Judges 19

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a man, a Levite, whose home was deep inthe highlands of Ephraim. He took as concubine a woman from Bethlehem in Judah.	1 There was a certain man, a Levite, living beside mount Ephraim, who took a wife from Bethlehem of Judah.
2 In a fit of anger his concubine left him and went back to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, andshe stayed there for some time -- four months.	2 She left him, and she returned to the house of her father in Bethlehem. And she stayed with him for four months.
3 Her husband then set out after her, to appeal to her affections and fetch her back; he had his servantand two donkeys with him. As he was arriving at the house of the girl's father, the father saw him and camehappily to meet him.	3 And her husband followed her, wishing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to lead her back with him. And he had with him a servant and two donkeys. And she received him, and brought him into the house of her father. And when his father-in-law had heard about this, and had seen him, he met him with joy.
4 His father-in-law, the girl's father, kept him there; and he stayed with him for three days; they ate anddrank and spent the nights there.	4 And he embraced the man. And the son-in-law stayed in the house of his father-in-law for three days, eating and drinking with him in a friendly manner.
5 On the fourth day they got up early, and the Levite was preparing to leave when the girl's father said tohis son-in-law, 'Have something to eat to gather strength; you can leave later.'	5 But on the fourth day, arising in the night, he intended to set out. But his father-in-law took hold of him, and he said to him, “First taste a little bread, and strengthen your stomach, and then you shall set out.”
6 So they sat down and began eating and drinking, the two of them together; then the girl's father said tothe young man, 'Please agree to spend tonight here too and enjoy yourself.'	6 And they sat down together, and they ate and drank. And the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, “I ask you to remain here today, so that we may rejoice together.”
7 And when the man got up to leave, the father-in-law pressed him again, and he spent another nightthere.	7 But getting up, he intended to begin to set out. But nevertheless, his father-in-law pressed him resolutely, and made him remain with him.
8 On the fifth day, the Levite got up early to leave, but the girl's father said to him, 'Please gatherstrength first!' So they stayed on until the sun began to go down, and the two men had a meal together.	8 But when morning came, the Levite was preparing for his journey. And his father-in-law said to him again, “I beg you to take a little food, and to be strengthened, until the daylight increases, and after that, you shall set out.” Therefore, they ate together.
9 The husband was getting up to leave with his concubine and his servant when his father-in-law, thegirl's father, said, 'Look, day is fading into evening. Please spend the night here. Look, the day is nearly over.Spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Then, early tomorrow, you can leave on your journey and go backhome.'	9 And the young man got up, so that he might travel with his wife and servant. And his father-in-law spoke to him again: “Consider that the daylight is declining, and it approaches toward evening. Remain with me also today, and spend the day in gladness. And tomorrow you shall set out, so that you may go to your own house.”
10 But the man, refusing to stay the night, got up and went on his way, until he arrived within sight ofJebus -- that is, Jerusalem. He had with him two donkeys saddled, his concubine and his servant.	10 His son-in-law was not willing to agree to his words. Instead, he immediately continued on, and he arrived opposite Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two donkeys carrying burdens, and his mate.
11 By the time they were near Jebus, the light was going fast. The servant said to his master, 'Come on,please, let us turn off into this Jebusite town and spend the night there.'	11 And now they were near Jebus, but day was turning into night. And the servant said to his lord, “Come, I beg you, let us turn aside to the city of the Jebusites, so that we may find lodging in it.”
12 His master replied, 'We shal not turn off into a town of foreigners, of people who are not Israelites;we shal go on to Gibeah.'	12 His lord responded to him: “I will not enter into the town of a foreign people, who are not of the sons of Israel. Instead, I will cross over as far as Gibeah.
13 He then said to his servant, 'Come on, we shal try to reach one or other of those places, eitherGibeah or Ramah, and spend the night there.'	13 And when I will have arrived there, we will lodge in that place, or at least in the city of Ramah.”
14 So they kept going and went on with their journey. As they approached Gibeah in Benjamin, the sunwas setting.	14 Therefore, they passed by Jebus, and continuing on, they undertook the journey. But the sun went down on them when they were near Gibeah, which is of the tribe of Benjamin.
15 So they turned that way to spend the night in Gibeah. Once inside, the Levite sat down in the townsquare, but no one offered to take them in for the night.	15 And so they diverted to it, so that they might lodge there. And when they had entered, they were sitting in the street of the city. For no one was willing to give them hospitality.
