A Woman Is Murdered
1 Before kings ruled Israel, a Levite was living deep in the hill country of the Ephraim tribe. He married a woman from Bethlehem in Judah, 2 but she was unfaithful and went back to live with her family in Bethlehem.
Four months later 3 her husband decided to try and talk her into coming back. So he went to Bethlehem, taking along a servant and two donkeys. He talked with his wife, and she invited him into her family's home. Her father was glad to see him 4 and did not want him to leave. So the man stayed three days, eating and drinking with his father-in-law.
5 When everyone got up on the fourth day, the Levite started getting ready to go home. But his father-in-law said, “Don't leave until you have a bite to eat. You'll need strength for your journey.”
6 The two men sat down together and ate a big meal. “Come on,” the man's father-in-law said. “Stay tonight and have a good time.”
7 The Levite tried to leave, but his father-in-law insisted, and he spent one more night there. 8 The fifth day, the man got up early to leave, but his wife's father said, “You need to keep up your strength! Why don't you leave right after lunch?” So the two of them started eating.
9 Finally, the Levite got up from the meal, so he and his wife and servant could leave. “Look,” his father-in-law said, “it's already late afternoon, and if you leave now, you won't get very far before dark. Stay with us one more night and enjoy yourself. Then you can get up early tomorrow morning and start home.”
10 But the Levite decided not to spend the night there again. He had the saddles put on his two donkeys, then he and his wife and servant traveled as far as Jebus, which is now called Jerusalem. 11 It was beginning to get dark, and the man's servant said, “Let's stop and spend the night in this town where the Jebusites live.”
12 “No,” the Levite answered. “They aren't Israelites, and I refuse to spend the night there. We'll stop for the night at Gibeah, 13 or maybe we can even reach Ramah before dark.”
14 They walked on and reached Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin just after sunset. 15 They left the road and went into Gibeah. But the Levite couldn't find a house where anyone would let them spend the night, and they sat down in the open area just inside the town gates.
16 Soon an old man came in through the gates on his way home from working in the fields. Most of the people who lived in Gibeah belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, but this man was originally from the hill country of Ephraim. 17 He noticed that the Levite was just in town to spend the night. “Where are you going?” the old man asked. “Where did you come from?”
18 “We've come from Bethlehem in Judah,” the Levite answered. “We went there on a visit. Now we're going to the place where the Lord is worshiped, and later we will return to our home in the hill country of Ephraim. But no one here will let us spend the night in their home. 19 We brought food for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves, so we don't need anything except a place to sleep.”
20 The old man said, “You are welcome to spend the night in my home and to be my guest, but don't stay out here!”
21 The old man brought them into his house and fed their donkeys. Then he and his guests washed their feet and began eating and drinking. 22 They were having a good time, when some worthless men of that town surrounded the house and started banging on the door and shouting, “A man came to your house tonight. Send him out, so we can have sex with him!”
23 The old man went outside and said, “My friends, please don't commit such a horrible crime against a man who is a guest in my house. 24 Let me send out my daughter instead. She's a virgin. And I'll even send out the man's wife. You can rape them or do whatever else you want, but please don't do such a horrible thing to this man.”
25 The men refused to listen, so the Levite grabbed his wife and shoved her outside. The men raped her and abused her all night long. Finally, they let her go just before sunrise, 26 and it was almost daybreak when she went back to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door and lay there until sunrise.
27 About that time, her husband woke up and got ready to leave. He opened the door and went outside, where he found his wife lying at the door with her hands on the doorstep. 28 “Get up!” he said. “It's time to leave.”
But his wife didn't move.
He lifted her body onto his donkey and left. 29 When he got home, he took a butcher knife and cut her body into twelve pieces. Then he told some messengers, “Take one piece to each tribe of Israel 30 and ask everyone if anything like this has ever happened since Israel left Egypt. Tell them to think about it, talk it over, and tell us what should be done.”
Everyone who saw a piece of the body said, “This is horrible! Nothing like this has ever happened since the day Israel left Egypt.”
