Judges 19
1 Also in those dayes, when there was no king in Israel, a certaine Leuite dwelt on the side of mount Ephraim, and tooke to wife a concubine out of Beth-lehem Iudah,
At that time the Israeli people had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi who lived in a remote place in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. He had previously taken as a wife a woman who was a slave. She was from Bethlehem, in the area where the tribe of Judah lives.
2 And his concubine played ye whore there, and went away from him vnto her fathers house to Beth-lehem Iudah, and there continued the space of foure moneths.
But she started to sleep with other men also. Then she left him and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem. She stayed there for four months.
3 And her husband arose and went after her, to speake friendly vnto her, and to bring her againe: he had also his seruant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him vnto her fathers house, and when the yong womans father sawe him, he reioyced of his comming.
Then her husband took his servant and two donkeys and went to Bethlehem. He went to ask her to come back to live with him again. When he arrived at her father’s house, she invited him to come in. Her father was happy to see him.
4 And his father in lawe, the yong womans father reteined him: and he abode with him three dayes: so they did eate and drinke, and lodged there.
The woman’s father asked him to stay. So he stayed there for three days. During that time he ate and drank and slept there.
5 And when the fourth day came, they arose earely in the morning, and he prepared to depart: then the yong womans father said vnto his sonne in lawe, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and then go your way.
On the fourth day, they all got up early in the morning. The man from the tribe of Levi was preparing to leave, but the woman’s father said to him, “Eat something before you go.”
6 So they sate downe, and did eate and drinke both of them together. And the yong womans father said vnto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tary all night, and let thine heart be merie.
So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. Then the woman’s father said to him, “Please stay another night. Relax/Rest and have a joyful time.”
7 And when the man rose vp to depart, his father in lawe was earnest: therefore he returned, and lodged there.
The man from the tribe of Levi wanted to leave, but the woman’s father requested him to stay one more night. So he stayed again that night.
8 And he arose vp earely the fifth day to depart, and the yong womans father saide, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee: and they taryed vntill after midday, and they both did eate.
On the fifth day, the man got up early and prepared to leave. But the woman’s father said to him again, “Have something to eat. Wait until this afternoon, [and then leave].” So the two men ate together.
9 Afterwarde when the man arose to depart with his concubine and his seruant, his father in lawe, the yong womans father said vnto him, Beholde nowe, the day draweth towarde euen: I pray you, tary all night: beholde, the sunne goeth to rest: lodge here, that thine heart may be merie, and to morowe get you earely vpon your way, and goe to thy tent.
In the afternoon, when the man from the tribe of Levi and his slave wife and his servant got up to leave, the woman’s father said, “It will soon be dark. The day is almost over. Stay here tonight and have a good/joyful time. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and leave for your home.”
10 But the man would not tarry, but arose and departed, and came ouer against Iebus, (which is Ierusalem) and his two asses laden, and his concubine were with him.
But the man from the tribe of Levi did not want to stay for another night. He put saddles on his two donkeys, and started to go with his slave wife [and his servant] toward Jebus [city], which is [now named] Jerusalem.
11 When they were neere to Iebus, the day was sore spent, and the seruant said vnto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let vs turne into this citie of the Iebusites, and lodge all night there.
Late in the afternoon, they came near to Jebus. The servant said to his master, “We should stop in this city where the Jebus people-group live, and stay here tonight.”
12 And his master answered him, We will not turne into the citie of strangers that are not of the children of Israel, but we will goe forth to Gibeah.
But his master said, “No, it would not be good for us to stay here where foreign people live. There are no Israeli people here. We will go on to Gibeah [city].”
13 And he said vnto his seruant, Come, and let vs drawe neere to one of these places, that wee may lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.
He said to his servant, “Let’s go. It is not far to Gibeah. We can go there, or we can go a bit further to Ramah. We can stay in one of those two cities tonight.”
14 So they went forward vpon their way, and the sunne went downe vpon them neere to Gibeah, which is in Beniamin.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 Then they turned thither to goe in and lodge in Gibeah: and when he came, he sate him downe in a streete of the citie: for there was no man that tooke them into his house to lodging.
They stopped to stay there that night. They went to the public square of that city and sat down. But no one [who passed by] invited them to stay in their house for that night.
16 And beholde, there came an old man from his work out of the field at euen, and the man was of mount Ephraim, but dwelt in Gibeah: and the men of the place were the children of Iemini.
