Mwet Nununku 19
1 In len ingo, ke soenna oasr tokosra lun mwet Israel, oasr sie mwet Levi su muta infulan eol in acn Ephraim. El eis sie mutan fusr Bethlehem in acn Judah tuh elan mutan kulansap se kial.
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 Tusruktu tok mutan sac el kosro nu saya, pwanang el folokla nu in lohm sin papa tumal ah in acn Bethlehem, ac muta we malem akosr.
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 Na mukul sac nunkauk in ukwalla ac srike in folokunulla nu yorol. Ke ma inge el us mukul kulansap se lal ac donkey lukwa welul. Ke mutan fusr sac liyalak el pwanulak nu in lohm sin papa tumal, na ke papa sac liyal el arulana engan in paingul.
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 Papa sac el kwafe tuh mukul Levi sac in mutana, na el muta len tolu we, mongo, nim ac motul.
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 Ke lututang se akakosr, eltal toang na ngutalik ac akola in som. Na papa tumun mutan sac fahk nu sin mwet Levi sac, “Mongoi meet, kom fah som.”
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 Na mukul luo ah tukeni muta mongo ac nim. Ac papa tumun mutan sac fahk, “Sifilpa motulla lohm uh ofong tuh kom in mongla wo.”
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 Mwet Levi sac el tuyak in som, tuh papa sac el sifil kwafe elan muta, na el tari na motulla we ke fong sac.
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 Toang na ke len se aklimekosr, el sifilpa mukui, na papa tumun mutan sac fahk, “Mongoiwin. Soano nu ke tafun len tok.” Ouinge mukul luo ah sifil tukeni mongoi.
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 Ke mukul sac ac mutan kulansap se kial, ac mwet kulansap se pac lal, eltal sifil mukuiyak in som, na papa sac el fahk, “Liye, akuranna ekela. Wona kom in tari motulla pac ofong. Ac lohsrani pa inge. Mutawin pwar inge. Lutu kom fah toang na tukakek ac som nu yen sum an.”
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 Tuh mukul sac tia lungse sifilpa motulla, na el ac mutan kulansap kial, wi mukul kulansap sac ac donkey lukwa ma oasr mwe muta fac, elos tuyak som.
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 Tafun len tok elos sun acn Jebus (Jerusalem). Na mukul kulansap sac fahk nu sin mwet Levi sac, “Efu kut tia kuhfwak motulla in siti se inge?”
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 Tusruktu mwet kacto lal ah fahk, “Kut ac tia muta ke kutena siti ma mwet we tia mwet Israel, a kut ac fahsrna in sun acn Gibeah.”
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 Na el fahk nu sin mwet kulansap lal, “Fahsru, kut ac srike in sun sie sin siti inge, Gibeah ku Ramah, ac motulla we.”
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 Ouinge elos fahsr alukela acn Jebus. Elos sun acn Gibeah in acn lun sruf lal Benjamin ke ekela ah.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Elos kuhfla liki inkanek ah elos in som ac muta we ke fong sac. Elos utyak nu in siti sac ac muta ke acn in toeni lun mwet uh, tusruktu wanginna mwet solalos nu in lohm selos ah.
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 Ke elos srakna muta insac, oasr sie mwet matu foloko liki orekma lal in ima lal. Mwet se inge el mwet fineol in acn Ephraim, tusruk el tuku ac oakwuki in acn Gibeah. Inkaiyen mwet in acn se inge ma in sruf lal Benjamin.
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 Ke mwet matu sac akilen lah elos mwet fahsr nu in acn sac, el siyuk selos, “Kowos tuku ya me, ac kowos ac som nu ya?”
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 Na mwet Levi sac fahk, “Kut muta Bethlehem in acn Judah, ac inge kut fahsr in folokla nu acn sesr, su oan fineol in acn Ephraim. Tuh pa wangin mwet lohma nu sesr.
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 Kut utuk mwe mongo ac mah pao nun kosro natusr, oayapa bread ac wain fal nu sik mutan kulansap kiuk ac mukul kulansap luk. Oasr yorosr ma nukewa kut enenu.”
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 Na mwet matu sac fahk, “Kowos ku in mongla in lohm sik ah! Nga ku in karingin kowos; ac kowos tia enenu in motul likinum uh ke nien toeni lun siti uh.”
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 Ouinge el pwanulosla nu lohm sel, ac el kiteya kosro natulos. Elos ohlla nialos ac mongo yorol.
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 Ke elos srakna muta aengani yorol, na un mukul koluk se in siti sac elos tuku raunela lohm sac, ac puok srungul in lohm ah. Elos fahk nu sin mukul matu se ma se lohm sac, “Sap mukul se ma wi kom utyak nu lohm an in ilme! Kut lungse orek ma koluk nu sel!”
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 Tusruktu mwet matu sac el illa nu yorolos ac fahk nu selos, “Mwet lili luk, mo! Nunak munas, nimet kowos nunku in oru kain ouiya koluk ingan! Mwet se inge el mutwata yuruk — nga pa solal nu in lohm sik uh.
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 Liye, tulik mutan virgin se nutik pa inge, oayapa mutan kulansap se kien mukul sac pa inge. Nga ac usaltalu, ac komtal ku in oru ma na komtal lungse oru nu seltal, tusruk nimet oru kain ouiya koluk ingan nu sin mukul se inge!”
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 El ne fahk ouinge, tuh mukul ekasr ah tia lungse lohngol. Ouinge mwet Levi sac sruokya mutan kulansap se kial ah, ac sinukunulla nu likinuma nu yoroltal. Elos sruinkuilya ac akkolukyal fong nufon sac nwe ke lenelik.
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 Toang na ke lutu sac, mutan sac tuku nu lohm sin mwet matu sac, yen mukul tumal ah muta we ah, na el topla ke mutunoa. El oan insac nwe ke lenelik.
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 Ke mukul tumal ah tukakek ke lutu sac, el ikasla srungul ah elan som inkanek lal ah, na el liyauk tuh na mutan kulansap kial ah topla oan insac ac paol saplakang nu ke srungul in lohm sac.
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 Na mukul sac fahk, “Tukakek, kut som.” Tuh el tiana topkol. Na mukul sac sraklalak ac fililya fin donkey natul ah, ac folokla nu in acn sel ah.
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 Ke el sun acn we el utyak nu in lohm ah, ac eis mitmit se. Na el us monin mutan kulansap se kial, ac sipikya nu ke ip singoul luo, ac supwalik kais sie ip nu sin kais sie sruf lun mwet Israel.
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 Mwet nukewa su liye ma sac elos fahk, “Kut soenna lohng ke kain ouiya se inge oemeet me! Wangin kain lumah inge nu orek oe ke mwet Israel elos illa liki acn Egypt! Enenu na in oasr ma kut oru kac, tuh mea kut ac oru uh?”
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.”
