1 In those days, when there was no king
in Israel, there was a certain Levite living
on the farther side of the hill country of
Ephraim, who took for himself a concubine
out of Bethlehem Judah.
2 His concubine played the prostitute
against him, and went away from him
to her father’s house to Bethlehem Judah,
and was there for four months.
3 Her husband arose and went after her
to speak kindly to her, to bring her again,
having his servant with him and a couple
of donkeys. She brought him into her
father’s house; and when the father of the
young lady saw him, he rejoiced to meet
him.
4 His father-in-law, the young lady’s father,
kept him there; and he stayed with
him three days. So they ate and drank, and
stayed there.
5 On the fourth day, they got up early
in the morning, and he rose up to depart.
The young lady’s father said to his son-inlaw,
“Strengthen your heart with a morsel
of bread, and afterward you shall go your
way.”
6 So they sat down, ate, and drank, both
of them together. Then the young lady’s
father said to the man, “Please be pleased
to stay all night, and let your heart be
merry.”
7 The man rose up to depart; but his
father-in-law urged him, and he stayed
there again.
8 He arose early in the morning on the
fifth day to depart; and the young lady’s
father said, “Please strengthen your heart
and stay until the day declines;” and they
both ate.
9 When the man rose up to depart, he,
and his concubine, and his servant, his
father-in-law, the young lady’s father, said
to him, “Behold, now the day draws towards
evening, please stay all night. Behold,
the day is ending. Stay here, that your
heart may be merry; and tomorrow go on
your way early, that you may go home.”
10 But the man wouldn’t stay that night,
but he rose up and went near Jebus (also
called Jerusalem). With him were a couple
of saddled donkeys. His concubine also
was with him.
11 When they were by Jebus, the day
was far spent; and the servant said to his
master, “Please come and let’s enter into
this city of the Jebusites, and stay in it.”
12 His master said to him, “We won’t
enter into the city of a foreigner that is not
of the children of Israel; but we will pass
over to Gibeah.”
13 He said to his servant, “Come and let’s
draw near to one of these places; and we
will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.”
14 So they passed on and went their way;
and the sun went down on them near
Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.
15 They went over there, to go in to stay
in Gibeah. He went in, and sat down in the
street of the city; for there was no one who
took them into his house to stay.
16 Behold, an old man came from his
work out of the field at evening. Now the
man was from the hill country of Ephraim,
and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the
place were Benjamites.
17 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the
wayfaring man in the street of the city; and
the old man said, “Where are you going?
Where did you come from?”
18 He said to him, “We are passing from
Bethlehem Judah to the farther side of the
hill country of Ephraim. I am from there,
and I went to Bethlehem Judah. I am going
to the LORD’s house; and there is no one
who has taken me into his house.
19 Yet there is both straw and feed for
our donkeys; and there is bread and wine
also for me, and for your servant, and for
the young man who is with your servants.
There is no lack of anything.”
20 The old man said, “Peace be to you!
Just let me supply all your needs, but don’t
sleep in the street.”
21 So he brought him into his house,
and gave the donkeys fodder. Then they
washed their feet, and ate and drank.
22 As they were making their hearts
merry, behold, the men of the city, certain
wicked fellows, surrounded the house,
beating at the door; and they spoke to the
master of the house, the old man, saying,
“Bring out the man who came into your
house, that we can have sex with him!”
23 The man, the master of the house,
went out to them, and said to them, “No,
my brothers, please don’t act so wickedly;
since this man has come into my house,
don’t do 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 to you; but to this man
don’t do any such folly.”
25 But the men wouldn’t listen to him;
so the man grabbed his concubine, and
brought her out to them; and they had sex
with her, and abused her all night until the
morning. When the day began to dawn,
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 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 had fallen down at the door
of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
28 He said to her, “Get up, and let’s get
going!” but no one answered. Then he took
her up on the donkey; and the man rose up,
and went to his place.
29 When he had come into his house,
he took a knife and cut up his concubine,
and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve
pieces, and sent her throughout all the
borders of Israel.
30 It was so, that all who saw it said, “Such
a deed has not been done or seen from the
day that the children of Israel came up out
of the land of Egypt to this day! Consider it,
take counsel, and speak.”
