Judges 19
1 And it comes to pass in those days, when there is no king in Israel, that there is a man, a Levite, a sojourner in the sides of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he takes a wife for himself, a concubine, out of Beth-Lehem-Judah;
There was a certain Levite, who dwelt on the side of mount Ephraim, who took a wife of Bethlehem Juda:
2 and his concubine commits whoredom against him, and she goes from him to the house of her father, to Beth-Lehem-Judah, and is there four months of days.
And she left him and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem, and abode with him four months.
3 And her husband rises and goes after her, to speak to her heart, to bring her back, and his young man [is] with him, and a couple of donkeys; and she brings him into the house of her father, and the father of the young woman sees him, and rejoices to meet him.
And her husband followed her, willing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to bring her back with him, having with him a servant and two asses: and she received him, and brought him into her father’s house. And when his father in law had heard this, and had seen him, he met him with joy,
4 And his father-in-law keeps hold on him, father of the young woman, and he abides with him three days, and they eat and drink, and lodge there.
And embraced the man. And the son in law tarried in the house of his father in law three days, eating with him and drinking familiarly.
5 And it comes to pass, on the fourth day, that they rise early in the morning, and he rises to go, and the father of the young woman says to his son-in-law, “Support your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you go on.”
But on the fourth day arising early in the morning he desired to depart. But his father in law kept him, and said to him: Taste first a little bread, and strengthen thy stomach, and so thou shalt depart.
6 And both of them sit, and eat and drink together, and the father of the young woman says to the man, “Please be willing and lodge all night, and let your heart be glad.”
And they sat down together, and ate and drank. And the father of the young woman said to his son in law: I beseech thee to stay here today, and let us make merry together.
7 And the man rises to go, and his father-in-law presses on him, and he turns back and lodges there.
But he rising up began to be for departing. And nevertheless his father in law earnestly pressed him, and made him stay with him.
8 And he rises early in the morning, on the fifth day, to go, and the father of the young woman says, “Please support your heart”; and they have tarried until the turning of the day, and both of them eat.
But when morning was come, the Levite prepared to go on his journey. And his father in law said to him again: I beseech thee to take a little meat, and strengthening thyself, till the day be farther advanced, afterwards thou mayest depart. And they ate together.
9 And the man rises to go, he, and his concubine, and his young man, but his father-in-law, father of the young woman, says to him, “Now behold, the day has fallen toward evening, please lodge all night; behold, the declining of the day! Lodge here and let your heart be glad—and you have risen early tomorrow for your journey, and you have gone to your tent.”
And the young man arose to set forward with his wife and servant. And his father in law spoke to him again: Consider that the day is declining, and draweth toward evening: tarry with me today also, and spend the day in mirth, and tomorrow thou shalt depart, that thou mayest go into thy house.
10 And the man has not been willing to lodge all night, and he rises, and goes, and comes in until [he is] opposite Jebus (it [is] Jerusalem), and a couple of saddled donkeys [are] with him; and his concubine [is] with him.
His son in law would not consent to his words: but forthwith went forward and came over against Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two asses laden, and his concubine.
11 They [are] near Jebus, and the day has greatly gone down, and the young man says to his lord, “Please come, and we turn aside to this city of the Jebusite and lodge in it.”
And now they were come near Jebus, and the day was far spent: and the servant said to his master: Come, I beseech thee, let us turn into the city of the Jebusites, and lodge there.
12 And his lord says to him, “Let us not turn aside to the city of a stranger, that is not of the sons of Israel there, but we have passed over to Gibeah.”
His master answered him: I will not go into the town of another nation, who are not of the children of Israel, but I will pass over to Gabaa:
13 And he says to his young man, “Come, and we draw near to one of the places, and have lodged in Gibeah, or in Ramah.”
And when I shall come thither, we will lodge there, or at least in the city of Rama.
14 And they pass over, and go on, and the sun goes in on them near Gibeah, which is of Benjamin;
So they passed by Jebus, and went on their journey, and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gabaa, which is in the tribe of Benjamin:
15 and they turn aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah, and he goes in and sits in a broad place of the city, and there is no man gathering them into the house to lodge.
And they turned into it, to lodge there. And when they were come in, they sat in the street of the city, for no man would receive them to lodge.
16 And behold, an old man has come from his work from the field in the evening, and the man [is] of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he [is] a sojourner in Gibeah, and the men of the place [are] Benjamites.
