Ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo 19
1 Le ɣe ma ɣi me la, fia aɖeke menɔ Israel o. Ŋutsu aɖe tso Levi ƒe viwo dome nɔ Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi ƒe kɔƒe aɖe me. Etsɔ ahiãvi tso Betlehem le Yuda.
At that time Israel didn't have a king. A Levite who was living in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim married a concubine-wife from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 Ke nyɔnuvi la do dɔmedzoe ɖe eŋu eye wòsi yi fofoa gbɔ le Betlehem, henɔ afi ma ɣleti ene.
But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father's house in Bethlehem. She was there for four months.
3 Ŋutsu sia kplɔ subɔla ɖeka kple tedzi eve yi be yewoable ahiãvi la nu akplɔe agbɔe. Esi woɖo Betlehem la, nyɔnuvi la xɔ wo nyuie eye wòɖe wo fia fofoa, ame si hã xɔ wo nyuie
Then her husband went after her, to talk kindly with her and bring her back home. With him went his servant and two donkeys. She took him to her father's house and when her father met him, he gladly welcomed him.
4 eye wòbia tso wo si be woanɔ yewo gbɔ vie. Ale wonɔ wo gbɔ ŋkeke etɔ̃ le dzidzɔ kple dzidzeme me. Woɖu nu, no nu eye wotsi afi ma dɔ ŋkeke etɔ̃.
Her father pressed him to stay with them, so he remained for three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there.
5 Le ŋkeke enelia gbe la, wofɔ kaba hedzra ɖo na dzodzo, ke nyɔnuvi la fofo zi wo dzi be woaɖu ŋdinu gbã.
On the fourth day he and his concubine got up early in the morning and prepared to leave, but her father said to his son-in-law, “You'll feel better if you have something to eat before you go.”
6 Ale wo kple eve la wonɔ anyi, eye woɖu nu, no nu ɖekae. Emegbe la nyɔnuvi la fofo gblɔ be, “Meɖe kuku tsi mía gbɔ egbe sia hã eye nàdo dzidzɔ na ɖokuiwò.”
So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. The father said to his son-in law, “Please agree to spend another night here, and you can enjoy yourself!”
7 Ŋutsu la melɔ̃ ɖe edzi gbã o gake aƒea tɔ ƒoe ɖe enu va se ɖe esime wòlɔ̃.
The man got up to leave, but his father-in-law pressed him to stay, so in the end he spent the night there.
8 Esi ŋu ke la, wogafɔ kaba hena dzodzo gake nyɔnuvi la fofo gagblɔ nɛ be, “Miganɔ anyi egbea ko eye miadzo egbe fiẽ.” Ale woganɔ anyi, ɖu nu, no nu ŋkeke ɖeka kpee.
On the fifth day he got up early in the morning to leave. But his father-in-law said, “Eat before you go, then leave later this afternoon.” So they had a meal together.
9 Gbe ma gbe ɣetrɔ esi Levitɔ la kple eƒe ahiãvi la kple subɔla la nɔ dzadzram ɖo na dzodzo la, nyɔnuvi la fofo gagblɔ na wo be, “Zã do xoxo, miganɔ mía gbɔ zã sia hã; míagaɖu nu, miano nu, ekema miate ŋu adze mɔ ŋdi kanya.”
When he got up to leave with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law told him, “Look it's late—it's already evening. Spend the night here. The day's almost over. Stay here the night and enjoy yourself, then tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way home.”
10 Ke ŋutsu la melɔ̃ be yeagatsi anyi zã ma me o, ale wodze mɔ heɖo ta Yebus si woyɔna hã be Yerusalem kple eƒe tedzi eve siwo wodo agba na kple eƒe ahiãvi la.
But the man didn't want to spend another night, so he got up and left. He headed towards the town of Jebus (now called Jerusalem) with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11 Esi woɖo afi ma la, subɔla la gblɔ nɛ be, “Zã do akpa na mɔzɔzɔ eya ta na míatsi afi sia adɔ.”
As they approached Jebus the day was over, the servant said to his master, “Sir, why don't we stop here at this Jebusite town for the night?”
12 Ŋutsu la ɖo eŋu be, “Ao, míayi amedzrowo ƒe du me, du si me tɔwo menye Israelviwo o. Míayi Gibea.”
But his master replied, “No, we're not going to stop in this town where only foreigners live and no Israelites. We'll continue on to Gibeah.”
13 Eyi edzi be, “Mina míadze agbagba be míaɖo Gibea alo Rama eye míatsi teƒe mawo dometɔ ɖeka adɔ.”
Then he told his servant, “Come on, let's try and get to Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night somewhere there.”
14 Ale woyi mɔzɔzɔ la dzi. Ɣe nɔ to ɖom esime wova ɖo Gibea, si nye Benyamin ƒe du sue aɖe me.
So they carried on and reached Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin just as the sun was setting.
15 Woɖo be yewoatsi afi ma adɔ, ke esi ame aɖeke mekpe wo be woava dze ye gbɔ o ta la, wodro ɖe dua ƒe ablɔme.
They stopped in Gibeah to spend the night, and sat down in the town's main square, but no one invited them to come and stay.
16 Sẽe ko la, ŋutsu tsitsi aɖe tso agble gbɔ va yina aƒe me. Etso Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi, ke fifia la ele Gibea, togbɔ be Gibea nɔ Benyamin ƒe anyigba dzi hã.
