< Judges 19 >

1 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.
And it was in the days those and [was] a king there not in Israel and he was - a man a Levite sojourning in [the] remotest parts of [the] hill country of Ephraim and he took for himself a woman a concubine from Beth-lehem Judah.
2 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.
And she was angry towards him concubine his and she went from with him to [the] house of father her to Beth-lehem Judah and she was there days four months.
3 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.
And he arose husband her and he went after her to speak to heart her (to bring back her *Q(K)*) and servant his [was] with him and a pair of donkeys and she brought him [the] house of father her and he saw him [the] father of the young woman and he was glad to meet him.
4 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.
And he took hold on him father-in-law his [the] father of the young woman and he remained with him three days and they ate and they drank and they spent [the] night there.
5 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.”
And it was on the day fourth and they rose early in the morning and he arose to go and he said [the] father of the young woman to son-in-law his sustain heart your a morsel of bread and after you will go.
6 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.”
And they sat down and they ate [the] two of them together and they drank and he said [the] father of the young woman to the man be willing please and spend [the] night so it may be good heart your.
7 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.
And he arose the man to go and he urged him father-in-law his and he turned back and he spent [the] night there.
8 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.
And he rose early in the morning on the day fifth to go and he said - [the] father of the young woman sustain please heart your and delay until declines the day and they ate [the] two of them.
9 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.”
And he arose the man to go he and concubine his and servant his and he said to him father-in-law his [the] father of the young woman here! please it is sinking the day to become evening spend [the] night please here! to decline the day spend [the] night here so it may be good heart your and you will rise early tomorrow for journey your and you will go to tent your.
10 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.
And not he was willing the man to spend [the] night and he arose and he went and he came to opposite Jebus that [is] Jerusalem and [were] with him a pair of donkeys saddled and concubine his [was] with him.
11 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.”
They [were] near Jebus and the day it had gone down exceedingly and he said the servant to master his come! please so let us turn aside to [the] city of the Jebusite[s] this so we may spend [the] night in it.
12 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].”
And he said to him master his not we will turn aside to a city foreign who not [are] of [the] people of Israel they and we will pass on to Gibeah.
13 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.”
And he said to servant his (come! *Q(K)*) so let us drew near at one of the places and we will spend [the] night in Gibeah or in Ramah.
14 So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
And they passed on and they went and it went for them the sun beside Gibeah which [belongs] to Benjamin.
15 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.
And they turned aside there to go to spend [the] night in Gibeah and he went and he sat in [the] open square of the city and not anyone [was] receiving them the house towards to spend [the] night.
16 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.
And there! - a man old [was] coming from work his from the field in the evening and the man [was] from [the] hill country of Ephraim and he [was] sojourning in Gibeah and [the] men of the place [were] Ben-jaminites.
17 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?”
And he lifted up eyes his and he saw the man who was traveling in [the] open square of the city and he said the man old where? are you going and from where? are you coming.
18 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.
And he said to him [are] passing we from Beth-lehem Judah to [the] remotest parts of [the] hill country of Ephraim [am] from there I and I went to Beth-lehem Judah and [the] house of Yahweh I [am] going and not anyone [was] receiving me the house towards.
19 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.”
And [are] both straw as well as fodder there for donkeys our and [are] also food and wine there for me and for maidservant your and for the servant with servants your there not [is] lack of any thing.
20 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.”
And he said the man old peace [be] to you certainly all lack your [is] on me only in the open square may not you spend [the] night.
21 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.
And he brought him to house his (and he fed *Q(k)*) the donkeys and they washed feet their and they ate and they drank.
22 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.”
They [were] making good heart their and there! [the] men of the city men of sons of worthlessness they surrounded the house beating violently on the door and they said to the man [the] master of the house old saying bring out the man who he came to house your so we may know him.
23 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!
And he went out to them the man [the] master of the house and he said to them may [you] not O brothers my may not you do evil please after that he has come the man this may [you] not house my may not you do the disgraceful folly this.
24 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!”
Here! daughter my the virgin and concubine his let me bring out please them and afflict them and do to them the good in view your and to the man this not you must do [the] thing of disgraceful folly this.
25 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.
And not they were willing the men to listen to him and he took hold the man on concubine his and he brought [her] out to them outside and they knew her and they abused her all the night until the morning and they let go her (just as came up *Q(K)*) the dawn.
26 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.
And she came the woman to [the] turning of the morning and she fell [the] entrance of [the] house of the man where master her [was] there until the light.
27 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.
And he arose master her in the morning and he opened [the] doors of the house and he went out to go to way his and there! the woman concubine his [was] falling [the] entrance of the house and hands her [were] on the threshold.
28 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.
And he said to her get up so let us go and there not [was one who] answered and he took her on the donkey and he arose the man and he went to place his.
29 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].
And he came to house his and he took the knife and he took hold on concubine his and he cut in pieces her to bones her into two [plus] ten pieces and he sent out her in all [the] territory of Israel.
30 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.”
And it was every [one who] saw and he said not it has occurred and not it has been seen like this from [the] day came up [the] people of Israel from [the] land of Egypt until the day this set for yourselves on it take counsel and speak.

< Judges 19 >