Bible Society of South Africa

Rape is rape – Day 2

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

TSHIMOLOHO 19

Ho timetswa ha Sodomo le Gomora

1Mangeloi ao a mabedi a fihla Sodoma ka phirimana, mme Lota o ne a dutse kgorong ya motse wa Sodoma. Yare ha Lota a a bona, a ema, a ya a kgahlanyetsa, a fihla a itihela fatshe ka sefahleho. 2Yaba o re: “Benghadi ba ka, ke a le rapela, fapohelang tlung ya mohlanka wa lona, le robaletse, le itlhatswe maoto, le tle le tsohe ka madungwadungwana, le tswele pele leetong la lona.”

Mangeloi a re: “Tjhe, re tla ithoballa mabaleng a motse.”

3Empa a a pheella ka matla, mme a fapohela ho yena, a kena tlung ya hae. A a lokisetsa dijo, a a phehela bohobe bo sa lomoswang, mme a eja. 4Empa yare ho eso robalwe, banna ba motse, banna ba Sodoma, bahlankana le maqheku, banna bohlebohle, ba etsetsa ntlo sakanalankope. 5Ba howeletsa Lota, ba re: “Banna bale ba fihlileng ha hao phirimaneng ye ba kae? Ba tlise kwano ho rona, re tlo ba ja maotwana!”

6Lota a tswa monyako, a kwala lemati, a ya ho banna ba kantle, 7mme a re: “Ke a le rapela, bana beso; se keng la etsa bokgopo bo tjena. 8Bonang, ke na le baradi ba babedi, ba eso robale le monna; ha ke mpe ke le tlisetse bona, le etse seo le se ratang ka bona. Feela banna bana bona le se ke la ba etsa letho, hobane ba tshireletsong ya ka.”

9Empa banna ba Sodoma ba re: “Suthela kwana!” Yaba ba re: “Mothwana enwa ke mojaki feela, empa o rata ho re laela! O rata ho ba moahlodi! Jwale re tla o etsa hampe le ho feta bona!” Ba etsa senkgome hodima Lota, mme ba atamela hore ba robe lemati. 10Empa banna ba ka tlung ba nanabetsa matsoho a bona, ba hulela Lota ka tlung ho bona, ba kwala lemati. 11Yaba ba foufatsa banna ba neng ba le monyako wa ntlo, ba banyenyane le ba baholo, hoo ba bileng ba kgathala ke ho nna ba phopholetsa hore na lemati le hokae.

12Jwale banna bao ba re ho Lota: “Na o na le ba bang moo: bakgwenyana, bara, baradi, kapa mang le mang wa heno ya motseng oo? Ba ntshe sebakeng sena, 13hobane re lekgatheng la ho se timetsa! Sello se qosang motse ona se seholo kapele ho Morena, mme Morena o re rometse ho tla o timetsa!”

14Lota a tswa, a ya bua le bakgwenyana ba hae, ba nkileng baradi ba hae, a re: “Tsohang, le tswe motseng ona, hobane Morena o lekgatheng la ho o timetsa!” Empa bakgwenyana ba bona eka o a swaswa.

TSHIMOLOHO 19:1-14SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

BAAHLODI 19

15Ba kgelohela teng, ho ya robaletsa Gibea. Ha a kena a itulela fatshe, lebaleng la motse oo, empa ha se ke ha eba le motho ya ba amohelang tlung ya hae hore ba robaletse.

16Ka phirimana ha tla monnamoholo a etswa mosebetsing wa hae masimong. Monna eo o ne a etswa naheng e maralla ya Efraime, a jakile Gibea, empa batho ba moo e ne e le ba morabe wa Benjamine. 17Eitse ha a phahamisa mahlo, a bona monna wa motsamai a le lebaleng la motse, mme monnamoholo a re: “O ya kae? O tswa kae?”

18Eo a re ho yena: “Re a feta, re tswa Betlelehema e Juda, re ya ka nqane ho naha e maralla ya Efraime, moo e leng haeso. Ke ne ke ile Betlelehema e Juda; jwale ke ya tlung ya Morena, empa ha ho motho ya nkamohelang tlung ya hae. 19Feela re na le setoroi le dijo tsa ditonki tsa rona. Ke bile ke na le mofao wa bohobe le veine, e leng wa ka le wa lekgabunyane la ka, le wa mohlankana ya nang le bahlanka ba hao. Ha re hloke letho.”

