Judges 19
19In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite, residing in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.H3117H4428H3478H376H3881H1481H3411H2022H669H3947H802H6370H1035H30632But his concubine became angry with him, and she went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.H6370H2181H3212H1H1004H1035H3063H702H2320H31173Then her husband set out after her, to speak tenderly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a couple of donkeys. When he reached her father's house, the girl's father saw him and came with joy to meet him.H376H6965H3212H310H1696H3820H7725H5288H6776H2543H935H1H1004H1H5291H7200H8055H71254His father-in-law, the girl's father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days; so they ate and drank, and he stayed there.H2859H5291H1H2388H3427H7969H3117H398H8354H38855On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to go; but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Fortify yourself with a bit of food, and after that you may go."H7243H3117H7925H1242H6965H3212H5291H1H559H2860H5582H3820H6595H3899H310H32126So the two men sat and ate and drank together; and the girl's father said to the man, "Why not spend the night and enjoy yourself?"H3427H398H8354H8147H3162H5291H1H559H376H2974H3885H3820H31907When the man got up to go, his father-in-law kept urging him until he spent the night there again.H376H6965H3212H2859H6484H3885H77258On the fifth day he got up early in the morning to leave; and the girl's father said, "Fortify yourself." So they lingered until the day declined, and the two of them ate and drank.H7925H1242H2549H3117H3212H5291H1H559H5582H3824H4102H3117H5186H398H81479When the man with his concubine and his servant got up to leave, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look, the day has worn on until it is almost evening. Spend the night. See, the day has drawn to a close. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early in the morning for your journey, and go home."H376H6965H3212H6370H5288H2859H5291H1H559H3117H7503H6150H3885H3117H2583H3885H3824H3190H4279H7925H1870H1980H16810But the man would not spend the night; he got 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.H376H14H3885H6965H3212H935H5227H2982H3389H6776H2543H2280H637011When they were near Jebus, the day was far spent, 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."H2982H3117H3966H7286H5288H559H113H3212H5493H5892H2983H388512But his master said to him, "We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel; but we will continue on to Gibeah."H113H559H5493H5892H5237H1121H3478H5674H139013Then he said to his servant, "Come, let us try to reach one of these places, and spend the night at Gibeah or at Ramah."H559H5288H3212H7126H259H4725H3885H1390H741414So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.H5674H3212H8121H935H681H1390H114415They turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. He went in and sat down in the open square of the city, but no one took them in to spend the night.H5493H935H3885H1390H935H3427H7339H5892H376H622H1004H388516Then at evening there was an old man coming from his work in the field. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was residing in Gibeah. (The people of the place were Benjaminites.)H935H2205H376H4639H7704H6153H376H2022H669H1481H1390H582H4725H114517When the old man looked up and saw the wayfarer in the open square of the city, he said, "Where are you going and where do you come from?"H5375H5869H7200H732H376H7339H5892H2205H376H559H3212H370H93518He answered 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 my home. Nobody has offered to take me in.H559H5674H1035H3063H3411H2022H669H3212H1035H3063H1980H1004H3068H376H622H100419We your servants have straw and fodder for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and the woman and the young man along with us. We need nothing more."H3426H8401H4554H2543H3899H3196H519H5288H5650H4270H169720The old man said, "Peace be to you. I will care for all your wants; only do not spend the night in the square."H2205H376H559H7965H7535H4270H3885H733921So he brought him into his house, and fed the donkeys; they washed their feet, and ate and drank.H935H1004H1101H2543H7364H7272H398H835422While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the city, a perverse lot, surrounded the house, and started pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the master of the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may have intercourse with him."H3820H3190H582H5892H582H1121H1100H5437H1004H5437H1849H1817H559H1167H1004H2205H376H559H3318H376H935H1004H304523And 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 is my guest, do not do this vile thing.H376H1167H1004H3318H559H408H251H7489H310H376H935H1004H6213H503924Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine; let me bring them out now. Ravish them and do whatever you want to them; but against this man do not do such a vile thing."H1323H1330H6370H3318H6031H6213H5869H2896H376H6213H2063H5039H169725But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine, and put her out to them. They wantonly raped her, and abused her all through the night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go.H582H14H8085H376H2388H6370H3318H2351H3045H5953H3915H1242H7837H5927H797126As morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light.H935H802H6437H1242H5307H6607H376H1004H113H21627In the morning her master got up, opened the doors of the house, and when he went out to go on his way, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.H113H6965H1242H6605H1817H1004H3318H3212H1870H802H6370H5307H6607H1004H3027H559228"Get up," he said to her, "we are going." But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out for his home.H559H6965H3212H6030H376H3947H2543H376H6965H3212H472529When he had entered his house, he took a knife, and grasping his concubine he cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.H935H1004H3947H3979H2388H6370H5408H6106H8147H6240H5409H7971H1366H347830Then he commanded the men whom he sent, saying, "Thus shall you say to all the Israelites, 'Has such a thing ever happened since the day that the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until this day? Consider it, take counsel, and speak out.' "H1961H7200H559H2063H7200H3117H1121H3478H5927H776H4714H3117H7760H5779H1696
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