Lawkcengkung 19
1 Hatnae tueng dawk, Isarel siangpahrang awm hoeh. Levih miphun buet touh teh, Ephraim mon poutnae koe kahlawng a cei. Judah ram, Bethlehem kho e napui a yudo lah a tawn.
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 Hatei hote a yudo teh a kâyo dawkvah, a vâ koehoi a na pa im Judah kho vah oun a cei teh hawvah thapa yung pali touh ao.
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 A vâ ni a san kahni touh hoi la kahni touh a hrawi teh, a lungpahawi vaiteh bout bankhai hanlah a pâlei awh. A pha awh toteh napui ni a na pa im a kâenkhai. A masei ni a cava a hmu toteh, a lunghawikhai van.
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 Hahoi a masei tongpa ni ama koe o hanelah a haw teh, ahni koe hnin thum touh ao pouh. Hawvah a tahung taben awh teh, a ca a nei awh.
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 Hahoi teh, apali hnin teh amom tâco hanlah a thaw teh, tangla e a na pa ni a cava hanlah, vaiyei youn touh vondang lah cat nateh, hahoi na cei han atipouh.
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 Hahoi teh, a tahung roi teh, rei a ca roi. Hahoi, napui e a na pa ni lunghawicalah roe roi lawih. Na lungthin nep roi nah nei atipouh.
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 Hote tami teh cei hanelah a thaw navah, a masei ni tha hoi a haw dawkvah, bout a roe.
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 Hahoi a hnin panga hnin amom teh, a tâco hanlah a kâcai teh a thaw. Napui e na pa ni na lungthin bout kâpahawi ei haw. Tangminlasa totouh teh awm ei haw atipouh. Hahoi kahni touh hoi be rei bout a ca roi.
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 Hote tami teh, a yudo hai a san hai tâco hanlah a kamthaw toteh, a masei niyah, khenhaw! kanî aloum toe. Atu tangmin teh roe awh lawih. Khenhaw! kho hai meimei bout a hmo toe. Na lungthin bet ahawi nahan hivah roe awh nateh, tangtho amom teh na thaw awh vaiteh, na ban awh han toe telah atipouh.
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 Hatei, a cava ni roe hane a ngai hoeh toung dawkvah, a thaw teh a kamthaw teh Jebusit namran lah Jerusalem koe a pha. La kahni touh a ceikhai teh a yudo hai a cei van.
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 Jebusit imteng a pha toteh, karumpui a tho toung dawkvah, a san ni tho haw, hete Jebusit khopui dawkvah, kâen vaiteh, roe awh lawih sei atipouh.
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 A bawipa ni, Isarelnaw e kho hoeh laipalah teh, kâen vaiteh roe mahoeh. Gibeah lah ma pâtam sei atipouh.
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 Hahoi a san koevah, Thohaw, hete hmuen buet touh koe pâtam sei. Gibeah hoehpawiteh, Ramah vah roe sei atipouh.
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 Hottelah hoi paloupalou a cei awh teh, Benjaminnaw e kho Gibeah teng vah a pha awh teh, kanî a khup toe.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Hottelah Gibeah roe hanelah a kâen awh teh, kho lungui sut a tahung awh. Apinihai a im luen sak hanelah ngai awh hoeh.
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 Khenhaw! matawng buet touh teh law lahoi thaw koehoi a ban. Hote tami teh Ephraim mon e tami doeh. Gibeah vah la ka kâhat e doeh. Hote hmuen koe kaawm e naw teh, Benjamin miphunnaw doeh.
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 Hahoi kho a radoung navah, khothung e imyin hah a hmu. Ahni ni namaw na cei han, nâ lahoi maw na tho atipouh.
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 Ahni niyah, Judah ram Bethlehem kho hoiyah Ephraim mon apoutnae koe totouh cei han ka ti teh ka kâcai e doeh. Hawvah kaawm e doeh. Judah ram Bethlehem vah ka cei teh, atu BAWIPA e im vah cei han ka kâcai. Hatei, apinihai a im luen sak hane na kaw ngai awh hoeh.
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 Kaie la hanelah cakong rawca ka tawn. Hahoi kai kama hoi na sannu hoi na tengo koe kaawm e, thoundoun han haiyah, vaiyei hoi misurtui hai ao. Banghai a voutnae awm hoeh atipouh.
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 Matawng ni, nang koe roumnae awm seh. Na panki e naw pueng teh kai ni koung na khang pouh han. Kho lungui teh hrumhram roe hanh leih atipouh.
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 Hahoi a im a ceikhai teh, la hah rawca a paca awh. A khoknaw a pâsu awh teh, cungtalah a canei awh.
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 Hot patetlah a phu a nep awh lahun nah, khothung e tami kaponaw ni king a kalup awh teh, tho hah thouk a takhawng pouh awh. Im katawnkung matawng koevah, nang im e ka luen e tami hah tâcawt sak, ka ikhai awh han ati awh.
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 Im katawnkung teh, ahnimouh koe a tâco teh, telah nahoeh. Hmaunawnghanaw koe hot patetlah totouh tailai teh yonnae sak awh hanh. Hete tami heh ka imyin doeh. Het patetlah e yonnae kalen teh, sak awh hanh.
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 Khenhaw! awi hivah, ka canu tanglakacuem ao. Ahnie a yunaw hai ao. Ka tâco sak han. Ahnimouh heh ipkhai awh nateh, ahawi na ti awh e patetlah ahnimouh tak dawk sak awh. Hateiteh, tami tongpa dawk teh hot patetlah e yonnae kalen teh sak awh hanh atipouh.
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 Hatei, ahnimanaw ni a dei e patetlah ngai awh hoeh. Hahoi Levih tami ni a yudo hah alawilah a tâcokhai teh, ahnimouh koe a poe. Ahnimouh ni thouk a ikhai awh teh, khodai hoehroukrak a pacekpahlek awh. Khodai toteh a ceisak awh.
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 Hahoi hote napui teh, khodai hoi a cei teh, a bawipa a luennae takhang koe vung a rawp teh, khodai totouh hawvah ao.
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 Hahoi a bawipa teh amom vah a thaw teh, tho a paawng. Cei han kâcai hoi a tâco navah, a yudo teh takhang koe takhang kuet laihoi sut a kamlei e hah a hmu.
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 Ahni ni napui koe thaw leih, cet leih sei atipouh. Hatei, napui ni pathung hoeh toe. Hahoi, a la dawk a thueng teh a onae koelah a cei.
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 Im a pha toteh, sarai a la teh, a yudo hah a kut a khok khuehoi pung hra hlaikahni touh lah a raban teh Isarel ram pueng koe koung a patawn.
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 Hahoi teh, hote kahmawtnaw pueng ni, Isarelnaw Izip ram hoi pek tâconae koehoi het patetlah e hno sak e awm boihoeh. Hmawt hai hmawt boihoeh. Kho kahawicalah pouk awh haw sei. Be kâdei awh haw a kâti awh.
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.”
