Judges 19–21

Chapter 19

¹And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that a certain Levite, sojourning on the further side of mount Ephraim, took him a concubine out of Bethlehem-Judah. ²And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him to her father’s house to Bethlehem-Judah, and was there some time, —four months. ³And her husband rose up and went after her, to speak kindly to her, to bring her again; and his servant was with him, and a couple of asses. And she brought him into her father’s house; and when the father of the damsel saw him he rejoiced to meet him. ⁴And his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, retained him, and he abode with him three days; and they ate and drank, and lodged there. ⁵And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart; and the damsel’s father said to his son-in-law, Refresh thy heart with a morsel of bread, and afterwards ye may go your way. ⁶And they sat down, and ate and drank, both of them together. And the damsel’s father said to the man, Be content, I pray thee, and pass the night, and let thy heart be glad. ⁷And the man rose up to depart, but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. ⁸And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; but the damsel’s father said, Refresh thy heart, I pray thee. And they lingered until the afternoon, and they did eat both of them. ⁹And the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant; and his father-in-law, the damsel’s father, said to him, Behold now, the day draws toward evening—I pray you stay all night; behold, the day is declining, lodge here, and let thy heart be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go to thy tent. ¹⁰But the man would not tarry the night; and he rose up and departed, and came opposite to Jebus, that is, Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, and his concubine was with him. ¹¹They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it. ¹²But his master said to him, We will not turn aside into the city of a stranger, which is not of the children of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah. ¹³And he said to his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places, and lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah. ¹⁴And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵And they turned aside thither, to go in, to lodge in Gibeah. And he went in, and sat down in the open place of the city; and there was no one that received him into his house to pass the night.

¹⁶And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even; and the man was of mount Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjaminites. ¹⁷And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the open place of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? ¹⁸And he said to him, We are travelling from Bethlehem-Judah towards the further side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I; and I went to Bethlehem-Judah, and I have to do with the house of Jehovah; and there is no man that receives me into his house. ¹⁹And we have both straw and provender for our asses; and I have bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man with thy servants: there is no lack of anything. ²⁰Then the old man said, Peace be with thee; only let all thy wants lie on me; but lodge not in the street. ²¹And he brought him into his house, and gave the asses provender; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

²²They were making their hearts merry, when behold, the men of the city, sons of Belial, surrounded the house, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thy house, that we may know him. ²³And the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, No, my brethren, I pray you, do not wickedly; seeing that this man is come into my house, do not this villany. ²⁴Behold, my daughter, who is a virgin, and his concubine; let me bring them out, and humble ye them, and do to them as is good in your sight; but to this man do not so vile a thing. ²⁵But the men would not hearken to him; and the man took his concubine, and brought her forth to them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning; and let her go when the morning-dawn arose. ²⁶And the woman came at the dawning of the day, and fell down at the entrance of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light. ²⁷And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the door of the house, and went out to go his way, and behold, there lay the woman his concubine at the entrance of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. ²⁸And he said to her, Up, and let us go; but no one answered. And he took her upon the ass; and the man rose up, and went to his place. ²⁹And when he was come into his house, he took the knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, according to her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the borders of Israel. ³⁰And it came to pass that every one that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came out of Egypt to this day. Think it over, advise, and speak.

Chapter 20

¹And all the children of Israel went forth, and the assembly gathered together as one man, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and the land of Gilead, unto Jehovah at Mizpah. ²And the heads of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. ³And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah. And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wickedness? ⁴Then the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered, answered and said, I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. ⁵And the citizens of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house because of me, by night; they thought to slay me, and my concubine have they humbled so that she died. ⁶Then I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed lewdness and villany in Israel. ⁷Behold, all ye, children of Israel, deliberate and give here your counsel. ⁸And all the people rose up as one man, saying, We will not any one go to his tent, neither will we any one turn into his house. ⁹But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we go by lot against it; ¹⁰and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the villany that they have wrought in Israel. ¹¹And all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men to all the families of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that has been done among you? ¹³And now give up the men, the sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. ¹⁴And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities of Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. ¹⁵And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities, twenty-six thousand men that drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. ¹⁶Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men left-handed; all these slang stones at a hair breadth, and missed not. ¹⁷And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

¹⁸And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah first. ¹⁹And the children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah. ²⁰And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. ²¹And the children of Benjamin went forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty-two thousand men. ²²And the people, the men of Israel, took courage, and set the battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. ²³And the children of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until even, and inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him. ²⁴And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. ²⁵And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and again destroyed to the ground of the children of Israel eighteen thousand men: all these drew the sword.

²⁶Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came to Bethel, and wept, and abode there before Jehovah, and fasted that day until even, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ²⁷And the children of Israel inquired of Jehovah (and the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, ²⁸and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Jehovah said, Go up; for to-morrow I will give them into thy hand. ²⁹And Israel set liers in wait against Gibeah, round about. ³⁰And the children of…