1In those days Israel didn’t have a king. There was a Levite who lived deep in the hill country of Ephraim. He got a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.2But she wasn’t faithful to him. She left him. She went back to her parents’ home in Bethlehem in Judah. She stayed there for four months.3Then her husband went to see her. He tried to talk her into coming back with him. He had his servant and two donkeys with him. She took her husband into her parents’ home. When her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.4His father-in-law, the woman’s father, begged him to stay. So the Levite remained with him for three days. He ate, drank and slept there.5On the fourth day they got up early. The Levite prepared to leave. But the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, ‘Have something to eat. It will give you strength. Then you can go on your way.’6So the two of them sat down. They ate and drank together. After that, the woman’s father said, ‘Please stay tonight. Enjoy yourself.’7The man got up to go. But his father-in-law talked him into staying. So he stayed there that night.8On the morning of the fifth day, the Levite got up to go. But the woman’s father said, ‘Have something to eat. It will give you strength. Wait until this afternoon!’ So the two of them ate together.9Then the man got up to leave. His concubine and his servant got up when he did. But his father-in-law, the woman’s father, spoke to him again. ‘Look’, he said. ‘It’s almost evening. The day is nearly over. So spend another night here. Please stay. Enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and go back home.’10But the man didn’t want to stay another night. So he left. He went towards Jebus. Jebus is also called Jerusalem. The Levite had his two donkeys and his concubine with him. The donkeys had saddles on them.11By the time the travellers came near Jebus, the day was almost over. So the servant said to his master, ‘Come. Let’s stop at this Jebusite city. Let’s spend the night here.’12His master replied, ‘No. We won’t go into any city where strangers live. The people there aren’t Israelites. We’ll continue on to Gibeah.’13He added, ‘Come. Let’s try to reach Gibeah or Ramah. We can spend the night in one of those places.’14So they continued on. As they came near Gibeah in Benjamin, the sun went down.15They stopped there to spend the night. They went to the city’s main street and sat down. But no one took them home for the night.16That evening an old man came into the city. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim. But he was living in Gibeah. The people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin.17The old man saw the traveller in the main street. He asked, ‘Where are you going? Where did you come from?’18The Levite answered, ‘We’ve come from Bethlehem in Judah. We’re on our way to Ephraim. I live deep in the hill country there. I’ve been to Bethlehem. Now I’m going to the house of the LORD. But no one has taken me home for the night.19We have straw and feed for our donkeys. We have food and wine for ourselves. We have enough for me, the woman and the young man with us. We don’t need anything.’20‘You are welcome at my house,’ the old man said. ‘I’d be happy to supply anything you might need. But don’t spend the night in the street.’21So the old man took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After the travellers had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.22They were inside enjoying themselves. But some of the evil men who lived in the city surrounded the house. They pounded on the door. They shouted to the old man who owned the house. They said, ‘Bring out the man who came to your house. We want to have sex with him.’23The owner of the house went outside. He said to them, ‘No, my friends. Don’t do such an evil thing. This man is my guest. So don’t do this terrible thing.24Look, here is my virgin daughter. And here’s the Levite’s concubine. I’ll bring them out to you now. You can have them. Do to them what you want to. But don’t do such a terrible thing to this man.’25The men wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite sent his concubine out to them. They forced her to have sex with them. They raped her all night long. As the night was ending, they let her go.26At sunrise she went back to the house where her master was staying. She fell down at the door. She stayed there until daylight.27Later that morning her master got up. He opened the door of the house. He stepped out to continue on his way. But his concubine was lying there. She had fallen at the doorway of the house. Her hands were reaching out towards the door.28He said to her, ‘Get up. Let’s go.’ But there wasn’t any answer. Then he put her dead body on his donkey. And he started out for home.29When he reached home, he got a knife. He cut up his concubine. He cut her into 12 pieces. He sent them into all the territories of Israel.30Everyone who saw it spoke to one another. They said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen or done before. Nothing like this has happened since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So let’s hear your ideas!’
Judges 19
English Standard Version
A Levite and His Concubine
1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. (Jos 24:33; Jud 17:6; Jud 17:7; Jud 18:1; Jud 21:25)2And his concubine was unfaithful to[1] him, and she went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.3Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him into her father’s house. And when the girl’s father saw him, he came with joy to meet him.4And his father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.5And on the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and after that you may go.” (Ge 18:5; Jud 19:8)6So the two of them sat and ate and drank together. And the girl’s father said to the man, “Be pleased to spend the night, and let your heart be merry.” (Jud 16:25; Jud 19:9; Jud 19:22; Ru 3:7; 2Sa 13:28)7And when the man rose up to go, his father-in-law pressed him, till he spent the night there again.8And on the fifth day he arose early in the morning to depart. And the girl’s father said, “Strengthen your heart and wait until the day declines.” So they ate, both of them. (Jud 19:5)9And when the man and his concubine and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Behold, now the day has waned toward evening. Please, spend the night. Behold, the day draws to its close. Lodge here and let your heart be merry, and tomorrow you shall arise early in the morning for your journey, and go home.”10But the man would not spend the night. He rose up and departed and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a couple of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him. (Jos 15:8; Jos 15:63)11When they were near Jebus, the day was nearly over, and the servant said to his master, “Come now, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.”12And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.” (Jos 18:28)13And he said to his young man, “Come and let us draw near to one of these places and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah.” (Jos 18:25)14So they passed on and went their way. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin,15and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night. (Jud 19:18)16And behold, an old man was coming from his work in the field at evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites. (Jos 24:33; Jud 19:1; Jud 19:14; Jud 20:4)17And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city. And the old man said, “Where are you going? And where do you come from?”18And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord,[2] but no one has taken me into his house. (Jud 18:31; Jud 19:15)19We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.” (Jud 18:10)20And the old man said, “Peace be to you; I will care for all your wants. Only, do not spend the night in the square.” (Ge 19:2; Ge 43:23)21So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys feed. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. (Ge 18:4; Ge 24:32; Ge 43:24; Joh 13:5)
Gibeah’s Crime
22As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” (Ge 19:4; Jud 19:6; Jud 20:5)23And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. (Ge 19:7; Ge 34:7; De 22:21; Jos 7:15; Jud 20:6; 2Sa 13:12)24Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” (Ge 19:8; Ge 34:2; De 21:14; Jud 19:23)25But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.26And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light.27And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.28He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home. (Jud 20:5)29And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. (Jud 20:6; 1Sa 11:7)30And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.” (Jud 20:7; Ho 9:9; Ho 10:9)