19

A Levite and His Concubine

¹In those days Israel had no king.
Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. ²But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, ³her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents’ home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. ⁴His father-in-law, the woman’s father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.
⁵On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go.” ⁶So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman’s father said, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.” ⁷And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night. ⁸On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!” So the two of them ate together.
⁹Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman’s father, said, “Now look, it’s almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home.” ¹⁰But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
¹¹When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night.”
¹²His master replied, “No. We won’t go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” ¹³He added, “Come, let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places.” ¹⁴So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin. ¹⁵There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.
¹⁶That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields. ¹⁷When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going? Where did you come from?”
¹⁸He answered, “We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the Lord.⚓ No one has taken me in for the night. ¹⁹We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.”
²⁰“You are welcome at my house,” the old man said. “Let me supply whatever you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” ²¹So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.
²²While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him.”
²³The owner of the house went outside and said to them, “No, my friends, don’t be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don’t do this outrageous thing. ²⁴Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don’t do such an outrageous thing.”
²⁵But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. ²⁶At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.
²⁷When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. ²⁸He said to her, “Get up; let’s go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
²⁹When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. ³⁰Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!”

19

Du Huê Lêvi Jêh Ri Ur Yông Păng

¹Nôk nây mâu geh ôh hađăch tâm n'gor Israel. Geh du huê Lêvi gŭ njưh ta n'har bri dor Êphraim. Păng sŏk du huê ur yông bơh ƀon Betlêhem tâm n'gor Yuda. ²Ur yông păng nuih ma păng, jêh ri ur chalơi păng, du sĭt ma ngih mbơ̆ păng ta ƀon Betlêhem tâm n'gor Yuda, jêh ri gŭ ta nây puăn khay. ³Sai păng dâk, hăn tĭng ur păng, gay ŭch ngơi ueh bonh nuih n'hâm ur păng, gay ma leo sĭt rlet ma ngih vâl păng nơm. Păng geh leo ndrel du huê n'hat na ndrel ma păng jêh ri bar mlâm seh bri. Bu ur nây jă păng lăp tâm ngih mbơ̆ păng. Mbơ̆ bu ur saơ păng tât, luh chuă vơt ma nau răm rhơn. ⁴Po buklâu păng, mbơ̆ bu ur nây, kân păng gŭ, păng gŭ ndrel ma ôbăl pe nar. Pônây khân păng nhêt sa jêh ri gŭ ta nây.
⁵Ta nar năng puăn khân păng dâk ơm ôi jêh ri ndrăp dâk hăn. Ƀiălah mbơ̆ bu ur nây lah ma klay păng: "Sa hom du glo piăng let gay han n'hâm, jêh ri mơ may dơi dâk hăn." ⁶Pônây bar hê buklâu gŭ nhêt sa ndrel; jêh ri mbơ̆ bu ur lah ma buklâu nây: "Ăn may bêch tay đŏng gay ma nuih n'hâm may maak." ⁷Tơlah buklâu nây dâk ơm ôi gay hăn, ƀiălah po buklâu păng kân ngăn, kŏ tât păng plơ̆ tay, jêh ri gŭ măng nây đŏng.
