Judges 19
19In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.H3117H4428H3478H376H3881H1481H3411H2022H669H3947H802H6370H1035H30632But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months,H6370H2181H3212H1H1004H1035H3063H702H2320H31173her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents' home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.H376H6965H3212H310H1696H3820H7725H5288H6776H2543H935H1H1004H1H5291H7200H8055H71254His father-in-law, the woman's father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.H2859H5291H1H2388H3427H7969H3117H398H8354H38855On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go."H7243H3117H7925H1242H6965H3212H5291H1H559H2860H5582H3820H6595H3899H310H32126So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman's father said, "Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself."H3427H398H8354H8147H3162H5291H1H559H376H2974H3885H3820H31907And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.H376H6965H3212H2859H6484H3885H77258On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!" So the two of them ate together.H7925H1242H2549H3117H3212H5291H1H559H5582H3824H4102H3117H5186H398H81479Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman's father, said, "Now look, it's almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home."H376H6965H3212H6370H5288H2859H5291H1H559H3117H7503H6150H3885H3117H2583H3885H3824H3190H4279H7925H1870H1980H16810But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.H376H14H3885H6965H3212H935H5227H2982H3389H6776H2543H2280H637011When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night."H2982H3117H3966H7286H5288H559H113H3212H5493H5892H2983H388512His master replied, "No. We won't go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah."H113H559H5493H5892H5237H1121H3478H5674H139013He added, "Come, let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places."H559H5288H3212H7126H259H4725H3885H1390H741414So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.H5674H3212H8121H935H681H1390H114415There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.H5493H935H3885H1390H935H3427H7339H5892H376H622H1004H388516That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.H935H2205H376H4639H7704H6153H376H2022H669H1481H1390H582H4725H114517When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"H5375H5869H7200H732H376H7339H5892H2205H376H559H3212H370H93518He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. No one has taken me in for the night.H559H5674H1035H3063H3411H2022H669H3212H1035H3063H1980H1004H3068H376H622H100419We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants—me, the woman and the young man with us. We don't need anything."H3426H8401H4554H2543H3899H3196H519H5288H5650H4270H169720"You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square."H2205H376H559H7965H7535H4270H3885H733921So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.H935H1004H1101H2543H7364H7272H398H835422While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."H3820H3190H582H5892H582H1121H1100H5437H1004H5437H1849H1817H559H1167H1004H2205H376H559H3318H376H935H1004H304523The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing.H376H1167H1004H3318H559H408H251H7489H310H376H935H1004H6213H503924Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don't do such an outrageous thing."H1323H1330H6370H3318H6031H6213H5869H2896H376H6213H2063H5039H169725But the men would not listen to him. So the man 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.H582H14H8085H376H2388H6370H3318H2351H3045H5953H3915H1242H7837H5927H797126At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.H935H802H6437H1242H5307H6607H376H1004H113H21627When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.H113H6965H1242H6605H1817H1004H3318H3212H1870H802H6370H5307H6607H1004H3027H559228He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then he put her on his donkey and set out for home.H559H6965H3212H6030H376H3947H2543H376H6965H3212H472529When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.H935H1004H3947H3979H2388H6370H5408H6106H8147H6240H5409H7971H1366H347830Everyone who saw it said, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Think about it! Consider it! Tell us what to do!"H1961H7200H559H2063H7200H3117H1121H3478H5927H776H4714H3117H7760H5779H1696
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