Finally, in the evening, an old man came by. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hilly area of the tribe of Ephraim, but at that time he was living in Gibeah.
17 And when he had lift vp his eyes, he sawe a wayfairing man in the streetes of the citie: then this olde man sayde, Whither goest thou, and whence camest thou?
He realized that the man from the tribe of Levi was only traveling and did not have a home in that city. So he asked the man, “Where have you come from? And where are you going?”
18 And hee answered him, Wee came from Beth-lehem Iudah, vnto the side of Mout Ephraim: from thence am I: and I went to Beth-lehem Iudah, and go now to the house of the Lord: and no man receiueth mee to house,
He replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem to my home in the hilly area where people of the tribe of Ephraim live. I went from there to Bethlehem, but now we are going to [Shiloh] where Yahweh’s Sacred tent (OR, my house) is. No one here has invited us to stay in their house tonight.
19 Although we haue straw and prouader for our asses, and also bread and wine for me and thine handmayde, and for the boy that is with thy seruant: we lacke nothing.
We have straw and food for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the young woman and my servant. We do not need anything else.”
20 And the olde man sayde, Peace bee with thee: as for all that thou lackest, shalt thou finde with me: onely abide not in the streete al night.
The old man said, “I wish that things will go well for you, but I would like to provide what you need. Do not stay here in the square tonight.”
21 So he brought him into his house, and gaue fodder vnto the asses: and they washed their feete, and did eate and drinke.
Then the old man took them to his house. He gave food to the donkeys. He [gave water to the man and the woman and the servant to] wash their feet. And he gave them something to eat and drink.
22 And as they were making their hearts merie, beholde, the men of the citie, wicked men beset the house round about, and smote at the doore, and spake to this olde man the master of the house saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house that we may knowe him.
While they were having a good/joyful time together, some wicked men from that city surrounded the house and started to bang on the door. They shouted to the old man, “Bring out to us the man who has come to your house. We want to have sex with him.”
23 And this man the master of ye house went out vnto the, and said vnto them, Nay my brethre, do not so wickedly, I pray you: seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this villenie.
The old man went outside and said to them, “Friends, I will not do that. That would be a very evil thing. This man is a guest in my house. You should not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing!
24 Behold, here is my daughter, a virgine, and his concubine: them wil I bring out nowe, and humble them, and doe with them what seemeth you good: but to this man doe not this villenie.
Look, my daughter is here. She is [still] a virgin. And this man’s slave wife is here. I will bring them out to you now. You may do to them whatever you wish, but do not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing to this young man!”
25 But the men woulde not hearken to him: therefore ye man tooke his concubine, and brought her out vnto them: and they knewe her and abused her all the night vnto the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her goe.
But the men did not pay attention to what he said. So the man from the tribe of Levi took his slave wife and sent her to them, outside the house. They raped [EUP] her and abused her all night. Then at dawn, they allowed her to go.
26 So the woman came in the dawning of the day, and fell downe at the doore of the mans house where her Lord was, till the light day.
She returned to the old man’s house, where her husband was staying, but she fell down at the doorway and lay there all night.
27 And her lorde arose in the morning, and opened the doores of the house, and went out to goe his way, and beholde, the woman his concubine was dead at the doore of the house and her handes lay vpon the thresholde.
In the morning, when the man from the tribe of Levi got up, he went outside of the house to continue his journey. He saw his slave wife lying there at the doorway of the house. Her hands were on the doorsill.
28 And hee said vnto her, Vp and let vs goe: but shee answered not. Then he tooke her vp vpon the asse, and the man rose vp, and went vnto his place.
He said to her, “Get up! Let’s go!” But she did not answer, [because she had died]. He put her body on the donkey and traveled to his home.
29 And whe he was come to his house, he took a knife, and laid hand on his concubine, and deuided her in pieces with her bones into twelue parts, and sent her through all quarters of Israel.
When he arrived home, he took a knife and cut the body of the slave woman into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each area of Israel, [along with a message telling what had happened].
30 And all that saw it, said, There was no such thing done or seene since the time that the children of Israel came vp from the lande of Egypt vnto this day: consider the matter, consult and giue sentence.
Everyone who saw a piece of the body and the message said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before. Not since our ancestors left Egypt [have we heard of such a terrible thing]. We need to think carefully about it. Someone should decide what we should do.”
