Atiirĩrĩri 19
1 Matukũ-inĩ macio Isiraeli gũtiarĩ na mũthamaki. Na rĩrĩ, Mũlawii watũũraga kũndũ kũraya thĩinĩ wa bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma wa Efiraimu nĩaigire thuriya ya kuuma Bethilehemu kũu Juda.
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 No thuriya ĩyo ĩkĩaga kwĩhokeka kũrĩ we. Nayo ĩkĩmũtiga ĩgĩcooka mũciĩ gwa ithe kũu Bethilehemu ya Juda. Thuutha wa gũkorwo kũu mĩeri ĩna,
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 mũthuuri wake agĩthiĩ kũrĩ we kũmũringĩrĩria acooke. Aathiire na ndungata yake na ndigiri igĩrĩ. Nake mũtumia ũcio akĩmũtoonyia nyũmba ya ithe, na rĩrĩa ithe aamuonire, akĩmũnyiita ũgeni akenete.
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 Mũthoni-we, ithe wa mũirĩtu ũcio, akĩmũringĩrĩria aikare; nĩ ũndũ ũcio agĩikara hamwe nake mĩthenya ĩtatũ, arĩĩaga na akanyua, na agakoma kuo.
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 Mũthenya wa ĩna magĩũkĩra tene na akĩĩhaarĩria oimagare, no ithe wa mũirĩtu akĩĩra mũthoni-we ũcio atĩrĩ, “Wĩkenie na kĩndũ gĩa kũrĩa; ũgĩcooke ũgĩthiĩ.”
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio eerĩ magĩikara thĩ kũrĩa na kũnyua. Thuutha-inĩ ithe wa mũirĩtu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ndagũthaitha raara na wĩkenie.”
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 Na hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mũndũ ũcio ookĩrire athiĩ, mũthoni-we akĩmũringĩrĩria araare; nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩraara ũtukũ ũcio.
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 Rũciinĩ rwa mũthenya wa gatano, okĩra athiĩ, ithe wa mũirĩtu ũcio akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Wĩkenie. Eterera nginya mĩaraho!” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio eerĩ makĩrĩanĩra.
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 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa mũndũ ũcio, hamwe na thuriya yake na ndungata yake, mookĩrire mathiĩ, mũthoni-we, ithe wa mũirĩtu ũcio, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Rĩu ta thikĩrĩria, nĩ hakuhĩ hwaĩ-inĩ raarĩrĩra nĩ ũndũ gũkirie gũtuka. Ikara ũhurũke. Rũciũ rũciinĩ tene no ũũkĩre ũinũke.”
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 No rĩrĩ, tondũ ndendire gũikara ũtukũ ũngĩ, mũndũ ũcio akiuma kuo agĩthiĩ erekeire mwena wa Jebusi (na nĩkuo, Jerusalemu), arĩ na ndigiri ciake cierĩ ciohetwo matandĩko na thuriya yake.
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 Rĩrĩa maakuhĩrĩirie Jebusi na kũrĩ hakuhĩ gũtuka-rĩ, ndungata ĩyo ĩkĩĩra mwathi wayo atĩrĩ, “Rĩu-rĩ, reke tũtithie gũkũ itũũra-inĩ rĩĩrĩ inene rĩa Ajebusi tũraarĩrĩre kuo.”
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 Mwathi wayo agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Aca. Tũtigũtoonya itũũra inene rĩa andũ ageni, andũ a rĩo ti Aisiraeli. Tũgũthiĩ nginya tũkinye Gibea.”
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 Nake akiuga o rĩngĩ atĩrĩ, “Nĩtũthiĩ tũgerie gũkinya Gibea kana Rama na tũrarĩrĩre itũũra rĩmwe rĩamo.”
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩthiĩ na mbere, narĩo riũa rĩgĩthũa magĩkorwo maakuhĩrĩria Gibea, kũu Benjamini.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Kũu nĩkuo maatithirie maraarĩrĩre. Nao magĩthiĩ magĩikara thĩ kĩhaaro-inĩ kĩnene gĩa itũũra rĩu inene, no gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe wamanyiitire ũgeni mararĩrĩre gwake.
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 Hwaĩ-inĩ ũcio, mũthuuri ũmwe mũkũrũ wa kuuma bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma wa Efiraimu, watũũraga Gibea, (andũ a kũu maarĩ Abenjamini), agĩũka oimĩte wĩra mĩgũnda-inĩ.