And behold they saw an old man, returning out of the field and from his work in the evening, and he also was of mount Ephraim, and dwelt as a stranger in Gabaa; but the men of that country were the children of Jemini.
17 And he lifts up his eyes, and sees the man, the traveler, in a broad place of the city, and the old man says, “To where do you go? And where do you come from?”
And the old man lifting up his eyes, saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city, and said to him: Whence comest thou? and whither goest thou?
18 And he says to him, “We are passing over from Beth-Lehem-Judah to the sides of the hill-country of Ephraim—I [am] from there, and I go to Beth-Lehem-Judah; and I am going to the house of YHWH, and there is no man gathering me into the house,
He answered him: We came out from Bethlehem Juda, and we are going to our home, which is on the side of mount Ephraim, from whence we went to Bethlehem: and now we go to the house of God, and none will receive us under his roof:
19 and there is both straw and provender for our donkeys, and there is also bread and wine for me, and for your handmaid, and for the young man with your servants; there is no lack of anything.”
We have straw and hay for provender of the asses, and bread and wine for the use of myself and of thy handmaid, and of the servant that is with me: we want nothing but lodging.
20 And the old man says, “Peace to you; only, all your lack [is] on me, but do not lodge in the broad place.”
And the old man answered him: Peace be with thee: I will furnish all things that are necessary: only I beseech thee, stay not in the street.
21 And he brings him into his house, and mixes [food] for the donkeys, and they wash their feet, and eat and drink.
And he brought him into his house, and gave provender to his asses: and after they had washed their feet, he entertained them with a feast.
22 They are making their heart glad, and behold, men of the city, men—sons of worthlessness—have gone around the house, beating on the door, and they speak to the old man, the master of the house, saying, “Bring out the man who has come into your house, and we know him.”
While they were making merry, and refreshing their bodies with meat and drink, after the labour of the journey, the men of that city, sons of Belial, (that is, without yoke, ) came and beset the old man’s house, and began to knock at the door, calling to the master of the house, and saying: Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may abuse him.
23 And the man, the master of the house, goes out to them and says to them, “No, my brothers, please do not do evil after that this man has come into my house; do not do this folly;
And the old man went out to them, and said: Do not so, my brethren, do not so wickedly: because this man is come into my lodging, and cease I pray you from this folly.
24 behold, my daughter, the virgin, and his concubine, please let me bring them out and you humble them, and do that which is good in your eyes to them, and do not do this foolish thing to this man.”
I have a maiden daughter, and this man hath a concubine, I will bring them out to you, and you may humble them, and satisfy your lust: only, I beseech you, commit not this crime against nature on the man.
25 And the men have not been willing to listen to him, and the man takes hold on his concubine and brings [her] out to them outside, and they know her and roll themselves on her all the night until the morning, and they send her away in the ascending of the dawn;
They would not be satisfied with his words; which the man seeing, brought out his concubine to them, and abandoned her to their wickedness: and when they had abused her all the night, they let her go in the morning.
26 and the woman comes in at the turning of the morning, and falls at the opening of the man’s house where her lord [is], until the light.
But the woman, at the dawning of the day, came to the door of the house where her lord lodged, and there fell down.
27 And her lord rises in the morning, and opens the doors of the house, and goes out to go on his way, and behold, the woman, his concubine, is fallen at the opening of the house, and her hands [are] on the threshold,
And in the morning the man arose, and opened the door that he might end the journey he had begun: and behold his concubine lay before the door with her hands spread on the threshold.
28 and he says to her, “Rise, and we go”; but there is no answering, and he takes her on the donkey, and the man rises and goes to his place,
He thinking she was taking her rest, said to her: Arise, and let us be going. But as she made no answer, perceiving she was dead, he took her up, and laid her upon his ass, and returned to his house.
29 and comes into his house, and takes the knife, and lays hold on his concubine, and cuts her in pieces to her bones—into twelve pieces, and sends her into all the border of Israel.
And when he was come home he took a sword, and divided the dead body of his wife with her bones into twelve parts, and sent the pieces into all the borders of Israel.
30 And it has come to pass, everyone who sees has said, “There has not been—indeed, there has not been seen [anything] like this, from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt until this day; set your [heart] on it, take counsel, and speak.”
And when every one had seen this, they all cried out: There was never such a thing done in Israel from the day that our fathers came up out of Egypt, until this day: give sentence, and decree in common what ought to be done.
