Iudicum 19
1 fuit quidam vir Levites habitans in latere montis Ephraim qui accepit uxorem de Bethleem Iuda
Now in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 quae reliquit eum et reversa est in domum patris sui Bethleem mansitque apud eum quattuor mensibus
But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months,
3 secutusque est eam vir suus volens ei reconciliari 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
her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
4 et amplexatus est hominem mansitque gener in domo soceri tribus diebus comedens cum eo et bibens familiariter
His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.
5 die autem quarto de nocte consurgens proficisci voluit quem tenuit socer et ait ad eum gusta prius pauxillum panis et conforta stomachum et sic proficisceris
On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.”
6 sederuntque simul et comederunt ac biberunt dixitque pater puellae ad generum suum quaeso te ut hodie hic maneas pariterque laetemur
So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.”
7 at ille consurgens coepit velle proficisci et nihilominus obnixe eum socer tenuit et apud se fecit manere
The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
8 mane facto parabat Levites iter cui rursum socer oro te inquit ut paululum cibi capias et adsumptis viribus donec increscat dies postea proficiscaris comederunt ergo simul
On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.
9 surrexitque adulescens ut pergeret cum uxore sua et puero cui rursum locutus est socer considera quod dies ad occasum declivior sit et propinquet ad vesperum mane apud me etiam hodie et duc laetum diem et cras proficisceris ut vadas in domum tuam
When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home.”
10 noluit gener adquiescere sermonibus eius sed statim perrexit et venit contra Iebus quae altero nomine vocabatur Hierusalem ducens secum duos asinos onustos et concubinam
But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11 iamque aderant iuxta Iebus et dies mutabatur in noctem dixitque puer ad dominum suum veni obsecro declinemus ad urbem Iebuseorum et maneamus in ea
When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”
12 cui respondit dominus non ingrediar oppidum gentis alienae quae non est de filiis Israhel sed transibo usque Gabaa
But his master replied, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.”
13 et cum illuc pervenero manebimus in ea aut certe in urbe Rama
He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
14 transierunt igitur Iebus et coeptum carpebant iter occubuitque eis sol iuxta Gabaa quae est in tribu Beniamin
So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
15 deverteruntque ad eam ut manerent ibi quo cum intrassent sedebant in platea civitatis et nullus eos recipere volebat hospitio
They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night.
16 et ecce apparuit homo senex revertens de agro et de opere suo vespere qui et ipse erat de monte Ephraim et peregrinus habitabat in Gabaa homines autem regionis illius erant filii Iemini
That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field.
17 elevatisque oculis vidit senex sedentem hominem cum sarcinulis suis in platea civitatis et dixit ad eum unde venis et quo vadis
When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where have you come from?”
18 qui respondit ei profecti sumus de Bethleem Iuda et pergimus ad locum nostrum qui est in latere montis Ephraim unde ieramus Bethleem et nunc vadimus ad domum Dei nullusque nos sub tectum suum vult recipere
The Levite replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home,
19 habentes paleas et faenum in asinorum pabulum et panem ac vinum in meos et ancillae tuae usus et pueri qui mecum est nulla re indigemus nisi hospitio
even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.”
20 cui respondit senex pax tecum sit ego praebebo omnia quae necessaria sunt tantum quaeso ne in platea maneas
“Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”
21 introduxitque eum in domum suam et pabulum asinis praebuit ac postquam laverunt pedes suos recepit eos in convivium
So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 illis epulantibus et post laborem itineris cibo ac 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
While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with 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
The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage.
24 habeo filiam virginem et hic homo habet concubinam educam eas ad vos ut humilietis eas et vestram libidinem conpleatis tantum obsecro ne scelus hoc contra naturam operemini in virum
Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”
25 nolebant adquiescere sermonibus eius quod cernens homo eduxit ad eos concubinam suam et eis tradidit inludendam qua cum tota nocte abusi essent dimiserunt eam mane
But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.
26 at mulier recedentibus tenebris venit ad ostium domus ubi manebat dominus suus et ibi corruit
Early that morning, the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the doorway, and lay there until 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
In the morning, when her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey, there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
28 cui ille putans eam quiescere loquebatur surge ut ambulemus qua nihil respondente intellegens quod erat tulit eam et inposuit asino reversusque est in domum suam
“Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.
29 quam cum esset ingressus arripuit gladium et cadaver uxoris cum ossibus suis in duodecim partes ac frusta concidens misit in omnes terminos Israhel
When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel.
30 quod cum vidissent singuli conclamabant numquam res talis facta est in Israhel ex eo die quo ascenderunt patres nostri de Aegypto usque in praesens tempus ferte sententiam et in commune decernite quid facto opus sit
And everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!”
