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.19:18 Hebrew, Vulgate, Syriac and Targum; Septuagint going home 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!”
Mlawi Na Suria Wake
119:1 Amu 18:1; Rut 1:1Katika siku hizo Israeli hawakuwa na mfalme.
Basi Mlawi mmoja aliyeishi sehemu za mbali katika nchi ya vilima ya Efraimu, akamchukua suria mmoja kutoka Bethlehemu ya Yuda. 2Lakini suria wake akafanya ukahaba dhidi yake, naye akamwacha akarudi nyumbani kwa baba yake huko Bethlehemu ya Yuda. Baada ya kukaa huko kwa muda wa miezi minne, 3mume wake akaenda kumsihi ili arudi. Alikwenda na mtumishi wake na punda wawili. Yule mwanamke akamkaribisha nyumbani mwa baba yake, baba yake alipomwona akamkaribisha kwa furaha. 419:4 Kut 32:6Baba mkwe wake, yaani, baba yake yule msichana, akamzuia ili akae, hivyo akakaa na huyo baba mkwe wake kwa siku tatu, wakila, wakinywa na kulala huko.
519:5 Mwa 15:8Siku ya nne wakaamka mapema naye akajiandaa kuondoka, lakini baba wa yule msichana akamwambia mkwewe, “Ujiburudishe kwa kula kitu chochote, ndipo uweze kwenda.” 619:6 Amu 16:25Basi wakaketi wote wawili ili kula na kunywa pamoja. Baadaye baba wa msichana akamwambia, “Tafadhali ubakie usiku huu upate kujifurahisha nafsi yako.” 7Basi yule mtu alipotaka kuondoka baba wa yule msichana akamsihi, basi akabaki usiku ule. 8Asubuhi ya siku ya tano, alipoamka ili aondoke, baba wa yule msichana akamwambia, “Jiburudishe nafsi yako. Ngoja mpaka mchana!” Kwa hiyo wote wawili wakala chakula pamoja.
9Basi wakati yule mtu alipoinuka aende zake, pamoja na suria wake na mtumishi wake, baba mkwe wake, yaani, baba wa yule msichana akamwambia, “Tazama sasa jioni inakaribia. Ulale hapa usiku unakaribia. Ukae, ukajifurahishe nafsi yako. Kesho unaweza kuamka mapema asubuhi na uende nyumbani kwako.” 1019:10 Mwa 10:16; Yos 15:8; 1Nya 11:4-5Lakini akakataa kulala tena, akaondoka na kwenda mpaka Yebusi (ndio Yerusalemu), akiwa na punda wake wawili waliotandikiwa, pamoja na suria wake.
1119:11 Mwa 10:16; Yos 3:10Alipokaribia Yebusi na usiku ukiwa umekaribia, mtumishi akamwambia bwana wake, “Haya sasa natuingie katika mji huu wa Wayebusi tulale humo.”
12Lakini bwana wake akamjibu, “Hapana. Hatutaingia kwenye mji wa kigeni, ambao watu wake si Waisraeli. Tutaendelea mpaka tufike Gibea.” 1319:13 Yos 18:25Akasema, “Haya, tujitahidi tufike Gibea au Rama, nasi tutalala katika mji mmojawapo.” 1419:14 Yos 15:57; 1Sam 10:26; 11:4; 13:2; 15:34; Isa 10:29Hivyo wakaendelea na safari, jua likachwea walipokaribia Gibea ambao ni mji wa Benyamini. 1519:15 Mwa 24:23; 19:2Wakageuka ili kuingia na kulala Gibea. Wakaingia humo, wakaketi kwenye uwanja wa mji, wala hakuna mtu yeyote aliyewakaribisha kwake ili wapate kulala.
1619:16 Za 104:23Jioni ile mtu mmoja mzee toka nchi ya vilima ya Efraimu, aliyekuwa anaishi huko Gibea (watu wa sehemu ile walikuwa Wabenyamini), akarudi kutoka kwenye kazi za shamba. 1719:17 Mwa 29:4Alipotazama na kuwaona hao wasafiri katika uwanja wa mji, yule mzee akawauliza, “Ninyi mnakwenda wapi? Nanyi mmetoka wapi?”
