Mpitsara 19
1 Ary tamin’ izany andro izany, raha tsy nisy mpanjaka teo amin’ ny Isiraely, dia nisy Levita anankiray nivahiny tary an-tsisin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima, ka naka vaditsindrano avy any Betlehema-joda.
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 Ary ny vaditsindranony nijangajanga sy nisintaka taminy ka nandao azy ary nankany an-tranon-drainy any Betlehema-joda, dia nitoetra tao efa-bolana mipaka.
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 Ary niainga ralehilahy ka nandeha nanaraka azy hanao teny malefaka taminy hampody azy ary nitondra ny zatovony sy boriky roa; dia nampiantranoin-dravehivavy ho ao an-tranon-drainy izy, ka nony hitan’ ny rain-drazazavavy ralehilahy, dia faly izy nihaona taminy.
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 Ary nihazona azy ny rafozany, rain-drazazavavy, ka nitoetra teo aminy hateloana izy, dia nihinana sy nisotro ary nandry tao izy roa lahy.
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 Ary nony tamin’ ny andro fahefatra, dia nifoha maraina koa izy ka niomana handeha; fa hoy ny rain-drazazavavy tamin’ ny vinantony: Aoka aloha mba hanao ody am-bavafo kely ianao, ary rehefa afaka izany, dia handeha ianareo.
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 Dia nipetraka izy roa lahy ka niara-nihinana sy nisotro; dia hoy ny rain-drazazavavy tamin-dralehilahy: Mba maneke ny handry eto anio alina, ary aoka ho faly ny fonao.
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 Ary raha niomana handeha ralehilahy, dia nanery azy hitoetra ny rafozany, ka dia tafandriana tao indray izy.
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 Dia nifoha maraina koa izy handeha nony tamin’ ny andro fahadimy; fa hoy ny rain-drazavazavy: Aoka mba hanao ody am-bavafo kely ianao, ary mijanonjanona aloha mandra-pihilan’ ny andro; ary dia niara-nihinana izy roa lahy.
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 Ary raha niainga handeha ralehilahy sy ny vaditsindranony ary ny ankizilahiny, dia hoy ny rafozany, rain-drazazavavy, taminy Indro, efa ho hariva ny andro izao, koa masìna ianao, mandria re anio alina; indro, efa hilentika ny masoandro, ka mandria eto, mba hifalian’ ny fonao; ary rahampitso dia hifoha maraina koa ianareo, ka handeha hody ianao.
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 Fa tsy nety nijanona intsony ralehilahy tamin’ izany alina izany, fa niainga ihany izy ka nandeha, dia tonga tandrifin’ i Jebosa (Jerosalema izany); ary boriky roa samy voaisy lasely no nentiny, ary ny vaditsindranony niaraka taminy koa.
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 Ary rehefa mby teo akaiky an’ i Jebosa izy, ka efa ho hariva ny andro, dia hoy ny zatovo tamin’ ny tompony: Andeha hiakatra ato amin’ ity tanànan’ ny Jebosita ity isika ka handry ato.
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 Fa hoy ny tompony taminy: Tsy hiakatra amin’ ny tanànan’ ny olona hafa firenena izay tsy isan’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely isika, fa handroso ihany ho any 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 Ary hoy izy tamin’ ny zatovony: Andeha isika hankamin’ ny anankiray amin’ ireto tanàna ireto, dia any Gibea, na any Rama, ka handry any.
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 Dia nandroso izy ka nandeha; ary raha mbola teo akaiky an’ i Gibea, izay an’ ny Benjamita, izy, dia nilentika ny masoandro.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Ka dia nivily teo izy handeha handry any Gibea; ary niakatra izy ka nipetraka teo amin’ ny kianjan’ ny tanàna; fa tsy nisy olona nampiantrano azy handry tao an-tranony.
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 Ary, indro, nisy lehilahy anti-panahy avy niasa tany an-tsaha nony hariva, sady olona avy any amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima koa izy, saingy nitoetra tany Gibea, fa ny mponina tao amin’ izany tanana izany dia Benjamita.
