Read the Bible

¹ And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah.

² And his concubine prostituted against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there the space of four months.

³ And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly to her, to bring her again, having his attendant with him, and a couple of donkeys: and she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

⁴ And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they ate and drank, and lodged there.

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

⁶ So they sat down, and ate and drank, both of them together: and the damsel's father said to the man, Be pleased, I pray you, to tarry all night, and let your heart be merry.

⁷ And the man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again.

⁸ And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Strengthen your heart, I pray you, and tarry until the day declines; and they ate, both of them.

⁹ And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his attendant, his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said to him, Look, now the day draws toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: see, the day grows to an end, lodge here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow rise early on your way, that you may go home.

¹⁰ But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came opposite Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of donkeys saddled; his concubine also was with him.

¹¹ When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the attendant said to his master, Come, I pray you, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

¹² And his master said to him, We will not turn aside into a city of the foreigner, that is not of the sons of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah.

¹³ And he said to his attendant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.

¹⁴ So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

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

¹⁶ And, look, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening: now the man was of the hill-country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.

¹⁷ And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Where do you go? and where do you come from?

¹⁸ And he said to him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah to the farther side of the hill-country of Ephraim; I am from there, and I went to Beth-lehem-judah: and I am going to the house of Yahweh; and there is no man that takes me into his house.

¹⁹ Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for your female slave, and for the attendant that is with your slaves: there is no want of anything.

²⁰ And the old man said, Peace be to you; however let all your wants lie on me; only don't lodge in the street.

²¹ So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.

²² As they were making their hearts merry, look, the men of the city, certain base fellows, beset the house round about, beating at the door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into your house, that we may have sex with him.

²³ And the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, No, my brothers, I pray you, don't do so wickedly; seeing that this man has come into my house, don't do this folly.

²⁴ Look, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; I will bring them out now, and humble them, and do with them what seems good to you: but to this man don't do any such folly.

²⁵ But the men would not listen to him: so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth to them; and they had sex with her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

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

²⁷ And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and saw that the woman his concubine had fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

²⁸ And he said to her, Rise up, and let us be going; but there was no answer: then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place.

²⁹ And when he came into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.

³⁰ And it was so, that all who saw [it] said, [Such a thing] has not happened nor been seen like that from the day the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day. And he commanded the men he sent saying, This is what you shall say to every man of Israel, Has such [a thing] ever happened from the day the sons of Israel came up from Egypt until this day? Consider it, take counsel, and speak.