Judges 19

In those days there was no king in Israel. A Levite was living in a far part of the hill country of Ephraim. He took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah.

1And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.

Note"No king in Israel" is a set phrase repeated through the closing chapters of Judges; it marks the period before Israel had a monarchy, when no central authority existed to judge or punish. A Levite was a member of the tribe of Levi, which was given no territory of its own and lived scattered among the other tribes, supported by them and responsible for duties at the sanctuary. A concubine (Hebrew *pilegesh*) was not a mistress: she was a woman joined to a man in a recognized but second-rank marriage. She and her children had fewer rights than those of a full wife, but the union was legal, which is why the man is called her husband and her father is called his father-in-law.

2But she was unfaithful to him and left him. She went back to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah, and she stayed there four whole months.

2And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.

NoteThe Hebrew verb here normally means "she was sexually unfaithful," which is how the King James and most modern versions read it. Some ancient manuscripts (in Greek and Old Latin) instead read "she became angry with him" and left. Both readings are old, and translations still differ; the text as it stands does not explain why she went home.

3Then her husband got up and went after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He took his servant and a pair of donkeys with him. She brought him into her father's house, and when the young woman's father saw him, he was glad to meet him.

3And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant 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.

Note"Speak kindly to her" is literally "speak to her heart" in Hebrew, to reassure or win someone over. Donkeys were the ordinary pack and riding animal for people of modest means; the second one is for bringing her back. Because a wife's family had received payment when the marriage was made, a husband in this situation had to deal with her father, not just with her.

4His father-in-law, the young woman's father, kept him from leaving, so he stayed with him three days. They ate and drank, and he slept there.

4And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.

NoteRoughly three days was the customary span of hospitality to a guest. Anything the host pressed on a visitor beyond that counted as extra honor, and, as here, as pressure to stay.

5On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he stood up to leave. But the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Have a bite of bread to strengthen yourself, and after that you can go on your way."

5And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.

Note"Have a bite of bread to strengthen yourself" is a Hebrew idiom for sitting down to a meal. "A bite of bread" is polite understatement; what follows is a full meal with wine.

6So the two of them sat down and ate and drank together. The young woman's father had said to the man, "Please be willing to stay the night, and enjoy yourself."

6And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.

7When the man got up to leave, his father-in-law kept urging him, so he spent another night there.

7And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.

8He got up early in the morning on the fifth day to leave, and the young woman's father said, "Please have something to eat and strengthen yourself." So they waited until late in the afternoon, and the two of them ate.

8And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.

9Then the man got up to leave with his concubine and his servant. His father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is turning toward evening. Please stay the night. See, the day is almost over. Sleep here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can start out early and go home."

9And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.

NoteJourneys were timed to reach a town before dark. Roads were unpoliced, there were no inns along the way, and a traveler caught outside a settlement at night had no shelter and no protection.

10But the man was not willing to stay that night. He got up and left, and he came to the place across from Jebus, that is, Jerusalem. He had two saddled donkeys with him, and his concubine was with him.

10But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.

NoteJebus was Jerusalem under its Canaanite inhabitants, the Jebusites. At this point it was not an Israelite town; it was captured by David generations later. It lay about six miles north of Bethlehem, a few hours' walk.

11When they were near Jebus and most of the day was gone, the servant said to his master, "Please, let us stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it."

11And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

12His master said to him, "We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah."

12And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah.

NoteThe Jebusites were one of the Canaanite peoples living in the land before and alongside Israel. The Levite's objection is about ethnicity and safety: he assumes he will be treated better among his own people.

13He said to his servant, "Come, let us try to reach one of these towns and spend the night there, in Gibeah or in Ramah."

13And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

NoteGibeah lay about three miles north of Jerusalem and Ramah a couple of miles further on; each was under an hour's walk from the last, which is why both are options at sunset.

14So they went on their way, and the sun set on them when they were near Gibeah, which belongs to the tribe of Benjamin.

14And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

15They turned off there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the open square of the city, because no one took them into his house for the night.

15And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging.

NoteThe "open square" was the broad open space just inside the town gate, where public business was done. Towns had no inns. A traveler sat in the square and waited for a resident to take him home; making that offer was a strong social obligation, and leaving a stranger sitting there was a public failure of the town's duty.

