Judges 19

1It happened in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite staying in the remote hill country of Ephraim took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah.

2His concubine was unfaithful to him and went away from him to her father's house in Bethlehem Judah, and she stayed there four months.

3Her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart and bring her back, 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 rejoiced to meet him.

4His father-in-law, the young woman's father, urged him to stay, and he remained with him three days, eating and drinking and spending the night there.

5On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he arose to leave, but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you may go."

6They sat down, ate and drank together, both of them. The young woman's father said to the man, "Please consent to stay the night, and let your heart fare well."

7The man got up to leave, but his father-in-law pressed him, and he turned back and spent the night there.

8He got up early in the morning on the fifth day to leave, and the young woman's father said, "Please strengthen your heart and stay until afternoon," and both of them ate.

9The man rose to leave—he and his concubine and his servant—when his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "See, now the day declines toward evening; please stay the night. See, the day draws to a close; stay here, and it will be good for your heart. Rise early tomorrow for your journey and go to your home."

10The man was unwilling to stay, but he arose and set out until he arrived opposite Jebus—which is Jerusalem—with a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine with him.

11They were alongside Jebus as the day had declined greatly, and the servant said to his master, "Please, let us turn aside to this Jebusite city and stay the night in it."

12His master said to him, "We will not turn aside here into a foreign city that is not from Israel's sons; we will pass over to Gibeah."

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

14They passed along and went on until the sun set on them near Gibeah of Benjamin.

15They turned aside there to enter and spend the night in Gibeah. He entered and sat down in the city square, for no one was taking them into his house to lodge.

16Look, an elderly man came in from his work in the field toward evening. This man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he resided in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites.

17He raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the city street, and the old man said, "Where are you going? And from where did you come?"

18He said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the far reaches of Ephraim's hill country—from there I come, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to Yahweh's house, but no man receives me into a house."

19There is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine also for me, for your maidservant, and for the young man with your servants; nothing at all is lacking.

20The old man said, "Peace be with you; only, all your need rests upon me; only do not spend the night in the square."

21He took him home and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet, ate, and drank.

22While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the men of the city—worthless fellows—surrounded the house, pounding on the door. They said to the owner of the house, the old man, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him."

23The owner of the house went out to them and said, "No, my brothers—no, please don't do evil; since this man has come to my house, don't commit this outrage."

24See, my virgin daughter and his concubine—let me bring them out to you now. Abuse them and do to them what is right in your eyes, but do not commit this shameful outrage against this man.

25But the men refused to listen to him, so the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them in the street. They raped her and mistreated her all night until morning; as dawn rose, they sent her away.

26Then the woman came as morning approached and fell at the doorway of the man's house where her master was, until daylight.

27Her master arose in the morning, opened the house doors, and went out to continue on his way; and there lay the woman, his concubine, collapsed at the house entrance with her hands on the threshold.

28He said to her, “Arise, let us go!” But none answered. He took her onto the donkey; then the man arose and went to his place.

29He entered his house, took the knife, seized his concubine, cut her bone by bone into twelve pieces, and sent her into every territory of Israel.

30It happened that all who saw it said, "Nothing like this has occurred or been seen from the day the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Set your minds on it, take counsel, and speak."