Abahluleli 19
1 Kwasekusithi ngalezonsuku, kungelankosi koIsrayeli, kwakulomLevi othile owayehlala njengowezizwe eceleni elikhatshana lentaba yakoEfrayimi, owazithathela umfazi, umfazi omncinyane eBhethelehema-Juda.
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 Lowomfazi wakhe omncinyane waphinga emelene laye, wasuka kuye waya endlini kayise eBhethelehema-Juda, waba lapho izinyanga ezine ezigcweleyo.
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 Umkakhe wasesukuma wamlandela ukuyakhuluma enhliziyweni yakhe ukuthi ambuyise, lejaha lakhe lilaye labobabhemi ababili. Umfazi wasemngenisa endlini kayise; kwathi uyise wentombi embona wathokoza ukuhlangana laye.
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 Uyisezala, uyise wentombazana, wamlibazisa; wasehlala laye insuku ezintathu; basebesidla banatha balala khona ubusuku.
Her father pressed him to stay with them, so he remained for three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there.
5 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesine, lapho bevuka ekuseni kakhulu, wasukuma ukuthi ahambe; kodwa uyise wentombazana wathi kumkhwenyana wakhe: Qinisa inhliziyo yakho ngocezu lwesinkwa; langemva kwalokho lizahamba.
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 Ngakho bahlala badla banatha bobabili ndawonye. Uyise wentombazana wasesithi endodeni: Ake wanele ulale ubusuku uthokozise inhliziyo yakho.
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 Indoda isisukuma ukuthi ihambe, kodwa uyisezala wayicindezela yaze yabuya yalala lapho ubusuku.
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 Yasivuka ekuseni kakhulu ngosuku lwesihlanu ukuze ihambe. Uyise wentombazana wasesithi: Ake uqinise inhliziyo yakho. Basebelibala ilanga laze lakhothama, badla bobabili.
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 Lapho indoda isukuma ukuthi ihambe, yona lomfazi wayo omncinyane lejaha layo, uyisezala, uyise wentombazana, wathi kuyo: Khangela, khathesi ilanga selitshona, sekuzakuhlwa; ake ulale ubusuku; khangela, ilanga selikhotheme, lala ubusuku lapha, ukuze inhliziyo yakho ithokoze. Kusasa-ke lizavuka ngovivi ngohambo lwenu, uye ethenteni lakho.
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 Kodwa indoda kayithandanga ukulala ubusuku, kodwa yasukuma yahamba, yafika maqondana leJebusi eyiJerusalema. Yayilabobabhemi ababili ababotshelwe izihlalo; lomfazi wayo omncinyane wayelayo.
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 Sebeseduze leJebusi ilanga laselitshonile kakhulu, ijaha laselisithi enkosini yalo: Ake uhambe, siphambukele kulo umuzi wamaJebusi, silale khona ubusuku.
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 Inkosi yayo yasisithi kuyo: Kasiyikuphambukela emzini wesizwe ongeyisiwo wabantwana bakoIsrayeli, kodwa sizadlulela eGibeya.
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 Yasisithi encekwini yayo: Woza sisondele kwenye yalezozindawo, siyelala ubusuku eGibeya kumbe eRama.
Then he told his servant, “Come on, let's try and get to Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night somewhere there.”
14 Basebesedlula behamba; ilanga labatshonela eduze leGibeya eyakoBhenjamini.
So they carried on and reached Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin just as the sun was setting.
15 Basebephambuka lapho ukuze bangene balale ubusuku eGibeya. Esengenile wahlala phansi emdangeni womuzi, ngoba kwakungekho muntu owabemukela endlini yakhe ukuze balale ubusuku.
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 Khangela-ke, kwafika ixhegu livela emsebenzini walo ensimini kusihlwa. Lowomuntu laye wayevela entabeni yakoEfrayimi; yena-ke wahlala njengowezizwe eGibeya. Kodwa abantu baleyondawo babengabakoBhenjamini.
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 Esephakamise amehlo akhe wabona lowomuntu, isihambi, emdangeni womuzi, njalo ixhegu lathi: Uya ngaphi, njalo uvela ngaphi?
He looked over and noticed the traveler in the square and asked, “Where are you going and where have you come from?”
18 Wasesithi kulo: Siyedlula sivela eBhethelehema-Juda, siya eceleni elikhatshana lentaba yakoEfrayimi; ngivela lapho. Bengiye eBhethelehema-Juda, kodwa sengisiya endlini yeNkosi; kodwa kakulamuntu ongemukela endlini.
“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 Kube kanti kulamahlanga lokudla kwabobabhemi bethu, njalo kulesinkwa futhi lewayini lami lokwencekukazi yakho lokwejaha elilenceku zakho; kakuswelekanga lutho.
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 Leloxhegu laselisithi: Ukuthula kakube kuwe. Kodwa zonke inswelo zakho ziphezu kwami. Kuphela ungalali emdangeni.
“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 Ngakho laselimngenisa endlini yalo, lanika obabhemi ukudla. Basebegeza inyawo zabo, badla banatha.
He took him home and fed the donkeys. The travelers washed their feet and then started to eat and drink.
22 Besathokozisa inhliziyo yabo, khangela, amadoda omuzi, abantwana abathile bakaBheliyali, ayizingelezela indlu, etshaya esivalweni, akhuluma kumninindlu, ixhegu, esithi: Khupha lowomuntu ongene endlini yakho, ukuze simazi.
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 Umuntu, umninindlu, wasephuma waya kiwo, wathi kiwo: Hatshi, bafowethu, ngiyalicela, lingenzi okubi; lokhu lumuntu engenile endlini yami, lingenzi lobubuthutha.
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 Khangelani, indodakazi yami eyintombi emsulwa, lomfazi wakhe omncane. Ake ngibakhuphele kini. Libathobise, lenze kibo okulungileyo emehlweni enu; kodwa kulumuntu lingenzi linto yobuthutha.
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 Kodwa lawomadoda kawathandanga ukumlalela. Ngakho lowomuntu wasebamba umfazi wakhe omncane, wamkhuphela kibo phandle. Njalo amazi amdlova ubusuku bonke kwaze kwasa. Kwathi emadabukakusa amyekela wahamba.
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 Ngovivi lokusa owesifazana weza wawela phansi emnyango wendlu yomuntu lapho okwakukhona inkosi yakhe, kwaze kwakhanya.
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 Inkosi yakhe yasivuka ekuseni, yavula iminyango yendlu, yaphuma ukuze ihambe ngendlela yayo; khangela-ke, umfazi, umfazi wakhe omncane wayewele emnyango wendlu, lezandla zakhe ziphezu kombundu.
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 Yasisithi kuye: Sukuma, sihambe. Kodwa kakuphendulanga muntu. Yasimkhweza kubabhemi; indoda yasuka yaya endaweni yayo.
“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 Lapho isifikile endlini yayo yathatha ingqamu, yambamba umfazi wayo omncane yamqumaquma lamathambo akhe iziqa ezilitshumi lambili; yamthumela kuyo yonke imingcele yakoIsrayeli.
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 Kwasekusithi bonke abakubonayo bathi: Kakukaze kwenzeke njalo kakukaze kubonwe okunje kusukela ngosuku abantwana bakoIsrayeli abenyuka ngalo elizweni leGibhithe kuze kube lamuhla. Nakanani ngalokho, leluleke, likhulume.
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!”
