Abahluleli 19
1 Kwasekusithi ngalezonsuku, kungelankosi koIsrayeli, kwakulomLevi othile owayehlala njengowezizwe eceleni elikhatshana lentaba yakoEfrayimi, owazithathela umfazi, umfazi omncinyane eBhethelehema-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 Lowomfazi wakhe omncinyane waphinga emelene laye, wasuka kuye waya endlini kayise eBhethelehema-Juda, waba lapho izinyanga ezine ezigcweleyo.
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 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 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 Uyisezala, uyise wentombazana, wamlibazisa; wasehlala laye insuku ezintathu; basebesidla banatha balala khona ubusuku.
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 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, 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 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. Then the woman’s father said to him, “Please stay another night. Relax/Rest and have a joyful time.”
7 Indoda isisukuma ukuthi ihambe, kodwa uyisezala wayicindezela yaze yabuya yalala lapho ubusuku.
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 Yasivuka ekuseni kakhulu ngosuku lwesihlanu ukuze ihambe. Uyise wentombazana wasesithi: Ake uqinise inhliziyo yakho. Basebelibala ilanga laze lakhothama, badla bobabili.
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 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.
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 Kodwa indoda kayithandanga ukulala ubusuku, kodwa yasukuma yahamba, yafika maqondana leJebusi eyiJerusalema. Yayilabobabhemi ababili ababotshelwe izihlalo; lomfazi wayo omncinyane wayelayo.
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 Sebeseduze leJebusi ilanga laselitshonile kakhulu, ijaha laselisithi enkosini yalo: Ake uhambe, siphambukele kulo umuzi wamaJebusi, silale khona ubusuku.
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 Inkosi yayo yasisithi kuyo: Kasiyikuphambukela emzini wesizwe ongeyisiwo wabantwana bakoIsrayeli, kodwa sizadlulela eGibeya.
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 Yasisithi encekwini yayo: Woza sisondele kwenye yalezozindawo, siyelala ubusuku eGibeya kumbe eRama.
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 Basebesedlula behamba; ilanga labatshonela eduze leGibeya eyakoBhenjamini.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, 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 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 Khangela-ke, kwafika ixhegu livela emsebenzini walo ensimini kusihlwa. Lowomuntu laye wayevela entabeni yakoEfrayimi; yena-ke wahlala njengowezizwe eGibeya. Kodwa abantu baleyondawo babengabakoBhenjamini.
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 Esephakamise amehlo akhe wabona lowomuntu, isihambi, emdangeni womuzi, njalo ixhegu lathi: Uya ngaphi, njalo uvela ngaphi?
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 Wasesithi kulo: Siyedlula sivela eBhethelehema-Juda, siya eceleni elikhatshana lentaba yakoEfrayimi; ngivela lapho. Bengiye eBhethelehema-Juda, kodwa sengisiya endlini yeNkosi; kodwa kakulamuntu ongemukela endlini.
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 Kube kanti kulamahlanga lokudla kwabobabhemi bethu, njalo kulesinkwa futhi lewayini lami lokwencekukazi yakho lokwejaha elilenceku zakho; kakuswelekanga lutho.
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 Leloxhegu laselisithi: Ukuthula kakube kuwe. Kodwa zonke inswelo zakho ziphezu kwami. Kuphela ungalali emdangeni.
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 Ngakho laselimngenisa endlini yalo, lanika obabhemi ukudla. Basebegeza inyawo zabo, badla banatha.
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 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 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 Umuntu, umninindlu, wasephuma waya kiwo, wathi kiwo: Hatshi, bafowethu, ngiyalicela, lingenzi okubi; lokhu lumuntu engenile endlini yami, lingenzi lobubuthutha.
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 Khangelani, indodakazi yami eyintombi emsulwa, lomfazi wakhe omncane. Ake ngibakhuphele kini. Libathobise, lenze kibo okulungileyo emehlweni enu; kodwa kulumuntu lingenzi linto yobuthutha.
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 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 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 Ngovivi lokusa owesifazana weza wawela phansi emnyango wendlu yomuntu lapho okwakukhona inkosi yakhe, kwaze kwakhanya.
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 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.
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 Yasisithi kuye: Sukuma, sihambe. Kodwa kakuphendulanga muntu. Yasimkhweza kubabhemi; indoda yasuka yaya endaweni yayo.
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 Lapho isifikile endlini yayo yathatha ingqamu, yambamba umfazi wayo omncane yamqumaquma lamathambo akhe iziqa ezilitshumi lambili; yamthumela kuyo yonke imingcele yakoIsrayeli.
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 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 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.”
