Judges 19

1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who was living in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

2But his concubine was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah, and she was there for four months.

3Then her husband set out and went after her to speak to her heart and bring her back. He had his servant 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 was glad to meet him.

4His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, persuaded him to stay, and he stayed with him three days. They ate and drank and spent the nights there.

5On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to leave. But the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself with a bite of food, and then you can go.”

6So the two of them sat down and ate and drank together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please agree to spend the night, and enjoy yourself.”

7When the man got up to leave, his father-in-law urged him, so he spent the night there again.

8On the fifth day he got up early in the morning to leave, and the young woman’s father said, “Please refresh yourself. Wait until the afternoon.” So the two of them ate.

9When the man got up to leave with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is fading into evening. Please spend the night. The day is coming to an end. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Then tomorrow you can get up early for your journey and go home.”

10But the man was not willing to spend the night. He got up and left, and came as far as the place opposite Jebus, that is, Jerusalem. He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys, and his concubine was with him.

11When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let us turn aside to this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.”

12But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.”

13He said to his servant, “Come, let us try to reach one of these places, and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.”

14So they passed on and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

15They turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. He went in and sat down in the town square, but no one took them into their home for the night.

16Then an old man came in from his work in the field that evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim and was living in Gibeah as a foreigner; the men of the place were Benjaminites.

17When he looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

18He said to him, “We are passing through from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim. That is where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of Yahweh. But no one has taken me into their home.

19We have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. We do not need anything.”

20The old man said, “Peace to you! Just let me take care of everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”

21So he brought him into his house and gave feed to the donkeys. They washed their feet, and ate and drank.

22While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house and began pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so that we can have sex with him.”

23The man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not do this evil thing. Since this man has come into my house, do not do this disgraceful thing.

24Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them whatever you please. But do not do such a disgraceful thing to this man.”

25But the men would not 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 until morning. At dawn they let her go.

26As morning came, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was, and lay there until it was light.

27When her master got up in the morning, he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. And there was the woman, his concubine, lying at the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

28He said to her, “Get up, let us go.” But there was no answer. Then the man put her on the donkey and set out for his home.

29When he reached his home, he took a knife, took hold of his concubine, and cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces. Then he sent her throughout all the territory of Israel.

30Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day the Israelites came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Think about it, take counsel, and speak!”