Judges 19:16–26

19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field.38 The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.)39 19:17 When he looked up and saw the traveler40 in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 19:18 The Levite41 said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem42 in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home.43 But no one has invited me into their home. 19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant,44 and the young man who is with your servants.45 We lack nothing.” 19:20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine!46 I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal.47

19:22 They were having a good time,48 when suddenly49 some men of the city, some good-for-nothings,50 surrounded the house and kept beating51 on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.”52 19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing! 19:24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s53 concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like.54 But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite55 grabbed his concubine and made her go outside.56 They raped57 her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 19:26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master58 was staying until it became light.59

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38	tn Heb “And look, an old man was coming from his work, from the field in the evening.”
39	tn Heb “And the men of the place were Benjaminites.”
40	tn Heb “the man, the traveler.”
41	tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42	map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
43	tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”
44	tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.
45	tc Some Hebrew mss and ancient witnesses read the singular, “your servant,” which would refer to the Levite. If one retains the plural, then both the Levite and his wife are in view. In either case the pronominal suffix emphasizes their dependence on the old man for shelter.
46	tn Heb “Peace to you.”
47	tn Heb “ate and drank.”
48	tn Heb “they were making their heart good.”
49	tn Heb “and look.”
50	tn Heb “the men of the city, men, the sons of wickedness.” The phrases are in apposition; the last phrase specifies what type of men they were. It is not certain if all the men of the city are in view, or just a group of troublemakers. In 20:5 the town leaders are implicated in the crime, suggesting that all the men of the city were involved. If so, the implication is that the entire male population of the town were good-for-nothings.
51	tn The Hitpael verb form appears to have an iterative force here, indicating repeated action.
52	tn Heb “so we can know him.” On the surface one might think they simply wanted to meet the visitor and get to know him, but their hostile actions betray their double-talk. The old man, who has been living with them long enough to know what they are like, seems to have no doubts about the meaning of their words (see v. 23).
53	tn Heb “his”; the referent (the visiting Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54	tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
55	tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
56	tn Heb “and he caused [her] to go outside to them.”
57	tn Heb “knew,” in the sexual sense.
58	tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman.
59	tn Heb “The woman came at the turning of the morning and fell at the door of the house of the man where her master was until the light.”

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