Judges 19:15-25

Evangelical Heritage Version

¹⁵ There they turned aside to spend the night in Gibeah. But when the man went and sat in the city square, there was no one who took them into his house to spend the night.

¹⁶ Just then, an old man was coming from his work in the field because it was evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, though the men of that place were Benjaminites. ¹⁷ The old man looked up and saw the traveler in the city square, and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where did you come from?”

¹⁸ The Levite said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem of Judah to a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there. I traveled as far as Bethlehem of Judah, and now I am going to the House of the Lord, but there is no one who will take me into his house. ¹⁹ We even have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and we also have enough bread and wine for me, for your servant my wife, and for the young man. We, your servants, are lacking nothing.”

²⁰ At this the old man said, “Peace be with you. Anything you lack will be my responsibility—only do not spend the night in the city square.” ²¹ So the old man brought the Levite to his house and fed the donkeys. He washed their feet, and they ate and drank together.

²² As they were making their hearts glad, all of a sudden the men of the city—worthless, good-for-nothing men—surrounded the house, pounding on the door. They said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who has come to your house. We want to get to know^[a] him.”

²³ But the owner of the household went out to them and said, “No, my brothers, do not do such an evil thing, I beg you. Since this man has come to my house, do not do this disgraceful, foolish thing. ²⁴ Look! Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Now I will bring them out, and you may abuse them and do to them whatever you see fit. But do not do this disgraceful, foolish thing to this man.”

²⁵ But the men were not willing to listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and forced her to go out to them. They were intimate with^[b] her and mistreated her all night long until morning. Then they let her go at the break of dawn.