The Levite and His Concubine
1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2But his concubine was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah, and she stayed there four months. 3Her husband set out after her, to speak kindly to her and bring her back. He had with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house, and when the young woman’s father saw him, he welcomed him joyfully. 4His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, urged him to stay, and he remained with him three days; they ate and drank and spent the nights there. 5On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to leave, but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat first, to give you strength, and then you can go.” 6So the two of them sat down together to eat and drink. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself.” 7When the man got up to leave, his father-in-law kept urging him, so he stayed the night there again. 8On the fifth day he got up early to leave, but the young woman’s father said, “Refresh yourself first.” So they waited until the afternoon, and the two of them ate together. 9Then, as 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 nearly over — evening is coming. Stay the night. The day is almost gone; spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early for your journey and go home.” 10But the man would not stay another night. He got up and set out, and came to a point opposite Jebus — that is, Jerusalem — with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine. 11When they were near Jebus, with the day nearly gone, the servant said to his master, “Come, let’s turn aside to this city of the Jebusites and spend the night there.” 12His master replied, “We will not turn aside to a foreign city, one that does not belong to the Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.” 13He said to his servant, “Come, let’s try to reach one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.” 14So they went on, and the sun set on them as they were near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15They turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. The man went in and sat down in the city square, but no one took them into their home for the night.
A Night in Gibeah
16That evening an old man came in from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, though he lived in Gibeah, where the people were Benjamites. 17When he looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, “Where are you going, and where have you come from?” 18He said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and now I am going to the house of Yahweh, but no one has taken me into their home. 19We have both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your servant, and for the young man who is with us. We lack nothing.” 20The old man said, “Peace to you. Let me take care of all your needs; only don’t spend the night in the square.” 21So he brought him into his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet, and ate and drank.
The Outrage at Gibeah
22While they were enjoying themselves, the men of the city, worthless men, surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house, so we can have relations with him.” 23The owner of the house went out to them and said, “No, my brothers, don’t do this evil. This man is my guest — don’t do such a disgraceful thing. 24Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. Let me bring them out to you now. Rape them, do to them whatever you like. But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man.” 25But the men would not listen to him. So the man took hold of his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her all night until morning, and let her go at the first light of dawn. 26As morning approached, the woman came and collapsed at the door of the man’s house where her husband was staying, and lay there until it was light. 27When her husband got up in the morning and opened the door of the house to go on his way, there was his concubine, fallen at the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28“Get up,” he said to her, “let’s go.” But there was no answer. So he put her on the donkey and set out for home.
The Levite’s Gruesome Summons
29When he reached home, he took a knife, took hold of his concubine, and cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel. 30Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen, from the day the Israelites came up out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up.”
