Judges 19

Hospitality of the Father-in-Law Judges 19:4–9

⁴Verse 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. ⁵Verse 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-in-law, “Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you shall go your way.” ⁶Verse 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.” ⁷Verse 7. The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he stayed there again.

⁸Verse 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. ⁹Verse 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 toward 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.”

Journey to Gibeah Judges 19:10–15

¹⁰Verse 10. But the man wouldn’t stay that night, but he rose up and departed, and toward Jebus (also called Jerusalem). With him were a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine also was with him. ¹¹Verse 11. When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, “Please come and let us enter into this city of the Jebusites, and stay in it.” ¹²Verse 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.” ¹³Verse 13. He said to his servant, “Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.”

¹⁴Verse 14. So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵Verse 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.

An Old Man Offers Shelter Judges 19:16–21

¹⁶Verse 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. ¹⁷Verse 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?” ¹⁸Verse 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 Yahweh’s house; and there is no one who has taken me into his house.

¹⁹Verse 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.” ²⁰Verse 20. The old man said, “Peace be to you; how ever let me supply all your needs. Just don’t sleep in the street.” ²¹Verse 21. So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder. Then they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

The Assault by Wicked Men Judges 19:22–25

²²Verse 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!” ²³Verse 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. ²⁴Verse 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.”

²⁵Verse 25. But the men wouldn’t listen to him: so the man laid hold of 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.

The Aftermath of Violence Judges 19:26–29

²⁶Verse 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. ²⁷Verse 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. ²⁸Verse 28. He said to her, “Get up, and let us be going!” but no one answered. Then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place.

²⁹Verse 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.

A Call to Israel Judges 19:30

³⁰Verse 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.”