ULT JDG Chapter 19

◄ JDG 19 ► ║ ═ ©

19 Now it happened in those days, and a king was not in Israel, that a man, a Levite, was sojourning in the flanks of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a concubine, from Bethlehem in Judah. 2 But his concubine whored against him, and she went from with him to the house of her father, to Bethlehem in Judah. And she was there days, four months. 3 And her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart to cause her to return. And his young man was with him, and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him into the house of her father, and the father of the young woman saw him, and he was glad to meet him. 4 And his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, prevailed upon him, and he stayed with him three days. And they ate and they drank and they lodged there. 5 And it happened on the fourth day that they got up early in the morning and he arose to go, but the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a piece of bread, and afterward you shall go.” 6 So they sat down, and the two of them ate together, and they drank. Then the father of the young woman said to the man, “Please consent and lodge, and may your heart be good.” 7 But the man arose to go, but his father-in-law urged him, so he stayed and lodged there. 8 And he got up early in the morning on the fifth day to go, but the father of the young woman said, “Please strengthen your heart.” So they lingered until the declining of the day, and the two of them ate. 9 And the man arose to go, he and his concubine and his young man. But his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, said to him, “Behold, please, the day has subsided toward evening. Please lodge. Behold the declining of the day. Lodge here, and may your heart be good. Then you shall get up early tomorrow to your road, and you shall go to your tent.” 10 But the man was not willing to lodge, so he arose and he went. And he came to before Jebus (it is Jerusalem). Now with him was the pair of donkeys, saddled, and his concubine was with him. 11 They were beside Jebus, and the day had gone down greatly. So the young man said to his master, “Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusite, and we shall lodge in it.” 12 But his master said to him, “We shall not turn aside into a city of a foreigner, where none from the sons of Israel are here. But we shall cross over to Gibeah.” 13 And he said to his young man, “Come, and let us approach to one of the places, and we shall lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.” 14 So they crossed over and they went. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which is to Benjamin. 15 So they turned aside there to enter to lodge in Gibeah. And they entered and they sat down in the open area of the city, but no one was receiving them into the house to lodge. 16 Then behold, an old man coming from his work, from the field in the evening. And the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah. But the men of the place were Benjaminite. 17 And he lifted his eyes, and he saw the traveling man in the open area of the city. And the old man said, “Where are you going and from where are you coming?” 18 He said to him, “We are crossing over from Bethlehem in Judah to the flanks of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of Yahweh. But there is not a man receiving me into the house. 19 But there is even straw and even fodder for our donkeys, and there is even bread and wine for me and for your maidservant and for the young man with your servants. There is no need of anything.” 20 But the old man said, “Peace to you! Surely all of your need is upon me. Surely you must not lodge in the open area.” 21 So he brought him into his house, and he mixed for the donkeys, and they washed their feet, and they ate and they drank. 22 They were making their heart good, but behold, men of the city, men of sons of wickedness, encircled themselves around the house, pounding repeatedly on the door. And they spoke to the old man, the master of the house, saying, “Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him.” 23 But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not act wickedly! After that this man has come into my house, you must not do this outrage! 24 Behold, my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out, and you may humble them and do to them the good in your eyes. But to this man do not do this thing of outrage!” 25 But the men did not consent to listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them outside. And they knew her and they abused her all of the night until the morning. Then they let her go at the rising of the dawn. 26 And the woman came at the turning of the morning, and she fell down at the entrance of the house of the man where her master was there, until the light. 27 And her master arose in the morning, and he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. And behold, the woman, his concubine, fallen at the entrance of the house, and her hands were on the threshold. 28 And he said to her, “Arise, and let us go.” But there was no answering, so he took her on the donkey, and the man arose and went to his place. 29 And he came to his house, and he took a knife, and he seized his concubine, and he cut her to her bones, into 12 pieces, and he sent her into all of the border of Israel. 30 And it happened, everyone was seeing, and he said, “Like this has not been done and has not been seen from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt up to this day. Set for yourselves upon it! Take counsel, and speak!”

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