Balam 19
1 Awo mu biro ebyo tewaali kabaka mu Isirayiri. Ne wabaawo Omuleevi eyabeeranga mu kyalo mu nsi ey’ensozi eya Efulayimu eyawasa omukazi mu Besirekemu mu 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 Naye mukazi we oyo n’ataba mwesigwa n’anoba ku bba, n’addayo mu nnyumba ya kitaawe e Besirekemu mu Yuda n’amalayo emyezi ena.
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 Bba n’agolokoka n’agenda n’omuweereza we n’endogoyi bbiri okwogera ne mukazi we amukomyewo. Omukazi n’amutwala mu nnyumba ya kitaawe era kitaawe w’omuwala bwe yamulaba n’asanyuka era n’amwaniriza.
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 Awo mukoddomi we, kitaawe w’omuwala n’amuwaliriza asigaleyo ennaku ssatu. Ne balya ne banywa ne basula eyo.
Her father pressed him to stay with them, so he remained for three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there.
5 Awo ku lunaku olwokuna ne bagolokoka mu makya, Omuleevi ne yeeteekateeka okugenda. Kyokka kitaawe w’omuwala n’agamba mukoddomi we nti, “Mwesanyuse mumale okulya ku mmere, mulyoke mugende.”
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 Ne batuula ne balya era ne banywa bonna wamu. Kitaawe w’omuwala n’agamba omusajja nti, “Kaakano kkiriza osule, omutima gwo gusanyukeko.”
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 Omusajja bwe yagolokoka okugenda, mukoddomi we n’amuwaliriza okusigala era n’asula ekiro ekyo.
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 Ku lunaku olwokutaano, bwe yagolokoka mu makya okugenda, kitaawe w’omuwala n’amugamba nti, “Weesanyuse kaakano. Ojjira weesanyusa okutuusa obudde lwe bunaawungeera.” Ne balya bonna wamu.
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 Omusajja bwe yagolokoka okugenda ne mukazi we n’omugole we, mukoddomi we kitaawe w’omuwala n’amugamba nti, “Laba, kaakano obudde buzibye. Sula obudde buyise. Sigala wano weesanyuse, onoogolokoka enkya n’oddayo ewuwo.”
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 Naye omusajja n’atakkiriza. N’asitula n’agenda ne mukazi we, n’endogoyi ze zombi nga zeetisse, ku luuyi olw’e Yebusi, ye Yerusaalemi.
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 Bwe baali bali kumpi ne Yebusi, n’obudde nga buyise, omuweereza n’agamba mukama we nti, “Jjangu tukyame tuyingire mu kibuga kino eky’Abayebusi tusule omwo.”
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 Mukama we n’amuddamu nti, “Tetuukyame kuyingira mu kibuga ky’abatali baana ba Isirayiri, eky’abannaggwanga. Tujja kweyongerayo tulage e 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 N’agamba omuweereza we nti, “Tusemberere ekimu ku bifo ebyo, tusule e Gibea oba mu Laama.”
Then he told his servant, “Come on, let's try and get to Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night somewhere there.”
14 Ne beeyongerayo. Enjuba n’egwa nga basemberera Gibea ekya Benyamini.
So they carried on and reached Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin just as the sun was setting.
15 Ne bakyama eyo mu Gibea, gye baba basula. Ne balaga mu kifo ekigazi eky’ekibuga ne batuula eyo, kyokka ne wataba muntu n’omu eyajja okubatwala ewuwe.
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 Era laba, ne wajja omusajja omukadde eyali ava ku mirimu gye egy’omu nnimiro akawungeezi, ng’asibuka mu nsi ey’ensozi eya Efulayimu, ng’abeera mu Gibea. Abantu b’e Gibea baayitibwanga Babenyamini.
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 N’ayimusa amaaso ge n’alaba omusajja omutambuze, ng’ali mu kifo ekigazi eky’ekibuga. Omusajja n’amubuuza nti, “Ova wa era olaga wa?”
He looked over and noticed the traveler in the square and asked, “Where are you going and where have you come from?”
18 N’amuddamu nti, “Nva mu Besirekemu mu Yuda, ndaga mu byalo eby’ensi ey’ensozi eya Efulayimu gye mbeera. Nva mu Besirekemu mu Yuda, nzirayo mu nnyumba ya Mukama, naye tewali anyannirizza mu nnyumba ye.”
“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 Wabula nnina essubi n’emmere ey’endogoyi zange, ate naffe abaweereza bo tulina emmere ne wayini ebitumala nze, n’omuweereza wo omukazi, n’omuvubuka.
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 Omusajja omukadde n’abagamba nti, “Mbanirizza ewange mwenna. Temwetaaga kusula mu kifo ekigazi eky’ekibuga.”
“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 Awo n’abatwala mu nnyumba ye, n’aliisa endogoyi ze, ne banaaba ku bigere, ne balya, ne banywa.
He took him home and fed the donkeys. The travelers washed their feet and then started to eat and drink.
22 Awo bwe baali nga beesanyusaamu, laba, abasajja ab’omu kibuga ekyo, abaana ab’obutali butuukirivu ne bazingiza ennyumba nga bwe bakoona oluggi. Ne bagamba nannyini nnyumba, omusajja omukadde nga bwe bawowoggana nti, “Fulumya omusajja oyo ayingidde mu nnyumba yo, tumusiyage.”
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 Nannyini nnyumba n’afuluma, n’abagamba nti, “Nedda mikwano gyange, temubeera bagwenyufu. Olw’okuba ng’omusajja ono azze mu nnyumba yange, temukola kintu kya buswavu bwe kityo.
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 Mulaba muwala wange wuuno, mbeerera, ate n’omukazi w’omusajja naye nzija kubamuwa. Baabo mubakole kye mwagala. Naye omusajja ono temumukola kintu kya buswavu bwe kityo.”
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 Naye abasajja ne bagaana okumuwuliriza. Omusajja kyeyava addira mukazi we, n’amufulumya, ne bamukwata ne bamusobyako ekiro kyonna, ne bamuta agende ng’emmambya esala.
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 Omukazi n’addayo n’atuuka obudde nga bukya, n’agwa ku luggi lw’ennyumba, mukama we gye yali asuze, n’abeera awo okutuusa obudde bwe bwakya.
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 Mukama we bwe yagolokoka mu makya, n’aggulawo enzigi z’ennyumba ye n’afuluma agende ku lugendo lwe, laba, mukazi we ng’agudde mu maaso g’ennyumba, ng’emikono gye gikunukkiriza omulyango.
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 N’agamba mukazi we nti, “Golokoka tugende.” Kyokka ne wataba kanyego. Omusajja n’amuteeka ku ndogoyi, n’agenda ewuwe.
“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 Bwe yatuuka ewuwe, n’addira akambe, n’akwata mukazi we, n’amusalaasalamu ebifi kkumi na bibiri, n’abiweereza mu buli kitundu ekya Isirayiri.
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 Awo buli muntu eyabirabangako n’agamba nti, “Ekikolwa ekiri nga kino tekikolebwanga so tekirabibwanga okuva ku lunaku abaana ba Isirayiri lwe baayambukirako okuva mu nsi y’e Misiri n’okutuusa leero. Mukirowoozeeko, mukifumiitirizeeko era tulabe eky’okukola.”
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!”