But later that evening an old man came by, returning from working in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but was now living in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.
17 Esi wòkpɔ be amedzroawo dro ɖe ablɔme la, ebia afi si wotso kple afi si woyina la wo.
He looked over and noticed the traveler in the square and asked, “Where are you going and where have you come from?”
18 Levitɔ la ɖo eŋu be, “Míetso Betlehem le Yuda eye míeyina Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi ƒe mlɔea nu te ɖe Silo ŋu. Ame aɖeke mekpe mí be míava dze ye gbɔ o,
“We've come from Bethlehem in Judah and we're going to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim,” the man replied. “I'm from there and I went to Bethlehem, and now I'm going to the Lord's Temple. No one here has invited me to stay.
19 togbɔ be nuɖuɖu le mía si na míaƒe tedziwo eye nuɖuɖu kple wain hã sɔ gbɔ na nye ŋutɔ kple nye ahiãvi kple subɔla la hã hafi.”
There's straw and food for our donkeys, and we your servants have bread and wine—enough for me, the woman, and my servant. We have all we need.”
20 Ŋutsu tsitsi la gblɔ be, “Miva dze gbɔnye, menyo be miatsi ablɔme le afi sia o elabena mianɔ dedie o.”
“You are welcome to stay with me,” the man replied. “I can let you have everything you need. Just don't spend the night here in the square.”
21 Ŋutsu tsitsi la kplɔ wo yi aƒe mee, ena nuɖuɖu woƒe tedziwo. Esi woklɔ woƒe afɔwo vɔ la, woɖu nu eye wono nu.
He took him home and fed the donkeys. The travelers washed their feet and then started to eat and drink.
22 Esi wonɔ dzidzɔ dom na wo ɖokui la, ŋutsu vlo aɖewo tso dua me va ƒo xlã aƒe la eye wonɔ ʋɔa ƒom sesĩe nɔ ɣli dom bobobo gblɔ na ŋutsu tsitsi la be, “Kplɔ ŋutsu si va dze aƒewò me la do goe ne míadɔ kplii.”
While they were enjoying themselves, some depraved men from the town came and surrounded the house, and banged on the door, shouting to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to stay in your house so we can have sex with him.”
23 Aƒea tɔ do ɖe wo ŋuti eye wògblɔ na wo be, “Ao, xɔ̃nyewo, migawɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi sia o. Esi ŋutsu sia nye nye amedzro ta la, migawɔ ŋukpenanu sia ɖe eŋuti o.
The man who owned the house went outside and told them, “My brothers, don't act in such an evil way! This man is a guest in my house. Don't do something so disgusting!
24 Mina maɖe asi le vinye ɖetugbi si menya ŋutsu haɖe o kple ŋutsu la ƒe ahiãvi ŋuti na mi. Makplɔ wo do goe eye miate ŋu awɔ nu sia nu kpli wo, gake migawɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi, nyɔŋu sia tɔgbi ɖe ŋutsu sia ŋu o.”
Look, here's my virgin daughter and the man's concubine. Let me bring them out and you can rape them and do whatever you want to them. But don't do something so disgusting to this man.”
25 Ame vloawo meɖo toe o. Tete Levitɔ la he ahiãvi la do goe tso xɔ la me na wo. Ameawo wɔ fui, dɔ kplii ɖekaɖeka to zã blibo la me. Esi woɖe asi le eŋu mlɔeba le fɔŋli la,
But the men refused to listen, so the man grabbed his concubine and threw her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until the morning, and only discarded her at dawn.
26 eyi eƒe aƒetɔ ƒe aƒe me, edze anyi ɖe aƒea ƒe mɔnu eye wòtsi afi ma va se ɖe esime ŋu ke nyuie.
As night turned into day she returned to the house where her master was staying and collapsed in front of the door as it got light.
27 Esi Levitɔ la ʋu ʋɔa hena mɔdzedze la, ekpɔ eƒe ahiãvi la wòmlɔ anyigba le ʋɔtrua ŋgɔ, eye eƒe asiwo nɔ kpui dzi.
Her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house. He went out to continue his journey and there was his concubine, stretched out in the doorway of the house, with her hands holding onto the doorstep.
28 Egblɔ nɛ be, “Tso mídzo,” gake meɖo nya la ŋu nɛ o. Tete ŋutsu la kɔe da ɖe eƒe tedzi dzi eye wolé aƒemɔ tsɔ.
“Get up, let's go,” he told her, but there was no answer. Then the man lifted her onto his donkey and went home.
29 Esi wòɖo aƒe la, etsɔ hɛ fli eƒe ahiãvi la ɖe eƒe ƒunuɖeƒewo ɖe akpa wuieve me eye wòɖo akpa ɖeka ɖe Israel ƒe to ɖe sia ɖe.
When he got home he took a knife, and holding onto his concubine, cut her up, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent these pieces of her to every part of Israel.
30 Ame sia ame si kpɔ nu sia la gblɔ be, “Womekpɔ nu sia tɔgbi kpɔ alo wòdzɔ kpɔ tso esime Israelviwo do go tso Egipte la o. Mibu eŋuti! Mide ŋugble le eŋuti! Migblɔ nu si míawɔ la na mí!”
Everyone who saw her said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen before, from the time the Israelites left Egypt up until now. You should think about what happened to her! Decide what to do! Speak up!”