16That evening an old man came in from his work in the field. He too was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was living in Gibeah, but the men of that place were Benjamites.

16And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites.

NoteThe old man is himself an outsider in Gibeah, a man from another tribe's territory settled among Benjamites. Such a resident had a recognized place in the town but not the standing of someone born there.

17When he looked up, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city. The old man said, "Where are you going? Where have you come from?"

17And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?

18He said to him, "We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to a far part of the hill country of Ephraim. That is where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of the LORD. But no one has taken me into his house.

18And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house.

Note"The house of the LORD" is what the Hebrew says: the central sanctuary, at this period at Shiloh, which lay on his route north. Some ancient Greek copies read "to my house" instead, and translations differ over which is original.

19We have straw and feed for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine for me, for your servant woman, and for the young man who is with us. We lack nothing."

19Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing.

Note"Your servant woman" and "your servants" are polite third-person speech for "me and the people with me." The point of listing the supplies is that he is asking only for a roof, not to be fed at anyone's expense.

20The old man said, "Peace to you. Whatever you need, let me take care of it. Only do not spend the night in the square."

20And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street.

21So he brought him into his house and fed his donkeys. They washed their feet, and they ate and drank.

21So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

NoteTravelers wore open sandals on dusty roads. Providing water to wash a guest's feet was the standard opening act of hospitality, done before food.

22While they were enjoying themselves, wicked men of the city surrounded the house. They pounded on the door and said to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came into your house, so we can have sex with him."

22Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

NoteThe King James "sons of Belial" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning "sons of worthlessness", an idiom for lawless, good-for-nothing men, not a proper name. "That we may know him" in the King James is literal: the Hebrew verb "know" is a common plain-speech way of referring to sexual intercourse.

23The man who owned the house went out to them and said, "No, my brothers, please do not do such an evil thing. This man is a guest in my house. Do not do this disgraceful thing.

23And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly.

NoteThe King James "folly" translates *nebalah*, a much stronger word than the English suggests: an outrage, a disgraceful act that breaks the community's basic order. A host was held responsible for the safety of anyone sheltering under his roof, which is the ground of his protest.

24Look, here is my daughter, who has never been with a man, and here is his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Use them and do to them whatever you think best. But do not do such a vile thing to this man."

24Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing.

Note"A maiden" in the King James means a girl who has not had sexual relations; "humble ye them" means to violate or rape them. The scene closely mirrors Genesis 19, where Lot offers his daughters to the men of Sodom, and the wording is near enough that the first hearers would have recognized the echo.

25But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and put her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until the morning, and when day began to break, they let her go.

25But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

26At dawn the woman came back and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was staying, and she lay there until it was light.

26Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, till it was light.

Note"Her lord" and "her master" translate the ordinary Hebrew word a wife or concubine used for her husband. It states his legal authority over her rather than any feeling.

27In the morning her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go on his way. There was the woman, his concubine, fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the doorstep.

27And 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 was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

NoteThe threshold was the boundary of the household's protection. She reached the door of the house but not the inside of it.

28He said to her, "Get up. Let us go." But there was no answer. Then the man lifted her onto the donkey, set out, and went home.

28And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place.

NoteThe Hebrew says only that there was no answer; it does not state whether she was alive or dead at this point, and readers have disagreed about it since antiquity. Some ancient Greek copies add the words "for she was dead," which the Hebrew does not have.

29When he reached his house, he took a knife, took hold of his concubine, and cut her apart, limb by limb, into twelve pieces. He sent the pieces through all the territory of Israel.

29And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel.

NoteTwelve pieces, one for each of the twelve tribes. Sending out portions of a body was a summons: it demanded that every tribe answer and come. Saul later does the same with a butchered pair of oxen (1 Samuel 11:7), with the threat that whoever fails to come will have his own oxen treated so.

30Everyone who saw it said, "Nothing like this has been done or seen from the day the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, talk it over, and speak up."

30And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.

Note"Think it over, talk it over, speak up" renders three commands calling for formal deliberation: that the tribes assemble, take counsel together, and give a public verdict on what to do.