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 Ary rehefa nanopy ny masony izy ka nahita ilay vahiny teo an-kianjan’ ny tanana, dia hoy ilay lehilahy anti-panahy: Hankaiza moa ianao? Ary avy taiza?
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 Dia hoy izy taminy: Avy tany Betlehema-joda izahay ka hankarỳ an-tsisin’ ny tany havoan’ i Efraima, fa any no tany nihaviako; ary nankany Betlehema-joda aho, fa mpankany an-tranon’ i Jehovah; ary tsy misy olona mampiantrano ahy;
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 kanefa misy mololo sy hanina ihany ho an’ ny borikinay, sady misy mofo sy divay ho ahy sy ny ankizivavinao ary ho an’ ny zatovo manaraka ny mpanomponao: tsy misy zavatra ilainay intsony.
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 Dia hoy ilay lehilahy anti-panahy: Fiadanana anie ho anao; aoka ho adidiko izay rehetra ilainao, fa aza mandry foana eto an-kianja.
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 Dia nitondra azy tany an-tranony izy ka nampihinana ny boriky; dia nanasa tongotra izy ireo ka nihinana sy nisotro.
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 Ary raha mbola nampifaly ny fony izy, indro, ny mponina tao an-tanàna, olona tena ratsy fanahy, dia nanodidina ny trano ka nandondona mafy ny varavarana ary niteny tamin’ ilay lehilahy anti-panahy tompo-trano hoe: Avoahy ny lehilahy izay niditra ato an-tranonao, mba hahalalanay azy.
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 Dia nivoaka nankeo aminy ralehilahy tompo-trano ka nanao taminy hoe: Tsia, ry rahalahiko, masìna ianareo, aza manao ratsy; fa tonga ato an-tranoko ity lehilahy ity, koa aza manao izany zavatra fady indrindra izany ianareo.
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 Indreto ny zanako-vavy virijina sy ny vaditsindranon-dralehilahy, aoka mba ho entiko mivoaka ireo, ka mandria aminy, ary ataovy aminy izay sitrakareo; fa aza ity lehilahy ity no anaovanareo izany zavatra fady indrindra izany.
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 Fa tsy nety nihaino azy ireo lehilahy ireo, ka dia nalain-dralehilahy ilay vaditsindrano ka navoakany taminy teo ala-trano; dia nahalala azy ireo ka nanao ditra taminy mandritra ny alina mandra-pahamarain’ ny andro; ary rehefa hiposaka ny masoandro, vao nalefany handeha izy.
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 Ary rehefa ho maraina ny andro, dia tonga ravehivavy, ka lavo teo am-baravaran’ ny tranon-dralehilahy, izay nitoeran’ ny vadiny, ka nivalandotra teo mandra-pahazavan’ ny andro.
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 Dia nifoha maraina ralehilahy ka namoha ny varavaran’ ny trano, dia nivoaka handeha tamin’ ny lalan-kalehany; ary, indro, ravehivavy vaditsindranony miampatra eo am-baravaran’ ny trano, ary ny tanany eo amin’ ny tokonana.
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 Ary hoy ralehilahy taminy: Mitsangàna, andeha isika. Kanjo tsy nisy namaly. Dia nobetain-dralehilahy izy ka nasampiny teo amin’ ny borikiny; dia niainga izy nandeha ho any amin’ ny fonenany.
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 Ary rehefa tonga tao an-tranony izy, dia naka antsy, ka noraisiny ny fatin’ ny vaditsindranony, dia norasainy araka ny famavanin’ ny taolana ho roa ambin’ ny folo toko, ka nampitondrainy eran’ ny tanin’ ny Isiraely rehetra.
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 Ary hoy ity rehetra nahita: Tsy nisy zavatra natao na hita toy izany hatramin’ ny andro niakaran’ ny Zanak’ Isiraely avy tany amin’ ny tany Egypta ka mandraka androany; hevero izany, samia maka saina, ka ambarao.
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.”