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 Na rĩrĩa aarorire akĩona mũgendi ũcio hau kĩhaaro-inĩ gĩa itũũra inene, mũthuuri ũcio akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Wathiĩ kũ na uumĩte kũ?”
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 Agĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Tuumĩte Bethilehemu ya Juda twerekeire kũndũ kũraya thĩinĩ wa bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma wa Efiraimu kũrĩa ndũũraga. Ndĩrarĩ Bethilehemu ya Juda na rĩu ndĩrathiĩ nyũmba ya Jehova. Gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe ũũnyiitĩte ũgeni gwake.
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 Ithuĩ tũrĩ na mahuti na irio cia ndigiri ciitũ na mĩgate na ndibei nĩ ũndũ witũ ithuĩ ndungata ciaku, niĩ, na ndungata yaku ya mũirĩtu, na mwanake ũyũ tũrĩ nake. Tũtikũbatario nĩ kĩndũ o na kĩ.”
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 Nake mũthuuri ũcio mũkũrũ akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩũnyiitĩtwo ũgeni nyũmba-inĩ ĩno yakwa, reke ngũhe kĩrĩa gĩothe ũbatarĩtio nĩkĩo, no ndũkaraare kĩhaaro.”
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩmũtoonyia nyũmba yake na akĩhe ndigiri ciake gĩa kũrĩa. Maarĩkia gwĩthamba magũrũ-rĩ, makĩrĩa na makĩnyua.
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 Na hĩndĩ o ĩyo meekenagia-rĩ, andũ amwe aaganu a itũũra rĩu inene makĩrigiicĩria nyũmba ĩyo. Makĩhũũra mũrango, na makĩgũthũkĩra mũthuuri ũcio mũkũrũ ũrĩa warĩ mwene nyũmba ĩyo, makiuga atĩrĩ, “Ruta mũndũ ũcio ũũkire nyũmba yaku nĩguo tũkome nake.”
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 Mwene nyũmba ĩyo akiuma na nja akĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Aca, arata akwa, mũtigeke ũndũ wa waganu ũguo. Kuona atĩ mũndũ ũyũ nĩ mũgeni wakwa-rĩ, tigai gwĩka ũndũ ũyũ wa thoni ũguo.
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 Thikĩrĩriai, haha harĩ mũirĩtu wakwa gathirange, na thuriya ya mũgeni ũyũ. Nĩngũmaruta na nja kũrĩ inyuĩ rĩu, na no mũmahũthĩre na mũmeke o ũrĩa mũngĩenda. No mũndũ ũyũ-rĩ, mũtikamwĩke ũndũ wa thoni ta ũcio.”
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 No andũ acio matiigana kũmũthikĩrĩria. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio, mũndũ ũcio akĩoya thuriya yake na akĩmĩruta na nja kũrĩ o, nao makĩmĩnyiita na hinya na makĩmĩnyariira ũtukũ wothe, na gwakĩa makĩreka ĩĩthiĩre.
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 Na gũgĩthererũka-rĩ, mũndũ-wa-nja ũcio agĩcooka nyũmba kũrĩa mwathi wake aarĩ, akĩgũa thĩ hau mũrango-inĩ, na agĩkoma ho nginya gũgĩkĩa.
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 Na rĩrĩa mwathi wake ookĩrire rũciinĩ na akĩhingũra mũrango wa nyũmba akiuma nja nĩguo ethiĩre-rĩ, thuriya yake yakomete hau ĩgwĩte mũromo-inĩ wa nyũmba, namo moko mayo maarĩ hingĩro-inĩ.
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 Nake akĩmĩĩra atĩrĩ, “Ũkĩra; reke tũthiĩ.” No ndĩacookirie. Nake mũndũ ũcio agĩcooka akĩmĩoya, akĩmĩigĩrĩra igũrũ rĩa ndigiri yake, makĩinũka.
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 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa aakinyire mũciĩ-rĩ, akĩoya kahiũ agĩtinangia thuriya yake kĩĩga o kĩĩga icunjĩ ikũmi na igĩrĩ, agĩcitũma ngʼongo ciothe cia Isiraeli,
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 na mũndũ o wothe ũrĩa wonire ũndũ ũcio akiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũndũ ta ũyũ ndũrĩ wonwo kana ũgĩĩkwo, kuuma mũthenya ũrĩa andũ a Isiraeli moimire bũrũri wa Misiri. Teciriei ũhoro ũcio na mũwĩcũũranie, mũtwĩre ũrĩa tũgwĩka!”
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.”
