Shared Word Translation
Judges 19
A Levite and His Concubine
In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite staying in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. His concubine was unfaithful to him and went away from him to her father’s house at Bethlehem in Judah. She was there four months. Then her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart and bring her back. His servant was with him, and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house, and when the young woman’s father saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, detained him, and he stayed with him three days. They ate and drank and spent the night there. On the fourth day they rose early in the morning, and he prepared to go. But the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go.” So the two of them sat and ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please agree to spend the night, and let your heart be glad.” The man rose to go, but his father-in-law urged him, so he stayed there again. He rose early in the morning on the fifth day to go, but the young woman’s father said, “Please strengthen your heart and remain until the day declines.” So the two of them ate. When the man rose to go, he and his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day has declined toward evening. Please spend the night. Look, the day is ending. Spend the night here, and let your heart be glad. Tomorrow rise early for your journey and go to your tent.”
They Stay in Gibeah
But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He rose and departed and came opposite Jebus—that is, Jerusalem—with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine with him. When they were near Jebus, the day had gone very far. The servant said to his master, “Please come, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” His master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not from the children of Israel. We will pass on to Gibeah.” He said to his servant, “Come, let us approach one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” So they passed on and went their way, and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. They turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. He entered and sat in the open square of the city, for no one took them into a house to spend the night.
An Old Man Welcomes Them
Look, an old man came from his work in the field in the evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim and was staying in Gibeah, but the people of the place were Benjaminites. He lifted his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city. The old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?” He said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the LORD, but no one has taken me into a house. We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man who is with your servants. There is no lack of anything.” The old man said, “Peace to you. Only let all your needs be upon me. Just do not spend the night in the square.” So he brought him into his house and gave fodder to the donkeys. They washed their feet and ate and drank.
Violence in Gibeah
While they were making their hearts glad, look, the men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house, pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may know him.” The man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not act wickedly. Since this man has come into my house, do not commit this disgraceful thing. Look, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out. Humble them and do to them what is good in your eyes, but against this man do not commit this disgraceful thing.” But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them. They knew her and abused her all night until morning, and they released her when the dawn began to rise. At the turning of morning, the woman came and fell at the entrance of the man’s house where her master was, until it was light.
The Levite Sends Her Through Israel
Her master rose in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his way. Look, the woman, his concubine, was fallen at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up, and let us go.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose and went to his place. When he came to his house, he took a knife, took hold of his concubine, and cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has happened or been seen from the day the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, take counsel, and speak.”