Judges 19
Complete Jewish Bible
19 In those days, when there was no king in Isra’el, there was a certain Levi living on the far side of the Efrayim hills who took a woman from Beit-Lechem in Y’hudah to be his concubine. 2 But his concubine was unfaithful to him and left him to go to her father’s house at Beit-Lechem in Y’hudah, where she stayed for some time, four months. 3 Then her husband went after her to persuade her to return; he had his servant with him and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house; and when the girl’s father saw him, he was glad to meet him. 4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, kept him there; so he remained with him three days; they ate, drank and stayed there. 5 On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to leave. But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “You’ll feel better if you have a bite of food before you leave.” 6 So the two of them sat down and ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please stay one more night, and have a good time.” 7 The man rose to leave, but his father-in-law pressed him, so he stayed there again. 8 The morning of the fifth day, he got up early to leave; but the girl’s father said, “Why don’t you have something to eat, and leave this afternoon?” So the two men ate. 9 When the man got up to leave with his concubine and servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, it’s almost evening. Please stay the night — you see that it’s getting late. Stay on, enjoy yourself, and tomorrow get going early on your way home.” 10 But the man wouldn’t stay that night; so he got up and left with his concubine and his two saddled donkeys; and they arrived at Y’vus, also known as Yerushalayim.
11 By the time they arrived at Y’vus it was nearly evening; and the servant said to his master, “Why don’t we go on into this city of the Y’vusi and stay there?” 12 But his master said to him, “We won’t go into a city of foreigners which doesn’t belong to the people of Isra’el. We’ll go on across to Giv‘ah.” 13 He said to his servant, “Let’s go, and we’ll get to one of those places; we’ll stay in Giv‘ah or Ramah.” 14 So they went on and kept traveling, until the sun set on them near Giv‘ah, which belongs to Binyamin. 15 There they turned off the road to go and stay in Giv‘ah. He went in and sat down in the city’s open space, since no one had offered his home for them to spend the night.
16 In time, at nightfall, an old man came from his work in the field. He was from the Efrayim hills and was staying in Giv‘ah, although the residents were of Binyamin. 17 The old man looked up, saw the traveler in the city’s open space and said, “Where are you going, and where are you coming from?” 18 He replied, “We’re crossing from Beit-Lechem in Y’hudah to the far side of the Efrayim hills. That’s where I’m from. I went to Beit-Lechem in Y’hudah, and now I’m going to the house of Adonai; but there’s no one here who will let me spend the night in his home. 19 We have straw and food for our donkeys, also bread and wine for me, my concubine and the boy there with your servants; we don’t need anything else.” 20 The old man said, “You’re welcome to stay with me. I’ll take care of anything you lack; just don’t spend the night out in the open.” 21 So he brought him home and gave food to the donkeys. Then they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
22 They were relaxing, when suddenly some men from the city, good-for-nothings, surrounded the house and began beating at the door. “Send out the man who came home with you!” they demanded of the old man whose house it was. “We want to have sex with him!” 23 The man whose house it was went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, please don’t do anything as wrong as this. Look, he’s just a guest in my house; don’t do this degrading thing. 24 Here’s my daughter, who’s a virgin, and his concubine. I’ll bring them out. Mistreat them, do what you want to them, but don’t do such a degrading thing to this man.” 25 However, the men wouldn’t listen to him; so the man took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them. They raped her and abused her all night long; only at dawn did they let her go. 26 At daybreak the woman came and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her husband was, and she was still there when it grew light. 27 When her husband got up, opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his way, he saw the woman lying there with her hands stretched out toward the door. 28 He said to her, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he loaded her body on the donkey and began his trip home. 29 On arrival at his house, he got a knife, took hold of his concubine’s body, cut her up into twelve pieces, and sent them to all the regions of Isra’el. 30 Everyone who saw it said, “From the day the people of Isra’el came up from Egypt until now, never has such a thing happened or been seen. What are we going to do about it? Talk it over and decide.”
Judges 19
Jubilee Bible 2000
19 ¶ In those days when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem of Judah.
2 And his concubine committed adultery against him and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehem of Judah and was there four whole months.
3 And her husband arose and went after her to speak friendly unto her and to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses, and she brought him into her father’s house. And when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him;
4 and his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him, and he dwelt with him three days; eating and drinking, and abiding there.
5 And on the fourth day when they arose early in the morning, the Levite rose up to depart; and the damsel’s father said unto his son-in-law, Strengthen thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterwards ye shall go.
6 And the two of them sat down together and ate and drank. And the damsel’s father said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and thy heart shall be merry.
7 And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him to remain and lodge there again.
8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, and the damsel’s father said, Strengthen now thy heart. And after having eaten together, they tarried until afternoon.
9 And when the man rose up to depart, he and his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draws toward evening, I pray you tarry all night; behold, the day comes to an end; lodge here that thy heart may be merry, and tomorrow ye shall get up early and be on your way that thou may come unto thy tent.
10 But the man would not remain there that night, but he rose up and departed and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with his two asses saddled and with his concubine.
11 And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come now and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it.
12 And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside here into a city of strangers that is not of the sons of Israel; we will go on to Gibeah.
13 And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places to pass the night, in Gibeah or in Ramah.
14 And they passed on and walked; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belonged to Benjamin.
15 And they turned in there, to enter and to lodge in Gibeah; and entering in, they sat down in the plaza of the city, for no one took them into their house to pass the night.
16 ¶ And, behold, an old man, who in the evening came from working in the field, who was also of Mount Ephraim, sojourned in Gibeah, but the men of the place were sons of Jemini. {Benjamin}
17 And the old man lifted up his eyes and saw the traveller in the plaza of the city and said unto him, Where dost thou go and where hast thou come from?
18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehem of Judah toward the side of Mount Ephraim, where I am from, and I went to Bethlehem of Judah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD, and no one has received me in their house
19 even though we have straw and fodder for our asses, and there is bread and wine also for me and for thy handmaid and for the young man who is with thy slave; we have no lack of any thing.
20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; let all thy needs be upon me; only do not pass the night in the plaza.
21 So he brought him into his house and gave fodder unto the asses, and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
22 ¶ Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, that men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about and beat at the doors and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house that we may know him.
23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them and said unto them, No, my brethren, I pray you, do not do this evil, seeing that this man has entered into my house; do not commit this folly.
24 Behold, here is my virgin daughter and his concubine; I will bring them out now, humble them, and do with them what seems good unto you, but unto this man do not commit this vile folly.
25 But the men would not hearken unto him, so the man took his concubine and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her and abused her all night until the morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.
26 Then the woman came, in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was until it was light.
27 And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, and behold, the woman, his concubine, was fallen down at the door of the house with her hands upon the threshold.
28 And he said unto her, Rise up, and let us be going. But she did not answer. Then the man rose up and took her upon his ass and went unto his place.
29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine and divided her, together with her bones into twelve pieces, and sent them into all the borders of Israel.
30 And everyone that saw it said, No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day. Consider this, give advice, and speak.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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