16 Eventual y, an old man came along at nightfal from his work in the fields. He too was from thehighlands of Ephraim, although he was living in Gibeah; the people of the place, however, were Benjaminites.	16 And behold, they saw an old man, returning from the field and from his work in the evening, and he was also from mount Ephraim, and he was living as a stranger in Gibeah. For the men of that region were of the sons of Benjamin.
17 Looking up, he saw the travel er in the town square. 'Where are you going?' said the old man, 'Andwhere have you come from?'	17 And the old man, lifting up his eyes, saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city. And he said to him: “Where have you come from? And where are you going?”
18 'We are on our way', the other replied, 'from Bethlehem in Judah to a place deep in the highlands ofEphraim. That is where I come from. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going home, but no onehas offered to take me into his house,	18 He answered him: “We set out from Bethlehem of Judah, and we are traveling to our own place, which is beside mount Ephraim. From there we went to Bethlehem, and now we go to the house of God. But no one is willing to receive us under his roof.
19 although we have straw and provender for our donkeys, and I also have bread and wine for myself,and this maidservant and the young man who is travelling with your servant; we are short of nothing.'	19 We have straw and hay as fodder for the donkeys, and we have bread and wine for the use of myself, and for your handmaid and the servant who is with me. We lack nothing except lodging.”
20 'Welcome,' said the old man. 'I shal see that you have al you want. You cannot spend the night inthe square.'	20 And the old man responded to him: “Peace be with you. I will provide all that is necessary. Only, I beg you, do not stay in the street.”
21 So he took him into his house and gave the donkeys provender. The travel ers washed their feet,then ate and drank.	21 And he led him into his house, and he gave fodder to his donkeys. And after they had washed their feet, he received them with a banquet.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, some townsmen, scoundrels, came crowding round the house;they battered on the door and said to the old man, master of the house, 'Send out the man who went into yourhouse, we should like to have intercourse with him!'	22 And while they were feasting, and were refreshing their bodies with food and drink after the labor of the journey, the men of that city, sons of Belial (that is, without yoke), came and surrounded the old man’s house. And they began to knock at the door, calling out to the lord of the house, and saying, “Bring out the man who entered your house, so that we may abuse him.”
23 The master of the house went out to them and said, 'No, brothers, please, do not be so wicked. Sincethis man is now under my roof, do not commit such an infamy.	23 And the old man went out to them, and he said: “Do not choose, brothers, do not choose to do this evil. For this man has entered to my hospitality. And you must cease from this senselessness.
24 Here is my daughter; she is a virgin; I shal bring her out to you. Il -treat her, do what you please withher, but do not commit such an infamy against this man.'	24 I have a virgin daughter, and this man has a mate. I will lead them out to you, so that you may debase them and may satisfy your lust. Only, I beg you, do not commit this crime against nature on the man.”
25 But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and brought her out tothem. They had intercourse with her and ill-treated her al night til morning; when dawn was breaking they let hergo.	25 But they were not willing to agree to his words. So the man, discerning this, led out his mate to them, and he delivered her to their sexual abuse. And when they had abused her for the entire night, they released her in the morning.
26 At daybreak the girl came and fel on the threshold of her husband's host, and she stayed there until itwas light.	26 But the woman, as darkness was receding, came to the door of the house, where her lord was staying, and there she fell down.
27 In the morning her husband got up and, opening the door of the house, was going out to continue hisjourney when he saw the woman, his concubine, lying at the door of the house with her hands on the threshold.	27 When morning came, the man arose, and he opened the door, so that he might complete the journey that he had begun. And behold, his mate was lying before the door, with her hands reaching out to the threshold.
28 'Get up,' he said, 'we must leave!' There was no answer. He then loaded her on his donkey andbegan the journey home.	28 And he, thinking that she was resting, said to her, “Get up, and let us walk.” But since she gave no response, realizing that she had died, he took her up, and he laid her on his donkey, and he returned to his house.
29 Having reached his house, he took his knife, took hold of his concubine and cut her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces; he then sent her throughout the territory of Israel.	29 And when he had arrived, he took up a sword, and he cut into pieces the dead body of his wife, with her bones, into twelve parts. And he sent the pieces into all the parts of Israel.
30 He gave instructions to his messengers, 'This is what you are to say to al the Israelites, "Hasanything like this been done since the day when the Israelites came out of Egypt until today? Take this to heart,discuss it; then give your verdict." ' And al who saw it declared, 'Never has such a thing been done or been seensince the Israelites came out of Egypt until today.'	30 And when each one had seen this, they were crying out together, “Never has such a thing been done in Israel, from the day that our fathers ascended from Egypt, even to the present time. Let a sentence be brought and let us decide in common what ought to be done.”