Old/New Testament
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.
20 ¶ Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beersheba and the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.
2 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, were present in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
3 (Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then the sons of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness?
4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came into Gibeah of Benjamin with my concubine to pass the night there.
5 And the men of Gibeah rose up against me and beset the house round about upon me by night and thought to have slain me, and they have forced my concubine in such a manner that she is dead.
6 Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the possession of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.
7 Behold, all ye sons of Israel; give here your advice and counsel.
8 Then all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house
9 until we do this upon Gibeah that we cast lots against it;
10 and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provisions for the people that shall go against Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.
11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12 ¶ And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you?
13 Now therefore deliver us those men, the sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away the evil from Israel. But the sons of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren, the sons of Israel;
14 but the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities in Gibeah to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.
15 And the sons of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty-six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men with their right hands impeded (they were lefthanded); each one could sling stones at a hairs breadth, and not miss. {Heb. sin}
17 And the men of Israel, not counting Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war.
18 ¶ Then the sons of Israel arose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the sons of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.
19 And the sons of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in order to fight against them at Gibeah.
21 And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed down to the ground twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites that day.
22 And the people encouraged themselves, and the men of Israel set their battle again in order in the place where they put themselves in order the first day.
23 (And the sons of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)
24 And the sons of Israel came near against the sons of Benjamin the second day.
25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day and again destroyed down to the ground eighteen thousand of the sons of Israel; all these drew the sword.
26 ¶ Then all the sons of Israel and all the people went up and came unto the house of God and wept and sat there before the LORD and fasted that day until evening and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27 And the sons of Israel enquired of the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into thy hand.
29 And Israel set ambushes round about Gibeah.
30 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day and put themselves in order against Gibeah as at the other times.
31 And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people and were drawn away from the city, and they began to smite of the people and kill as at the other times in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God and the other to Gibeah by the field, and they killed about thirty men of Israel.
32 And the sons of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them from the city unto the highways.
33 Then all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in order at Baaltamar, and also those of the ambushes of Israel came forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Gibeah.
34 And ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came against Gibeah, and the battle was sore; but they did not know that evil was near them.
35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel, and the sons of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men; all these drew the sword.
36 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, for the men of Israel had given place to the Benjamites because they trusted those of the ambushes which they had set behind Gibeah.
37 Then the men of the ambushes rushed upon Gibeah and spread out and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
38 Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men of the ambushes that they should make a great signal by causing much smoke to rise up out of the city.
39 Then when the men of Israel turned their backs in the battle and those of Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons, for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us as in the first battle.
40 But when the signal began to arise up out of the city, a pillar of smoke, those of Benjamin looked behind them, and, behold, the whole consumption of the city ascended up to heaven.
41 Then the men of Israel turned again, and the men of Benjamin were terrified, for they saw that evil was come upon them.
42 Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them, and those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them.
43 Thus they inclosed those of Benjamin round about and chased them and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising.
44 And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valour.
45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon; and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.
46 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.
48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin and smote them with the edge of the sword, men and beasts in every city and all that was found; they also set on fire all the cities that they came to.
21 ¶ Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, None of us shall give his daughter unto those of Benjamin to wife.
2 And the people came to the house of God and abode there until the evening before God and lifted up their voices and wept sore
3 and said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel that there should be one tribe lacking in Israel today?
4 And it came to pass on the next day that the people rose early and built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.
5 And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning the one that would not come up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
6 And the sons of Israel repented because of Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7 What shall we do for wives for those that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters for wives?
8 And they said, Is there anyone of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And they found that no one from Jabeshgilead had come to the camp nor to the assembly.
9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there.
10 Then the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword with the women and the children.
11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male and every woman that has lain with a man.
12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins that had known no man by lying with any male, and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Then the whole congregation sent some to speak to the sons of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon and to call peaceably unto them.
14 And those of Benjamin had returned at that time; and they gave them as wives those whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead, and even so they were not enough.
15 And the people repented over Benjamin because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 ¶ Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those that remain? For the female sex had been destroyed out of Benjamin.
17 And they said, Let the inheritance of Benjamin be saved that a tribe not be destroyed out of Israel.
18 However, we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that gives a wife to anyone of Benjamin.
19 Then they said, Behold, there is a solemn feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly in a place which is towards the Aquilon from Bethel and towards the rising of the sun from the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and towards the Negev from Lebonah.
20 Therefore, they commanded the sons of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards
21 and watch with care, and when you see the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come out of the vineyards, and each one of you shall rapture a wife of the daughters of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 And when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto us for their sakes because in the war we did not take enough women for all of them; and you could not have given them to them, or ye should be guilty now.
23 And the sons of Benjamin did so and took themselves wives, according to their number, rapturing them from among those that danced; and they went and returned unto their inheritance and rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them.
24 Then the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family, each one going from there to his inheritance.
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; each one did that which seemed right in his own eyes.
31 And the Lord said, Unto whom then shall I compare the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace and calling one to another and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He has a demon.
34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking, and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.
36 ¶ And one of the Pharisees asked him if he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house and sat down to food.
37 And, behold, a woman who had been a sinner in the city, when she knew that Jesus sat at food in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 and stood at his feet behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him, for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have something to say unto thee. And he said, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor who had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarius, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he released them both from their debt. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou didst give me no water for my feet; but she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss; but this woman since the time I came in has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 Thou didst not anoint my head with oil; but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And those that sat at food with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgives sins also?
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International