Judges 19:16–30

¹⁶That evening an old man came into the city from his work in the fields. He was from the mountain region of Ephraim but lived in Gibeah. The other people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin. ¹⁷He saw the traveler in the city square. So the old man asked, “Where do you come from? And where are you going?” 

¹⁸The Levite replied, “We’re on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the mountains of Ephraim. That’s where I’m from. I had gone to Bethlehem in Judah. Now I’m going to the Lord’s house, but no one has offered to take me into his home. ¹⁹We have straw and fodder for our donkeys. I even have bread and wine for myself, the woman, and my servant. We have everything we need.” 

²⁰Then the old man said, “Welcome! Let me take care of your needs. Just don’t spend the night in the city square.” ²¹So he took the Levite to his house and fed the donkeys. After they washed, they ate and drank. 

²²While they were enjoying themselves, some worthless men from the city surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They told the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have sex with him.” 

²³The owner went out to them. He told them, “No, my friends! Please don’t do anything so evil! This man is a guest in my home. Don’t do such a godless thing! ²⁴Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. Rape them, and do with them whatever you want. Just don’t do such a godless thing to this man.” 

²⁵But the men refused to listen to him. So the Levite grabbed his concubine and forced her outside. They had sex with her and abused her all night until morning. They let her go when the sun was coming up. ²⁶At daybreak, the woman came to the door of the house where her husband was and collapsed. She was still there when it became light. 

²⁷Her husband got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and was about to leave. His wife (that is, his concubine) was lying at the door of the house with her hands on the doorstep. ²⁸The Levite said to her, “Get up! Let’s go!” But she did not answer. So he put her on the donkey and left for home. 

²⁹When he arrived home, he got a knife. He took his concubine and cut her limb from limb into 12 pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territories of Israel. 

³⁰Everyone who saw it said, “Never has such a thing happened or been seen from the time the people of Israel came out of Egypt until today. Think about it! Form a plan, and speak out!”