in one of those two cities tonight.”
14 Te dongah cet uh tih Benjamin khuikah Gibeah taengaha pha tom ah kho tla coeng.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Te dongah pahoi kun ham neh Gibeah ah rhaeh ham khaw paa uh. Te phoeiah cet uh tih khopuei toltung ah ngol uh. Tedae im khuila pah sak ham amih te hlang loh voek pawh.
They stopped to stay there that night. They went to the public square of that city and sat down. But no one [who passed by] invited them to stay in their house for that night.
16 Hlaem vaengah patong pakhat tah lohma lamkah a bibi lamkah lawt halo. Tedae anih khaw Benjamin ca rhoek kah hmuen Gibeah ah aka bakuep Ephraim tlang lamkah hlang van ni.
Finally, in the evening, an old man came by. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hilly area of the tribe of Ephraim, but at that time he was living in Gibeah.
17 Patong loh a mika huela sawt hatah khopuei toltung ah yincet hlang pakhat te a hmuh. Te dongah tekah hlang te patong loh, “Me lamkah lae na lo tih melam na caeh eh?,” a ti nah.
He realized that the man from the tribe of Levi was only traveling and did not have a home in that city. So he asked the man, “Where have you come from? And where are you going?”
18 Te dongah, “Kaimih tah Judah Bethlehem lamkah Ephraim tlang hlaep la ka cet uh. Te lamkah te Judah Bethlehem la ka cet uh tih BOEIPA im ka paan. Tedae im khuila kai aka pah sak ham hlang om pawh.
He replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem to my home in the hilly area where people of the tribe of Ephraim live. I went from there to Bethlehem, but now we are going to [Shiloh] where Yahweh’s Sacred tent (OR, my house) is. No one here has invited us to stay in their house tonight.
19 Tahae ah ka laak ham cangkong neha kamvuelh khaw om pueng. Kamah ham neh na salnu ham khaw, na sal taengkah cadong ham khaw buh neh misurtui om pueng tih hnopai dongah pakhat khaw a tloelnah om pawh,” a ti nah.
We have straw and food for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the young woman and my servant. We do not need anything else.”
20 Te dongah tekah hlang te patong loh, “Nang taengah ngaimongnah om saeh. Na tloelnah boeih nen khaw kai taengah om mai toltung ah rhaehba boeh,” a ti nah.
The old man said, “I wish that things will go well for you, but I would like to provide what you need. Do not stay here in the square tonight.”
21 Yin te a im khuilaa khuen tih laaka vuelh pah, a khoa silh pah phoeiaha caaka ok uh.
Then the old man took them to his house. He gave food to the donkeys. He [gave water to the man and the woman and the servant to] wash their feet. And he gave them something to eat and drink.
22 A lungbueia voelphoeng uh li vaengah khopuei hlang khui hlang muen ca rhoek loh im te tarhaa vael uh tih thohkhaih te a tum uh. Im kung patong te khawa doek uh uh tih, “Na im la aka pawk hlang te hang khuen lamtah anih ka hmat uh lah eh,” a ti nah.
While they were having a good/joyful time together, some wicked men from that city surrounded the house and started to bang on the door. They shouted to the old man, “Bring out to us the man who has come to your house. We want to have sex with him.”
23 Tedae im kung te amih taengla ha moe tih, “Ka manuca rhoek nang te tlam moenih, hekah hlang he ka im khuila ha kun coeng dongah thaehuet uh boel mai, boethae halang he tah saii uh boeh.
The old man went outside and said to them, “Friends, I will not do that. That would be a very evil thing. This man is a guest in my house. You should not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing!
24 Ka canu, oila neh ka yula kang khuen mai eh. Amih phaep uh lamtah na mik dongah then na ti uh bangla amih rhoi taengah saii uh. Tedae hekah hlang taengah boethae halang hno te saii uh boeh,” a ti nah.
Look, my daughter is here. She is [still] a virgin. And this man’s slave wife is here. I will bring them out to you now. You may do to them whatever you wish, but do not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing to this young man!”
25 Tedae hlang loh hnatun hama huem uh pawt dongah khosoih loh a yula tea mawt tih amih taengah poeng la a thak pah. Te vaengah anih tea tholh puei uh tih khoyin khing te mincang duelaa poelyoe uh. Khothaiha pha daengah huta te a hlah uh.
But the men did not pay attention to what he said. So the man from the tribe of Levi took his slave wife and sent her to them, outside the house. They raped [EUP] her and abused her all night. Then at dawn, they allowed her to go.
26 Mincanga pha vaengah tah huta te cet tih a boei a om nah im kah thohka ah khosae duela hmawk sop uh.
She returned to the old man’s house, where her husband was staying, but she fell down at the doorway and lay there all night.
27 A boei te mincang ah thoo tih im thohkhaih te a ong. Amah kho long ah voei ham ha moe phai hatah a yula te im thohka kah cingkhaa dongah kut a tloeng tih lawt ana bakop pah.
In the morning, when the man from the tribe of Levi got up, he went outside of the house to continue his journey. He saw his slave wife lying there at the doorway of the house. Her hands were on the doorsill.
28 Te dongah anih te, “Thoo lamtah cet pawn sih,” a ti nah. Tedaea doo voel pawt dongah laak donglaa khueh. Te phoeiah tekah hlang te thoo tih a hmuena paan.
He said to her, “Get up! Let’s go!” But she did not answer, [because she had died]. He put her body on the donkey and traveled to his home.
29 Amah im laa pawk vaengah tah tumcacaa loh tih a yula tea tloeng. Te phoeiah a rhuh te maehpoel hlai nit laa tloek tih Israel khorhi takuem aha pat.
When he arrived home, he took a knife and cut the body of the slave woman into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each area of Israel, [along with a message telling what had happened].
30 Te tla aka om te boeiha hmuh uh vaengah, “Egypt kho lamkah n'thoo uh hnin lamkah loh tihnin duela te bang te Israel ca rhoek taengah om pawt tih hmuh noek bal moenih. He he nangmih loh dueh uh, anih he dawtlet uh lamtah thui uh,” a ti nah.
Everyone who saw a piece of the body and the message said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before. Not since our ancestors left Egypt [have we heard of such a terrible thing]. We need to think carefully about it. Someone should decide what we should do.”