20Monnamoholo a re: “Kgotso e be le wena; tsohle tseo o di hlokang di tla tswa ho nna, feela o se ke wa robala lebaleng mona.” 21Yaba o mo isa ka tlung ya hae, o fepa ditonki; ba hlatswa maoto a bona, ba eja, ba enwa.

22Yare ha ba ntse ba ithabisa, banna ba bang ba motse oo, ba kgopo, ba etsetsa ntlo eo sakanalankope, ba tulaka lemati, ba bua le monnamoholo, monga ntlo, ba re: “Ntsha monna ya fihletseng mona ha hao, re tlo mo ja maotwana!”

23Monna eo, e leng monga ntlo, a tswela ho bona kantle, a re: “Wee, bana beso, ke a le rapela! Se keng la etsa bokgopo! Monna enwa ke moeti wa ka! Se keng la etsa ketso ena e hlabisang dihlong! 24Bonang, moradi wa ka wa morwetsana ke enwa, le mosadi wa lefielo wa monna enwa; ke tla ba ntshetsa kantle hona jwale, le ba silafatse, le etse seo le ratang ho se etsa ka bona, empa ho monna enwa le se ke la etsa ntho e hlabisang dihlong ena.”

25Ha banna bao ba sa mo mamele, monna eo a tshwara mosadi wa lefielo wa monna wa moeti, a mo ntshetsa kantle, ho banna bao, seterateng, ba mmeta, ba mo robala bosiu bohle, ho fihlela mesong. Ha mafube a qala ho hlaha, ba mo tlohela, a tsamaya.

26Ha letsatsi le tjhaba, mosadi a fihla a wela monyakong wa ntlo ya monna eo, moo monga hae a neng a le hona teng, ho fihlela bo esa. 27Monga hae a tsoha hoseng, a bula mamati a ntlo. Ha a etswa, a re o a tsamaya, a bona mosadi, e leng mosadi wa hae wa lefielo, a tjapaletse fatshe pela monyako wa ntlo, matsoho a hae a itshwareletse koseneng ya ntlo. 28A re ho yena: “Ema, re tsamaye!” Empa ha ho ya ileng a araba. Yaba monna eo o a ema, o belesa mosadi hodima tonki, o ya hahabo.

29Ha a fihla ka tlung ya hae, a nka thipa, a tshwara setopo sa mosadi wa hae wa lefielo, a se nonyolla manonyeletso, a se etsa dikotwana tse leshome le metso e mmedi, yaba o di romela dinaheng tsohle tsa Baiseraele. 30Ha eba jwalo, hoo bohle ba boneng ba ileng ba re: “Ketso e tjena ha e eso ka e etsahala, kapa e bonwa, ho tloha mohla letsatsi leo bana ba Iseraele ba neng ba nyoloha Egepeta ka lona, ho fihlela kajeno! E nahaneng, le ikeletse, le bue.”

BAAHLODI 19:15-30SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

1. What comes to mind when you hear “Sodom and Gomorrah”?

2. “Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof” (Gen 19:8)
(a) Why, do you think Lot protected the two male guests in his house from being raped (sodomised) by the men of Sodom, but was willing to give his young daughters to be raped by the mob?
(b) What about verse 8 is oppressive, abusive and degrading towards women today?

3. How, if in any way, might this reading (Gen 19:1-14) help us today to:
(a) Condemn the sexual exploitation of girl children?
(b) Stop demonizing our fellow sisters and brothers who identify as LGBTQI+?

4. Reflect on Judges 19:15-30:
(a) How the “old man” in Judges model Lot’s behaviour?
(b) The gang rape of the concubine.

5. “Such a thing has never been seen or done … Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!” This is the advice given at the close of chapter 19 where a woman was gang-raped and left to die.
(a) Has such a thing ever happened in your context?
(b) How would you implement the advice given in Judges 19: Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!?

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