Shofetim 19:16-24

Orthodox Jewish Bible

¹⁶ And, hinei, there came an ish zaken from his work out of the sadeh at erev, and the ish was also from har Ephrayim; and he sojourned in Giv’ah; but the anashim of the place were Bnei Yemini (Benjamites).

¹⁷ And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw haish haoreach (the wayfaring man, traveling man) in the rechov haIr; and the ish hazaken said, Whither goest thou? And whence comest thou?

¹⁸ And he said unto him, We are passing from Beit-Lechem Yehudah toward the remote har Ephrayim country; from thence am I; and I went to Beit-Lechem Yehudah, but I am now going to the Bais Hashem [see 18:31]; but there is no ish that receiveth me into the bais.

¹⁹ Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys; and there is lechem and yayin also for me, and for thy amah (maidservant), and for the na’ar which is with thy avadim; there is no machsor (want, need) of any thing.

²⁰ And the ish hazaken said, Shalom lach; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the rechov.

²¹ So he brought him into his bais, and mixed fodder for the donkeys; and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

²² Now as they were making their hearts content, hinei, the anshei haIr, anshei bnei Beliya’al, surrounded the bais, and pounded incessantly on the delet, and shouted to the ish, the Ba’al HaBayit, the zaken, saying, Bring out the ish that came into thine bais, that we may know him [T.N. a thin line drawn between homosexual rape and murder].

²³ And the ish, the Ba’al HaBayit, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, do not so wickedly; seeing that this ish is come into mine bais, do not this nevalah (outrage).

²⁴ Hinei, here is my bat a betulah, and his pilegesh; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth hatov unto your eyes; but unto this ish do not so devar hanevalah (vile, wicked a thing).