⁸Nar năng prăm, păng kah rngăl ơm gay ŭch dâk hăn, pôri po buklâu păng lah ma păng pôaơ: "Ăn may gŭ sông sa ƀât, nsrôih gŭ kâp tât nar vet." Pônây lĕ bar hê ur sai khân păng sông sa. ⁹Tơlah buklâu nây, ur yông păng, jêh ri n'hat na păng dâk gay ŭch hăn, po buklâu păng, mbơ̆ bu ur nây lah ma păng: "Aơ, nar lĕ kêng măng jêh. Dăn may plơ̆ bêch tay. Aơ, nar lĕ dăch măng ngo jêh; bêch hom ta aơ, jêh ri ăn nuih n'hâm may maak, jêh ri ôi taơ khân may dơi dâk ơm ôi jêh ri hăn sĭt."
¹⁰Ƀiălah buklâu nây mâu ŭch bêch ôh; păng dâk jêh ri hăn. Păng tât ta Jêbus (bu ntơ Bon Yêrusalem) ndrel ma bar mlâm seh bri geh dăp ưn; geh đŏng ur yông ndrel ma păng.
¹¹Tơlah khân păng tât êp ƀon Jêbus nar lĕ dăch kêng măng jêh. N'hat na lah ma kôranh păng!" Kay lŏng he, veh ta ƀon Jêbusit aơ jêh ri bêch ta nây." ¹²Kôranh păng plơ̆ lah ma păng: "He mâu veh ôh lăp tâm ƀon phung bu năch, mâu jêng ôh phung ƀon lan Israel; ƀiălah he mra hăn tât ta ƀon Gibêa." ¹³Păng lah ma n'hat na păng: "Kay lŏng he hăn dăch du ntŭk tâm ntŭk aơ, bêch ta ƀon Gibêa mâu lah ta ƀon Rama." ¹⁴Pônây, khân păng ăt hăn tĭng trong khân păng; tơlah tât dăch ƀon Gibêa, tâm n'gor Benjamin. ¹⁵Khân păng veh ta nây gay lăp veh bêch ta ƀon Gibêa. Khân păng lăp jêh ri gŭ ta nklang nkual ƀon; yorlah mâu geh ôh bunuyh rom khân păng lăp tâm ngih.
¹⁶Jêh ri ta aơ, kêng măng geh du huê buklâu buranh sĭt pah kan mir păng. Buklâu nây jêng bunuyh bơh bri dor Êphraim, jêh ri ôbăl gŭ njưh ƀât lât ta ƀon Gibêa. Phung bunuyh tâm ntŭk nây jêng phung Benjamin. ¹⁷Păng n'gơr măt jêh ri saơ phung bunăch tâm ntŭk ta nklang nkual ƀon. Jêh ri buklâu bu ranh lah: "Ta ntŭk may hăn? Jêh ri mbah tă may?" ¹⁸Păng lah ma ôbăl: "Bơh ƀon Betlêhem tâm n'gor Yuda hên hăn rlet ma ntŭk kêng bôl bri dor Êphraim, tă bơh ntŭk nây gâp văch tât ta aơ. Gâp hăn jêh ma ƀon Betlêhem tâm n'gor Yuda jêh ri gâp sĭt ma ngih gâp nơm. Ƀiălah mâu geh ôh bunuyh rom gâp tâm ngih păng. ¹⁹Hên geh rhe jêh ri ndơ sa ma seh hên, hên geh piăng let jêh ri dak play kriăk ƀâu ma gâp jêh ri ma oh mon bu ur may jêh ri buklâu ndăm ndrel ma n'hat na may. Hên mâu pưt du ntil ndơ ôh." ²⁰Buklâu buranh lah: "Gŭ đăp mpăn hom! Gâp mra râng an ma ndơ may ŭch; kanŏng lơi ta may bêch ôh ta nklang nkual ƀon." ²¹Pônây buklâu buranh nây leo păng lăp tâm ngih ôbăl, jêh ri ăn ndơ sa ma seh bri. Khân păng rao jâng jêh ri nhêt sông.
²²Dôl khân păng nhêt sa răm maak, geh phung bunuyh tâm ƀon, jêng phung buklâu mhĭk nchueng jŭm ngih nây, dong ta mbong mpông. Khân păng lah ma buklâu buranh, kôranh vâl nây: "Leo buklâu lăp tâm ngih may ăn păng luh gay ma hên gĭt năl păng." ²³Bu klâu bu ranh, kôranh vâl nây luh ran tâm mâp đah khân păng, lah ma khân păng, "Mâu ôh, hơi phung oh nâu gâp, lơi ƀư djơh pônây ôh; yorlah buklâu aơ lăp jêh tâm vâl gâp, lơi ƀư nau djơh nây ôh. ²⁴Aơ ta aơ kon bu ur druh tang tat gâp jêh ri ur yông păng. Ăn gâp njŭn khân păng padih. Tom khân păng jêh ri ƀư ma khân păng tĭng nâm khân may ŭch. Ƀiălah lơi ta ƀư nau mhĭk tâm ban pônây ma buklâu aơ."
²⁵Ƀiălah phung buklâu nây mâu ŭch iăt ôh nau păng. Pônây buklâu Lêvi nây sŏk ur yông păng jêh ri leo ôbăl padih ma khân păng. Khân păng ƀư tih ma ôbăl jêh ri ƀư ndjrih ma ôbăl du măng kŏ ang. Tơlah tât ƀhit rvi ang khân păng ăn ôbăl sĭt.
²⁶Tât kêng ôi bu ur nây tât jêh ri chalôt ta mpông ngih buklâu bu ranh ntŭk kôranh vâl păng gŭ kŏ tât ang trôk.
²⁷Kêng ôi sai păng dâk bêch pơk mpông ngih gay luh dâk hăn. Ta aơ, ur yông păng gŭ lâng ta mpông ngih, ôbăl kuăn ta gung. ²⁸Păng lah ma ôbăl, "Dâk hom, ăn he dâk hăn." Ƀiălah ôbăl mâu hôm ngơi đŏng ôh… Pônây păng ăn ôbăl ta kalơ seh bri păng, dâk hăn sĭt rlet ma ngih vâl. ²⁹Tơlah păng lăp jêh tâm ngih, păng sŏk du mlâm pêih, kuăn ta ur yông păng, jêh ri koh gâl lơi ôbăl tâm jê̆t ma bar gâl, jêh ri njuăl gâl săk jăn lam n'gor bri Israel. ³⁰Lĕ rngôch phung saơ jêh nau nây lah: "Nau tât nâm bu pô aơ mâu mâp tât mâu lah bu mâu mâp saơ ôh ntơm bơh nar phung Israel du luh bơh n'gor bri Êjipt kŏ tât ma nar aơ. Mĭn hom ma nau aơ, tâm chră, jêh ri ăn khân may ngơi."