The Koine Bible

And it happened in those days, and there was no king in Israel, and there was a Levite man sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, and he took for himself a concubine wife from Bethlehem of Judah.

And his concubine departed from him and went away from him to her father’s house, to Bethlehem of Judah, and she was there four months.

And her husband rose and went after her to speak to her heart, to bring her back to himself, and his young man with him and a pair of donkeys; and she brought him into her father’s house, and the father of the young woman saw him and rejoiced at his meeting.

And his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, detained him, and he sat with him for three days, and they ate and drank and lodged there

And it happened on the fourth day, and they rose early in the morning, and he rose to go, and the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you shall go on your way.

And the two sat together and ate and drank, and the father of the young woman said to the man, Come now, lodge here, and your heart will be made glad.

And the man rose to go, and his son-in-law urged him, and he sat down and lodged there

And he rose early in the morning on the fifth day to go, and the father of the young woman said, Strengthen your heart now, and stay on until the day declines; and the two ate.

And the man rose to go, he and his concubine and his young man; and his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, said to him, Behold now, the day has grown weak toward evening; lodge here, and your heart will be cheered, and you shall rise early tomorrow on your way, and you shall go to your tent.

And the man was not willing to lodge, and he arose and went and came as far as opposite Jebus; this is Jerusalem; and with him a pair of saddled donkeys, and his concubine with him

And they came as far as Jebus, and the day had advanced very much, and the young man said to his lord, Come now, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusite, and let us lodge in it.

And his lord said to him, We will not turn aside into a foreign city, in which there is no one of the sons of Israel here, and we will pass on as far as Gabaa.

And he said to his young man, Come, and let us draw near to one of the places, and we will lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.

And they passed on and went, and the sun went down on them beside Gibeah, which is in Benjamin.

And they turned aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah, and they entered and sat down in the open square of the city, and there was no man gathering them into a house to lodge.

And behold, a man, an old man, was coming from his work from the field in the evening, and the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he himself was residing in Gibeah, and the men of the place were sons of Benjamin.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveling man in the broad place of the city, and the old man said, Where are you going, and from where do you come?

And he said to him, We are passing by from Bethlehem of Judah as far as the sides of the hill-country of Ephraim; from there I am, and I went as far as Bethlehem of Judah, and to my house I am going; and there is no man taking me into the house.

and indeed there is straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine there is for me and for the maidservant and for the young man; with your servants there is no lack of anything at all

And the old man said, Peace to you; only all your lack is upon me; only in the square you shall not by any means lodge.

And he brought him into his house and made a place for the donkeys, and they washed their feet, and they ate and drank

Now as they were making their hearts good, and behold, the men of the city, sons of lawlessness, surrounded the house, knocking at the door; and they said to the man, the master of the house, the elder, saying, Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.

And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said, No, brothers, do not do evil now, after this man has entered into my house; do not do this folly.

Look, my daughter the virgin and his concubine, I will bring them out, and humble them, and do to them what is good in your eyes; but to this man you shall not do the matter of this folly.

And the men were not willing to listen to him, and the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them outside, and they knew her and mocked her all the night until morning, and they sent her away as the morning was rising.

And the woman came toward dawn and fell beside the door of the house where her husband was there, until daybreak.

And her man rose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, and behold, his woman, his concubine, had fallen beside the doors of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold.

And he said to her, Rise, and let us go. And she did not answer, because she was dead. And he took her onto the donkey and went to his place.

And he took the sword and seized his concubine and cut her into twelve pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel

And it came to pass that everyone who saw it said, It has not happened, and it has not been seen, like this, from the day of the going up of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider for yourselves, you yourselves, counsel concerning it, and speak.