Once upon a time, there was a man who had two wives. One wife was barren and could not have children, while the other was able to give birth. The wife who could have children gave birth to twins while the husband was away, and the barren wife was consumed by jealousy and envy because she could not have children of her own.
Driven by jealousy, the barren wife devised a cruel plan. While the real mother was out gathering food, she secretly took the twins to the river and threw them in, intending to get rid of them without anyone noticing. When the husband returned, she fabricated a story to blame the wife who could have children, saying, “While you were away, she was careless with the children. Now they are gone, and it is all her fault!” The husband, seeing her calm but convincing words, trusted her completely without any doubt and was entirely deceived.
Filled with anger and grief, the husband punished the true mother cruelly. He beat her, tied her up in the donkey’s stable, and left her without food or water, forcing her to survive in the harshest conditions. She endured horrible suffering, having to eat donkey dung and drink urine just to survive.
Meanwhile, some people swimming in the river witnessed the twins being thrown into the water. They rescued the babies and raised them as their own, giving them a safe and caring home. As the twins grew older, they were eventually told the truth: that they were adopted, that their mother had been punished unjustly, and that their father was living with the jealous barren wife. They became determined to seek justice and revenge for the wrongs committed against their family.
When the twins were grown, they returned to their father’s home. First, they found their real mother in the donkey’s stable, washed her, and cared for her, restoring her dignity. Then they confronted their father, telling him that they no longer wanted anything to do with him because he had wrongly judged their mother.
After that, the twins brought the barren wife to justice. They went before the elders of the village and accused her of her crimes: “She tried to kill us and betrayed our mother.” The elders listened carefully and agreed that her punishment should be severe and fit her actions. In this society, the death penalty for such a crime was to be buried in the ground while cattle were driven over the victim. Thus, the jealous barren wife was executed, punished for her betrayal and envy.
Finally, the twins and their mother were reunited and vindicated, while jealousy, deceit, and false accusation were punished according to the community’s law. This story teaches that justice will eventually prevail, and that envy and cruelty can never triumph over truth and righteousness.