Judges 19:26 - Prayer Tents



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Judges 19
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The Levite and His Concubine

19In those days before Israel had a king, there was a Levite living far back in the hill country of Ephraim. He took a young woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine.H3117H4428H3478H376H3881H1481H3411H2022H669H3947H802H6370H1035H3063
2But she became angry with him, went back to her father's house in Bethlehem, and stayed there four months.H6370H2181H3212H1H1004H1035H3063H702H2320H3117
3Then the man decided to go after her and try to persuade her to return to him. He took his servant and two donkeys with him. The woman showed the Levite into the house, and when her father saw him, he gave him a hearty greeting.H376H6965H3212H310H1696H3820H7725H5288H6776H2543H935H1H1004H1H5291H7200H8055H7125
4The father insisted that he stay, and so he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there.H2859H5291H1H2388H3427H7969H3117H398H8354H3885
5On the morning of the fourth day they woke up early and got ready to go. But the woman's father said to the Levite, "Have something to eat first. You'll feel better. You can go later."H7243H3117H7925H1242H6965H3212H5291H1H559H2860H5582H3820H6595H3899H310H3212
6So the two men sat down and ate and drank together. Then the woman's father told him, "Please spend the night and enjoy yourself."H3427H398H8354H8147H3162H5291H1H559H376H2974H3885H3820H3190
7The Levite got up to go, but the father urged him to stay, so he spent another night there.H376H6965H3212H2859H6484H3885H7725
8Early in the morning of the fifth day he started to leave, but the woman's father said, "Eat something, please. Wait until later in the day." So the two men ate together.H7925H1242H2549H3117H3212H5291H1H559H5582H3824H4102H3117H5186H398H8147
9When the man, his concubine, and the servant once more started to leave, the father said, "Look, it's almost evening now; you might as well stay all night. It will be dark soon; stay here and have a good time. Tomorrow you can get up early for the trip and go home."H376H6965H3212H6370H5288H2859H5291H1H559H3117H7503H6150H3885H3117H2583H3885H3824H3190H4279H7925H1870H1980H168
10But the man did not want to spend another night there, so he and his concubine started on their way, with their servant and two donkeys with pack saddles.H376H14H3885H6965H3212H935H5227H2982H3389H6776H2543H2280H6370
11It was late in the day when they came near Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), so the servant said to his master, "Why don't we stop and spend the night here in this Jebusite city?"H2982H3117H3966H7286H5288H559H113H3212H5493H5892H2983H3885
12But his master said, "We're not going to stop in a city where the people are not Israelites.H113H559H5493H5892H5237H1121H3478H5674H1390
13We'll pass on by and go a little farther and spend the night at Gibeah or Ramah."H559H5288H3212H7126H259H4725H3885H1390H7414
14So they passed by Jebus and continued on their way. It was sunset when they came to Gibeah in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.H5674H3212H8121H935H681H1390H1144
15They turned off the road to go and spend the night there. They went into town and sat down in the city square, but no one offered to take them home for the night.H5493H935H3885H1390H935H3427H7339H5892H376H622H1004H3885
16While they were there, an old man came by at the end of a day's work on the farm. He was originally from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was now living in Gibeah. (The other people there were from the tribe of Benjamin.)H935H2205H376H4639H7704H6153H376H2022H669H1481H1390H582H4725H1145
17The old man noticed the traveler in the city square and asked him, "Where do you come from? Where are you going?"H5375H5869H7200H732H376H7339H5892H2205H376H559H3212H370H935
18The Levite answered, "We have been in Bethlehem in Judah, and now we are on our way home deep in the hill country of Ephraim. No one will put us up for the night,H559H5674H1035H3063H3411H2022H669H3212H1035H3063H1980H1004H3068H376H622H1004
19even though we have fodder and straw for our donkeys, as well as bread and wine for my concubine and me and for my servant. We have everything we need."H3426H8401H4554H2543H3899H3196H519H5288H5650H4270H1697
20The old man said, "You are welcome in my home! I'll take care of you; you don't have to spend the night in the square."H2205H376H559H7965H7535H4270H3885H7339
21So he took them home with him and fed their donkeys. His guests washed their feet and had a meal.H935H1004H1101H2543H7364H7272H398H8354
22They were enjoying themselves when all of a sudden some sexual perverts from the town surrounded the house and started beating on the door. They said to the old man, "Bring out that man that came home with you! We want to have sex with him!"H3820H3190H582H5892H582H1121H1100H5437H1004H5437H1849H1817H559H1167H1004H2205H376H559H3318H376H935H1004H3045
23But the old man went outside and said to them, "No, my friends! Please! Don't do such an evil, immoral thing! This man is my guest.H376H1167H1004H3318H559H408H251H7489H310H376H935H1004H6213H5039
24Look! Here is his concubine and my own virgin daughter. I'll bring them out now, and you can have them. Do whatever you want to with them. But don't do such an awful thing to this man!"H1323H1330H6370H3318H6031H6213H5869H2896H376H6213H2063H5039H1697
25But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and put her outside with them. They raped her and abused her all night long and didn't stop until morning.H582H14H8085H376H2388H6370H3318H2351H3045H5953H3915H1242H7837H5927H7971
26At dawn the woman came and fell down at the door of the old man's house, where her husband was. She was still there when daylight came.H935H802H6437H1242H5307H6607H376H1004H113H216
27Her husband got up that morning, and when he opened the door to go on his way, he found his concubine lying in front of the house with her hands reaching for the door.H113H6965H1242H6605H1817H1004H3318H3212H1870H802H6370H5307H6607H1004H3027H5592
28He said, "Get up. Let's go." But there was no answer. So he put her body across the donkey and started on his way home.H559H6965H3212H6030H376H3947H2543H376H6965H3212H4725
29When he arrived, he went in the house and got a knife. He took his concubine's body, cut it into twelve pieces, and sent one piece to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.H935H1004H3947H3979H2388H6370H5408H6106H8147H6240H5409H7971H1366H3478
30Everyone who saw it said, "We have never heard of such a thing! Nothing like this has ever happened since the Israelites left Egypt! We have to do something about this! What will it be?"H1961H7200H559H2063H7200H3117H1121H3478H5927H776H4714H3117H7760H5779H1696


Good News Translation. Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. More details.
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