Iudicum 19
1 Fuit quidam vir Levites habitans in latere montis Ephraim, qui accepit uxorem de Bethlehem Iuda:
And it came to pass in these days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah.
2 quae reliquit eum, et reversa est in domum patris sui in Bethlehem, mansitque apud eum quattuor mensibus.
And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months.
3 Secutusque est eam vir suus, volens reconciliari ei, atque blandiri, et secum reducere, habens in comitatu puerum et duos asinos: quae suscepit eum, et introduxit in domum patris sui. Quod cum audisset socer eius, eumque vidisset, occurrit ei laetus,
And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly unto her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.
4 et amplexatus est hominem. Mansitque gener in domo soceri tribus diebus, comedens cum eo et bibens familiariter.
And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.
5 Die autem quarto de nocte consurgens, proficisci voluit. Quem tenuit socer, et ait ad eum: Gusta prius pusillum panis, et conforta stomachum, et sic proficisceris.
And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye shall go your way.
6 Sederuntque simul, ac comederunt et biberunt. Dixitque pater puellae ad generum suum: Quaeso te ut hodie hic maneas, pariterque laetemur.
So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together: and the damsel’s father said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.
7 At ille consurgens, coepit velle proficisci. Et nihilominus obnixe eum socer tenuit, et apud se fecit manere.
And the man rose up to depart; but his father in law urged him, and he lodged there again.
8 Mane autem facto, parabat Levites iter. Cui socer rursum: Oro te, inquit, ut paululum cibi capias, et assumptis viribus, donec increscat dies, postea proficiscaris. Comederunt ergo simul.
And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee, and tarry ye until the day declineth; and they did eat, both of them.
9 Surrexitque adolescens, ut pergeret cum uxore sua et puero. Cui rursum locutus est socer: Considera quod dies ad occasum declivior sit, et propinquat ad vesperum: mane apud me etiam hodie, et duc laetum diem, et cras proficisceris ut vadas in domum tuam.
And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and tomorrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.
10 Noluit gener acquiescere sermonibus eius: sed statim perrexit, et venit contra Iebus, quae altero nomine vocatur Ierusalem, ducens secum duos asinos onustos, et concubinam.
But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him.
11 Iamque aderant iuxta Iebus, et dies mutabatur in noctem: dixitque puer ad dominum suum: Veni, obsecro, declinemus ad urbem Iebusaeorum, et maneamus in ea.
When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
12 Cui respondit dominus: Non ingrediar oppidum gentis alienae, quae non est de filiis Israel, sed transibo usque Gabaa:
And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.
13 et cum illuc pervenero, manebimus in ea, aut certe in urbe Rama.
And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
14 Transierunt ergo Iebus, et coeptum carpebant iter, occubuitque eis sol iuxta Gabaa, quae est in tribu Beniamin:
So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.
15 diverteruntque ad eam, ut manerent ibi. Quo cum intrassent, sedebant in platea civitatis, et nullus eos recipere voluit hospitio.
And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge.
16 Et ecce, apparuit homo senex, revertens de agro et de opere suo vesperi, qui et ipse de monte erat Ephraim, et peregrinus habitabat in Gabaa. homines autem regionis illius erant filii Iemini.
And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even; now the man was of the hill country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.
17 Elevatisque oculis, vidit senex sedentem hominem cum sarcinulis suis in platea civitatis: et dixit ad eum: Unde venis? et quo vadis?
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?
18 Qui respondit ei: Profecti sumus de Bethlehem Iuda, et pergimus ad locum nostrum, qui est in latere montis Ephraim, unde ieramus in Bethlehem: et nunc vadimus ad domum Dei, nullusque sub tectum suum nos vult recipere,
And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am [now] going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that taketh me into his house.
19 habentes paleas et foenum in asinorum pabulum, et panem ac vinum in meos et ancillae tuae usus, et pueri, qui mecum est: nulla re indigemus nisi hospitio.
Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.
20 Cui respondit senex: Pax tecum sit, ego praebebo omnia quae necessaria sunt: tantum, quaeso, ne in platea maneas.
And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.
21 Introduxitque eum in domum suam, et pabulum asinis praebuit: ac postquam laverunt pedes suos, recepit eos in convivium.
So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses fodder: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.
22 Illis epulantibus, et post laborem itineris, cibo et potu reficientibus corpora, venerunt viri civitatis illius, filii Belial, (id est, absque iugo) et circumdantes domum senis, fores pulsare coeperunt, clamantes ad dominum domus, atque dicentes: Educ virum, qui ingressus est domum tuam, ut abutamur eo.
As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.
23 Egressusque est ad eos senex, et ait: Nolite fratres, nolite facere malum hoc: quia ingressus est homo hospitium meum, et cessate ab hac stultitia:
And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.
24 habeo filiam virginem, et hic homo habet concubinam, educam eas ad vos, ut humilietis eas, et vestram libidinem compleatis: tantum, obsecro, ne scelus hoc contra naturam operemini in virum.
Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not any such folly.
25 Nolebant acquiescere sermonibus illius. quod cernens homo, eduxit ad eos concubinam suam, et eis tradidit illudendam: qua cum tota nocte abusi essent, dimiserunt eam mane.
But the men would not hearken to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.
26 At mulier, recedentibus tenebris, venit ad ostium domus, ubi manebat dominus suus, et ibi corruit.
Then came the woman in the dawning of the day and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.
27 Mane facto, surrexit homo, et aperuit ostium, ut coeptam expleret viam: et ecce concubina eius iacebat ante ostium sparsis in limine manibus.
And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands upon the threshold.
28 Cui ille, putans eam quiescere, loquebatur: Surge, et ambulemus. Qua nihil respondente, intelligens quod erat mortua; tulit eam, et imposuit asino, reversusque est in domum suam.
And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then he took her up upon the ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.
29 Quam cum esset ingressus, arripuit gladium, et cadaver uxoris cum ossibus suis in duodecim partes ac frustra concidens, misit in omnes terminos Israel.
And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.
30 Quod cum vidissent singuli, conclamabant. Numquam res talis facta est in Israel ex eo die, quo ascenderunt patres nostri de Aegypto, usque in praesens tempus: ferte sententiam, et in commune decernite quid facto opus sit.
And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take counsel, and speak.
