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.”
1 Tanīs dienās nebija Israēlā ķēniņa, un notika, ka kāds levīts piemita Efraima kalnu pašā attālākā novadā, un viņš ņēma sev blakussievu no Bētlemes Jūdā. 2 Bet viņa blakussieva, pie viņa būdama, bija piekopusi netiklību un pēdīgi aizgāja projām no viņa un atgriezās sava tēva namā Bētlemē Jūdā; tur viņa sabija kādus četrus mēnešus. 3 Tad viņas vīrs cēlās un gāja, lai mīlīgi ar viņu parunātu un pierunātu atgriezties pie viņa; arī viņa puisis un pāris ēzeļu bija viņam līdzi. Viņa to ieveda sava tēva namā, un, kad tās sievas tēvs viņu ieraudzīja, tad viņš nāca tam priecīgi pretī. 4 Un šīs sievas tēvs, viņa sievastēvs, to paturēja pie sevis, un viņš tur palika trīs dienas; un tie ēda un dzēra un palika tur arī naktis. 5 Bet ceturtajā dienā viņš agri no rīta apjozās, lai dotos ceļā, bet tad jaunās sievas tēvs sacīja savam znotam: "Stiprini savu sirdi ar kumosu maizes, tad jūs varat iet." 6 Tad tie apsēdās un ēda un dzēra abi kopā; tad jaunās sievas tēvs sacīja tam vīram: "Dari man pa prātam un paliec pa nakti, un lai tavai sirdij būtu patīkami." 7 Bet, kad vīrs cēlās, lai ietu projām, tad viņa sievastēvs to pierunāja, un viņš tur palika un vēl pārnakšņoja. 8 Kad piektajā dienā jo agri no rīta viņš apjozās, lai dotos ceļā, tad jaunās sievas tēvs sacīja: "Stiprini savu sirdi un pakavējieties vēl viens pie otra, līdz šīs dienas ēnas pastiepsies garas." Un tie vēlreiz ēda abi kopā. 9 Un, kad vīrs piecēlās, lai dotos ceļā, viņš un viņa blakussieva, un viņa puisis, tad viņa sievastēvs, jaunās sievas tēvs, tam sacīja: "Redzi, diena ir sarukusi uz pievakara pusi; paliec šeit pa nakti. Redzi, šī diena jau tuvojas vakara laikam; paliec pa nakti, un lai tava sirds labi jūtas, bet jūs paspēsit rīt agri posties ceļam un atgriezties savās mājās." 10 Bet vīrs vairs negribēja pārnakšņot, viņš cēlās un devās ceļā un nonāca pretim Jebusai, tas ir, Jeruzālemei, un pie viņa bija pāris apseglotu ēzeļu un arī viņa blakussieva. 11 Kad tie bija nonākuši līdz Jebusai, tad bija jau pavakare, un viņa puisis sacīja savam kungam: "Nāc jel, iegriezīsimies šinī jebusiešu pilsētā, lai mēs tur varētu pārnakšņot." 12 Bet viņa kungs tam atbildēja: "Mēs nenogriezīsimies uz šo sveštautiešu pilsētu, kas nepieder pie Israēla bērniem, bet mēs iesim tālāk, tai garām, uz Gibeu." 13 Tad viņš sacīja savam puisim: "Nāc, lai mēs tuvojamies vienam no šiem ciemiem un paliekam pa nakti vai nu Gibeā, vai arī Rāmā." 14 Un tie devās tālāk, bet saule tiem norietēja, kad viņi bija pie Gibeas, kas pieder Benjamīnam. 15 Un tie tur nogriezās no ceļa, lai iegrieztos un pārnakšņotu Gibeā, un, kad tas tur nonāca, tad viņš palika pilsētas tirgus laukumā, jo tur nebija neviena cilvēka, kas viņu būtu uzņēmis savā namā. 16 Un redzi, kāds vecs vīrs nāca vakarā no sava darba tīrumā, un šis vīrs arī bija no Efraima kalniem, bet piemita Gibeā, kurpretī paši pilsētas iemītnieki bija no Benjamīna cilts. 17 Un, kad tas pacēla savas acis, tad viņš ieraudzīja šo ceļinieku pilsētas tirgus laukumā, un vecais vīrs sacīja: "Uz kurieni tu ej? Un no kurienes tu nāc?" 18 Tas viņam atbildēja: "Mēs nākam no Bētlemes Jūdā un ejam uz tālākiem Efraima kalnu novadiem, jo no turienes es esmu. Es biju nogājis uz Bētlemi Jūdā un tagad eju uz Tā Kunga namu, bet te nav neviena, kas būtu ar mieru mani uzņemt savā namā. 19 Tomēr salmi un barība mums ir mūsu ēzeļiem, un man un kalponei, un šim puisim, kas pavada tavu kalpu, ir arī maize un vīns; mums itin nekā netrūkst." 20 Tad vecais vīrs sacīja: "Miers lai ir ar tevi! Un, ja tev kā trūkst, tad tā lai ir mana bēda! Tikai nepārnakšņo uz šī atklātā laukuma!" 21 Un viņš to veda savā namā un deva ēzeļiem barību; un, kad tie bija savas kājas nomazgājuši, tad tie ēda un dzēra. 22 Kamēr tie savu sirdi atspirdzināja, pilsētas vīri, netikli ļaudis, ielenca namu, dauzījās pie durvīm un sauca veco vīru, kas bija nama īpašnieks, teikdami: "Izdod mums to vīru, kas ir ienācis tavā namā, mēs viņu iepazīsim!" 23 Bet vecais vīrs, nama īpašnieks, izgāja pie tiem ārā un sacīja: "Ne tā, mani brāļi. Nedariet tik ļauni; pēc tam kad šis vīrs ir ienācis manā namā, nedariet tādu kauna darbu. 24 Redzi, man ir meita, kas vēl ir jaunava, un arī viņa blakussieva, tās es jums izvedīšu, un jūs varat viņas piesmiet un rīkoties ar tām, kā vien tas jūsu prātam labi patīk, bet šim vīram nedariet nekādu apkaunojumu." 25 Bet tie ļaudis negribēja viņam klausīt; tad tas vīrs sagrāba savu blakussievu un izvilka to ar varu pie viņiem ārā; un viņi to ņēma un piesmēja to visu nakti līdz rītam, un, tikai gaismai austot, viņi to atlaida. 26 Tad šī sieva nāca, kad rīts bija ausis, nokrita zemē pie tā vīra nama durvīm, kur iekšā atradās viņas kungs, un palika tur guļot līdz lielai gaismai. 27 Kad no rīta cēlās viņas kungs un atvēra nama durvis, lai izietu ārā un dotos ceļā, tad redzi, pie pašām nama durvīm zemē gulēja viņa blakussieva, ar abām rokām pieķērusies slieksnim. 28 Un viņš tai sacīja: "Piecelies, mēs gribam doties ceļā!" Bet viņa neatbildēja. Tad viņš to uzcēla uz sava ēzeļa un devās ceļā uz savu dzīves vietu. 29 Kad viņš nonāca savā namā, tad viņš ņēma nazi un savu blakussievu un sagrieza to ar visiem kauliem divpadsmit gabalos un izsūtīja tos pa visiem Israēla novadiem. 30 Tad ikviens, kas to redzēja, sacīja: "Tas nav noticis un tāda lieta nav pieredzēta kopš tiem laikiem, kad Israēla bērni iznāca no Ēģiptes zemes, līdz pat mūsu dienām. Tad ņemiet to vērā, apspriedieties un sakait vārdu."