Lewi lasiloo moo niŋ a la kaŋ foroyandi musoo
1 Ñiŋ waatoo la mansa maŋ soto Banisirayila kono foloo, Lewi lasiloo moo doo le sabatita tumarankeeyaa kono Efurayimu* konkotundoo* maraa karoo la. A ye kaŋ foroyandi musoo* futuu meŋ bota Betilehemu, Yahuuda tundoo kaŋ. 2 Luŋ kiliŋ, a la ñiŋ musoo naata kamfaa a bulu, a ye a tu jee, a taata a faamaa yaa Betilehemu saatewo to Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ. A tarata sabatiriŋ jee fo kari naani. 3 Bituŋ a keemaa naata wuli a nooma ka diyaamu a ye, fo a si muru naŋ suwo kono. A niŋ a la dookuulaa niŋ fali fula le taata ñoo la. Kabiriŋ a futata, a la musoo ye a dundi a faamaa yaa. Kabiriŋ a faamaa ye a je, a ye a benduŋ kontaanoo kono. 4 Bituŋ a la musoo faamaa naata a daani ka sabati jee. A naata tara jee fo tili saba. Ì ka domori ñoo kaŋ, ì ka miŋ feŋolu miŋ ñoo kaŋ, ì ka i laa jee.
5 Tili naaninjaŋo soomandaa juunoo, Lewi lasiloo moo pareeta ka jee bula. Bari a la musoo faamaa ko a ye le ko, “Feŋ domo foloo ka i la taamoo sooneeyandi i bulu, janniŋ i be taa.” 6 Bituŋ ì moo fuloo naata sii, ì domorita ñoo kaŋ, ì ye miŋ feŋolu miŋ. Musoo faamaa naata a fo ñiŋ kewo ye ko, “Dukaree, ñiŋ suutoo fanaa laa jaŋ, i ye i faŋ seewondi.” 7 Bari ñiŋ kewo pareeta le ka taa. Bituŋ a bitankee tententa ka a maaneenee fo labaŋo la, a naata wo suutoo fanaa laa jee kotenke. 8 Tili luulunjaŋo, a wulita soomandaa juunoo ka taa, bituŋ musundiŋo ñiŋ faamaa ko a ye ko, “Tiiñaŋ jaŋ, i ye domoroo ke.” Bituŋ ì tiiñanta ñoo kaŋ jee, ì moo fuloo tarata domoroo niŋ miŋ feŋ miŋo la.
9 Kabiriŋ wo bee bota a la, ñiŋ kewo niŋ a la kaŋ foroyandi musoo, aniŋ a la dookuulaa naata wuli ka taa. Bari a bitankee ko a ye le ko, “A juubee, tiloo be naa boyi kaŋ ne, suwo be naa kuu kaŋ. I laa jaŋ. Fo i maŋ a je, tiloo be naa boyi kaŋ. I laa jaŋ, i ye i faŋ seewondi. Saama ali si wuli soomandaa juunoo, ali ye taa ali la taamoo la ka seyi ali yaa.” 10 Bari ñiŋ kewo maŋ soŋ ka suuto koteŋ laa jee. A wulita ka taa, a taata fo a sutiyaata Yebusi la, meŋ mu Yerusalaamu ti, a niŋ a la kaŋ foroyandi musoo, aniŋ fali fula, kirikewo be mennu koo to.
11 Kabiriŋ ì sutiyaata Yebusi saatewo la, aduŋ tiloo be naa boyi la, dookuulaa ko a maarii ye ko, “Naa ŋà taa Yebusinkoolu la saatewo kono, ŋà suutoo laa jee.” 12 Bari a ko a ye ko, “Ǹ te taa la luntaŋ saatewo to, meŋ moolu maŋ ke Banisirayilankoolu ti. M̀ be taa Kibeya le.” 13 A tententa ka a fo a la dookuulaa ye ko, “Naa, ŋà a kata fo ǹ si futa Kibeya waraŋ Rama ma, ka suutoo laa ñiŋ dulaa fuloo kiliŋ to.”
14 Bituŋ ì tambita Yebusi la, ì tententa ì la siloo la. Ì be sutiyaa kaŋ Kibeya la waatoo meŋ na, a ye a tara tiloo boyita le. Kibeya saatewo be Benjamini lasiloo la maroo le to. 15 Bituŋ ì ye siloo bula teŋ ne, ì dunta Kibeya ka suutoo laa jee. Kabiriŋ ì dunta saatewo ñiŋ kono, moo maŋ soto, meŋ si ì jiyaa. Bituŋ ì taata saatewo bantabaa to ka tara wo to.