1819:18 Amu 18:31Akamwambia, “Tumepita kutoka Bethlehemu ya Yuda, tunaelekea katika nchi ya vilima ya Efraimu, ambako ndiko ninakoishi. Nilikwenda Bethlehemu ya Yuda na sasa ninakwenda katika nyumba ya Bwana. Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyenikaribisha katika nyumba yake. 1919:19 Mwa 24:25; 42:27; 14:18Tunazo nyasi na chakula cha punda wetu na mkate na divai kwa ajili yetu sisi watumishi wako, yaani mimi, mtumishi wako mwanamke, pamoja na huyu kijana tuliyefuatana naye. Hatuhitaji kitu chochote.”
20Yule mzee akawaambia, “Amani iwe kwenu! Karibuni nyumbani mwangu. Nitawapa mahitaji yenu yote, msilale katika uwanja huu wa mji.” 2119:21 Mwa 24:32-33; Lk 7:44Hivyo akamwingiza nyumbani mwake na kuwalisha punda wake. Baada ya kunawa miguu yao, wakala na kunywa.
2219:22 Amu 16:25; Kum 13:13; Mwa 19:4-5; Amu 20:5; Rum 1:26-27Walipokuwa wakijiburudisha, watu waovu wa mji huo, wakaizingira ile nyumba. Wakagonga mlango na kusema na yule mzee mwenye nyumba, “Mtoe nje yule mtu aliyeingia kwako, tupate kumlawiti.”
2319:23 Mwa 19:6; 34:7; Law 19:29; Yos 7:15; Amu 20:6; Rum 1:27Yule mwenye nyumba akatoka nje na kuwaambia, “Hapana, ndugu zangu msiwe waovu namna hii, ninawasihi. Kwa kuwa huyu mtu ni mgeni wangu msifanye jambo hili la aibu. 2419:24 Mwa 19:8; Kum 21:14Tazameni, hapa yupo binti yangu ambaye ni bikira na suria wa huyu mtu. Nitawatoleeni hawa sasa, mkawatwae kwa nguvu na kuwafanyia lolote mtakalo. Lakini kwa mtu huyu msimfanyie jambo ovu hivyo.”
2519:25 Mwa 20:5; 1Sam 31:4Lakini wale watu hawakumsikia. Hivyo yule mtu akamtoa yule suria wake nje kwa wale watu, nao wakambaka na kumnajisi usiku ule kucha mpaka asubuhi. Kulipoanza kupambazuka wakamwachia aende. 26Alfajiri yule mwanamke akarudi kwenye ile nyumba bwana wake alikokuwa, akaanguka chini mlangoni, akalala pale hata kulipopambazuka.
27Bwana wake alipoamka asubuhi na kufungua mlango wa nyumba na kutoka nje ili kuendelea na safari yake, tazama, yule suria wake alikuwa ameanguka pale penye ingilio la nyumba na mikono yake ikiwa penye kizingiti cha chini. 28Akamwambia yule suria, “Inuka, twende.” Lakini hakujibu. Yule bwana akamwinua akampandisha juu ya punda wake, wakaondoka kwenda nyumbani.
2919:29 Mwa 22:6; Amu 20:6; 1Sam 11:7Alipofika nyumbani, akachukua kisu na kumkatakata yule suria kiungo kwa kiungo, sehemu kumi na mbili, na kuvipeleka hivyo vipande katika sehemu zote za Israeli. 3019:30 Hes 9:9; Amu 20:7; Mit 13:10Kila mtu aliyeona akasema, “Jambo la namna hii halijaonekana wala kutendeka, tangu Israeli walipopanda kutoka Misri. Fikirini juu ya jambo hili! Tafakarini juu ya jambo hili! Tuambieni tufanye nini!”
