Jueces 19
1 En aquellos días, como no había rey en Israel, hubo un Levita que moraba como peregrino en los lados del monte de Efraím: el cual se había tomado mujer concubina de Belén de Judá.
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 Y su concubina adulteró contra él, y fuése de él a casa de su padre a Belén de Judá, y estuvo allá por tiempo de cuatro meses.
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 Y levantóse su marido, y siguióla, para hablarle amorosamente, y volverla, llevando consigo un su criado, y un par de asnos: y ella le metió en la casa de su padre.
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 Y viéndolo el padre de la moza salióle a recibir gozoso, y detúvole su suegro, el padre de la moza, y quedó en su casa tres días, comiendo y bebiendo, y reposando allí.
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 Y al cuarto día, como se levantaron de mañana, levantóse también el Levita para irse, y el padre de la moza dijo a su yerno: Conforta tu corazón con un bocado de pan, y después os iréis.
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 Y sentáronse ellos dos juntos, y comieron y bebieron: y el padre de la moza dijo al varón: Yo te ruego que te quieras quedar aquí esta noche, y alegrarse ha tu corazón.
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 Y levantándose el varón para irse, el suegro le constriñó a que tornase y tuviese allí la noche.
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 Y al quinto día levantándose de mañana para irse, díjole el padre de la moza: Conforta ahora tu corazón. Y así se detuvieron hasta que ya declinó el día comiendo ambos a dos.
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 Y el varón se levantó para irse él y su concubina y su criado. Entonces su suegro, el padre de la moza, le dijo: He aquí que el día declina para ponerse el sol, ruégote que os estéis aquí la noche: he aquí que el día se acaba: ten aquí la noche, para que se alegre tu corazón; y mañana os levantaréis de mañana a vuestro camino y llegarás a tus tiendas.
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 Mas el varón no quiso quedar allí la noche, sino levantándose partióse, y vino hasta delante de Jebús, que es Jerusalem, con su par de asnos aparejados, y con su concubina.
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 Y estando ya junto a Jebús, el día había abajado mucho; y dijo el criado a su señor: Ven ahora, y vámonos a esta ciudad de los Jebuseos para que tengamos en ella la noche.
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 Y su señor le respondió: No iremos a ninguna ciudad de extranjeros, que no sea de los hijos de Israel; sino pasaremos hasta Gabaa. Y dijo a su criado:
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 Ven, lleguemos a uno de esos dos lugares, para tener la noche en Gabaa, o en Rama.
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 Y pasando anduvieron, y púsoseles el sol junto a Gabaa, que era de Ben-jamín.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Y apartáronse del camino para entrar a tener allí la noche en Gabaa: y entrando aposentáronse en la plaza de la ciudad, que no hubo quien los acogiese en casa para pasar la noche.
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 Y, he aquí, un hombre viejo que a la tarde venía del campo de trabajar, el cual era también del monte de Efraím, y moraba como peregrino en Gabaa: y los moradores de aquel lugar eran hijos de Jemini.
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 Y este hombre alzando los ojos, vio a estotro, que venía de camino, en la plaza de la ciudad: y díjole el viejo: ¿Dónde vas, y de donde vienes?
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 Y él respondió: Pasamos de Belén de Judá a los lados del monte de Efraím, de donde yo soy, y partíme hasta Belén de Judá, y voy ahora a la casa de Jehová, y no hay quien me reciba en casa,
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 Aunque nosotros tenemos paja y de comer para nuestros asnos: y también tenemos pan y vino para mí, y para tu sierva, y para el criado que está con tu siervo, y de nada tenemos falta.
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 Y el hombre viejo dijo: Paz sea contigo: tu necesidad toda sea solamente a mi cargo, con tal que no tengas la noche en la plaza.
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 Y metiéndole en su casa, dio de comer a sus asnos, y lavaron sus pies, y comieron, y bebieron.
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 Y cuando estuvieron alegres, he aquí los hombres de aquella ciudad, que eran hombres hijos de Belial, que cercan la casa, y batían las puertas diciendo al hombre viejo señor de la casa: Saca fuera el hombre que ha entrado en tu casa, para que le conozcamos.
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 Y saliendo a ellos el varón señor de la casa, díjoles: No hermanos míos: Ruégoos que no cometáis este mal, pues que este hombre ha entrado en mi casa, no hagáis esta maldad.
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 He aquí mi hija virgen, y su concubina, yo os las sacaré ahora, humilládlas, y hacéd con ellas como os pareciere: y no hagáis a este hombre cosa tan vergonzosa.
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 Mas aquellos hombres no le quisieron oír: y tomando aquel hombre su concubina sacósela fuera: y ellos la conocieron, y abusaron de ella toda la noche hasta la mañana, y dejáronla cuando el alba subía.
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 Y ya que amanecía la mujer vino, y cayó delante de la puerta de la casa de aquel hombre donde su señor estaba, hasta que fue de día.
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 Y levantándose de mañana su señor, abrió las puertas de la casa, y salió, para ir su camino: y he aquí la mujer su concubina que estaba tendida delante de la puerta de la casa con las manos sobre el umbral.
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 Y él le dijo: Levántate para que nos vayamos. Mas ella no respondió. Entonces el varón la levantó, y echándola sobre su asno levantóse y fuése a su lugar.
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 Y en llegando a su casa, toma un cuchillo, y echa mano de su concubina, y despedázala con sus huesos en doce partes, y enviólas por todos los términos de 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 Y cualquiera que veía aquel hecho, decía: Jamás se ha hecho, ni visto tal cosa desde el tiempo que los hijos de Israel subieron de la tierra de Egipto hasta hoy. Considerád esto, dad consejo; y hablád.
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.”