16 Bituŋ wo wulaara kiliŋo la, keebaa doo le be bo kaŋ naŋ dookuwo la a la kunkoo to. A bota Efurayimu konkotundoo le kaŋ, saayiŋ a be sabatiriŋ Kibeya. Ñiŋ saatee moolu mu Benjamini lasiloo moolu le ti. 17 Kabiriŋ keebaa ye a kuŋo wulindi, a ye luntaŋo je saatewo la bantabaa to, a ye a ñininkaa, “I bota mintoo le, aniŋ i ka taa mintoo le?” 18 A ye a jaabi ko, “Ntolu be tambi kaŋ ne ka bo Betilehemu saatewo to, Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ. Ǹ ka taa Efurayimu konkotundoo le kaŋ. M bota jee le to. N taata nuŋ Betilehemu le. Saayiŋ m be seyoo le la n yaa. Bari moo maŋ soto, meŋ si n jiyaa.” 19 A tententa ka a fo keebaa ñiŋ ye ko, “M maarii, ŋà domoroo soto ǹ na faloolu ye le, aduŋ mbuuroo niŋ wayinoo* be m bulu le, n niŋ n na moolu ye. M̀ maŋ suula feŋ na.” 20 Keebaa ñiŋ ko a ye ko, “Ali tambi naŋ. Ali suulata meŋ na, m be a ke la ali ye le. Danko doroŋ, ali kana suutoo laa ñiŋ bantabaa to.” 21 Bituŋ a ye ì samba a la buŋo kono, a ye domoroo dii faloolu la. Ì ye ì siŋolu kuu, bituŋ ì domorita, ì ye i miŋ.
Kuu jawu baa meŋ keta Kibeya
22 Kabiriŋ ì be ì faŋ seewondi kaŋ, saatewo moo kuruŋ doolu le naata, ì ye buŋo bee murubeŋ. Bituŋ ì ye a dati ka bundaa lipa. Ì ko keebaa ye, meŋ mu buntiyo ti ko, “Kewo fintindi naŋ, meŋ dunta i la buŋo kono. Ǹ lafita a laañooyaa la le.” 23 Buntiyo ñiŋ fintita naŋ banta, a ko ì ye ko, “M baadiŋolu, ali kana ñiŋ kuu jawoo ke. Baawo ñiŋ kewo mu n na luntaŋo le ti, wo to ali kana ñiŋ malu kuu siifaa tiliŋ a la. 24 N dimmusoo fele, a maŋ keekuwo loŋ foloo, aniŋ luntaŋo ñiŋ na kaŋ foroyandi musoo. M batu, ŋa wolu samba ali ye naŋ. Ali ñapi wolu kaŋ, ali ali sawoo bo ì to, ko ali lafita a la ñaameŋ. Bari ali kana ñiŋ malu kuu siifaa tiliŋ ñiŋ kewo la.”
25 Bari ñiŋ kewolu maŋ a danku. Wo to le, luntaŋo ye a la kaŋ foroyandi musoo taa, a ye a fintindi ì kaŋ banta. Ì ñapita a kaŋ, ì ye a tilimbaliyaa suuto muumewo bee la, fo ka naa bula soomandaa la. Bituŋ kabiriŋ fanoo keta, ì ye a bula, a taata. 26 Fanikewo sutiyaariŋo, musoo ñiŋ naata, a boyita keebaa ñiŋ na bundaa to, a keemaa be daameŋ. A tarata laariŋ jee, fo banta fanuta.
27 Soomandaa juunoo, a keemaa wulita. A ye bundaa yele, ka tenteŋ a la taamasiloo la, a ye a la musoo je laariŋ bundaa kuŋo to. 28 A ko a ye ko, “Wuli santo, ǹ ka taa le.” Bari musoo ñiŋ maŋ a jaabi. Bituŋ a ye a sika wo le ñaama, a ye a laa faloo koo to, a seyita a yaa.
29 Kabiriŋ a futata, a dunta a la buŋo kono. A ye muroo sika, a ye a la kaŋ foroyandi musoo kuntuŋ-kuntuŋ, a ye a kudee laa kudee taŋ niŋ fula ti. A ye ì kii Banisirayila bee kono, lasili-wo-lasili kudee kiliŋ. 30 Moo-wo-moo ye a je, wo ka a fo le ko, “Moo nene maŋ ñiŋ kuu siifaa je. A nene maŋ ke, kabiriŋ Banisirayilankoolu bota Misira ka naa bula fo bii tiloo la. Ali i miira ñiŋ kuwo la, ali ye beŋ ka kuma fo ñiŋ kuwo to.”
