Judges 19
New King James Version
The Levite’s Concubine
19 And it came to pass in those days, (A)when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from (B)Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. 3 Then her husband arose and went after her, to (C)speak [a]kindly to her and bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4 Now his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there.
5 Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, (D)“Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.”
6 So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.” 7 And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. 8 Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate.
9 And when the man stood to depart—he and his concubine and his servant—his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get [b]home.”
10 However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came opposite (E)Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine was also with him. 11 They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city (F)of the Jebusites and lodge in it.”
12 But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners, who are not of the children of Israel; we will go on (G)to Gibeah.” 13 So he said to his servant, “Come, let us draw near to one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in (H)Ramah.” 14 And they passed by and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15 They turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the open square of the city, for no one would (I)take them into his house to spend the night.
16 Just then an old man came in from (J)his work in the field at evening, who also was from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he raised his eyes, he 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?”
18 So he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; now I am going to (K)the house of the Lord. But there is no one who will take me into his house, 19 although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.”
20 And the old man said, (L)“Peace be with you! However, let all your needs be my responsibility; (M)only do not spend the night in the open square.” 21 (N)So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. (O)And they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
Gibeah’s Crime
22 As they were (P)enjoying themselves, suddenly (Q)certain men of the city, (R)perverted[c] men, surrounded the house and beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, (S)“Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him carnally!”
23 But (T)the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, (U)do not commit this outrage. 24 (V)Look, here is my virgin daughter and [d]the man’s concubine; let me bring them out now. (W)Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!” 25 But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they (X)knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.
26 Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her master was, till it was light.
27 When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. 28 And he said to her, “Get up and let us be going.” But (Y)there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place.
29 When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and (Z)divided her into twelve pieces, [e]limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. 30 And so it was that all who saw it said, “No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, (AA)confer, and speak up!”
Footnotes
- Judges 19:3 Lit. to her heart
- Judges 19:9 Lit. to your tent
- Judges 19:22 Lit. sons of Belial
- Judges 19:24 Lit. his
- Judges 19:29 Lit. with her bones
Shofetim 19
Orthodox Jewish Bible
19 And it came to pass in those days, when there was no melech in Yisroel, that there was a certain Levi sojourning in the remote har Ephrayim country, who took to him a pilegesh out of Beit-Lechem Yehudah.
2 And his pilegesh played the zonah against him, and went away from him unto her bais av to Beit-Lechem Yehudah, and was there four whole months.
3 And her ish arose, and went after her, to speak unto her lev, and to bring her back, having his na’ar (servant) with him, and a couple of donkeys; and she brought him into her bais av; and when the avi hana’arah saw him, he had simcha to welcome him.
4 And his khoten (father-inlaw), the avi hana’arah, held him fast; and he abode with him shloshet yamim; so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.
5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the boker, that he rose up to depart; the avi hana’arah said unto his choson (sonin-law), Refresh thine lev with a morsel of lechem, and afterward go your way.
6 And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together; for the avi hana’arah had said unto the ish, Be pleased, and tarry all night, and let thine lev be content.
7 And when the ish rose up to depart, his khoten (fatherin-law) urged him; therefore he lodged there again.
8 And he arose early in the boker on the yom hachamishi to depart; and the avi hana’arah said, Refresh now thine lev. Tarry till the yom turns [past midday], and they did eat both of them.
9 And when the ish rose up to depart, he, and his pilegesh, and his na’ar, his khoten (father-in-law), the avi hana’arah, said unto him, Hinei, now the yom draweth toward erev, tarry the night now; hinei, the yom groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine lev may be content; and makhar (tomorrow) get you early on your derech, that thou mayest go to your ohel.
10 But the ish would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came to nokhach (straight before, in the direction of) Yevus, which is Yerushalayim; and there were with him two donkeys saddled, his pilegesh also was with him.
11 And when they were near Yevus, the yom was far spent; and the na’ar said unto his adon, Come, now, and let us turn in into ir haYevusi, and lodge in it.
12 And his adon said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the ir nochri, that is not of the Bnei Yisroel; we will pass over to Giv’ah.
13 And he said unto his na’ar, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Giv’ah, or in Ramah.
14 And they passed on and went their way; and the shemesh went down upon them when they were near Giv’ah, which belongeth to Binyamin.
15 And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge the night in Giv’ah; and when he went in, he sat him down in the rechov of the ir; for there was no ish that took them into his bais to lodge the night [T.N. See Iyov 31:32 regarding the sin here, made more shameful in that it was committed against a Levi].
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).
25 But the anashim would not pay heed to him; so the ish took his pilegesh, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her kol halailah until the boker; and when the shachar (dawn) came, they let her go.
26 Then came the isha at the break of haboker, and fell down at the petach bais haish where her adon was, ad haohr (until daylight, sunrise).
27 And her adon rose up in the boker, and opened the daletot habais, and stepped out to go on his derech; and, hinei, the isha, his pilegesh, was fallen at the petach habais! And her hands were upon the sahf (threshold).
28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But there was no answer. Then the ish took [the corpse] upon a donkey, and the ish rose up, and set out for his makom (place, home).
29 And when he was come into his bais, he took a ma’akhelet (knife), and laid hold on his pilegesh, and divided her, together with her atzmot, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the territory of Yisroel.
30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the yom that the Bnei Yisroel came up out of Eretz Mitzrayim unto this day; give ye heed unto it, make up your minds [about the punishment], and speak.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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