Judges 19:16-20:21

¹⁶That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field.

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?”

¹⁸The Levite replied, “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 the LORD; but no one has taken me into his home,

¹⁹even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.”

²⁰“Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”

²¹So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.

²²While they were enjoying themselves, suddenly the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they said to the old man who owned 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 and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage.

²⁴Look, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine, and you can use them and do with them as you wish. But do not do such a vile thing to this man.”

²⁵But the men would not listen to him. So the Levite took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.

²⁶Early that morning, the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, collapsed at the doorway, and lay there until it was light.

²⁷In the morning, when her master got up and opened the doors of the house to go out on his journey, there was his concubine, collapsed in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

²⁸“Get up,” he told her. “Let us go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

²⁹When he reached his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel.

³⁰And everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has been seen or done from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until this day. Think it over, take counsel, and speak up!”

¹Then all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came out, and the congregation assembled as one man before the LORD at Mizpah.

²The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel presented themselves in the assembly of God’s people: 400, 000 men on foot, armed with swords.

³(Meanwhile the Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites asked, “Tell us, how did this wicked thing happen?”

⁴So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered: “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night.

⁵And during the night, the men of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house. They intended to kill me, but they abused my concubine, and she died.

⁶Then I took my concubine, cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance, because they had committed a lewd and disgraceful act in Israel.

⁷Behold, all you Israelites, give your advice and verdict here and now.”

⁸Then all the people stood as one man and said, “Not one of us will return to his tent or to his house.

⁹Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will go against it as the lot dictates.

¹⁰We will take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of every thousand, and a thousand out of every ten thousand, to supply provisions for the army when they go to Gibeah in Benjamin to punish them for the atrocity they have committed in Israel.”

¹¹So all the men of Israel gathered as one man, united against the city.

¹²And the tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that has occurred among you?

¹³Hand over the wicked men of Gibeah so we can put them to death and purge Israel of this evil.” But the Benjamites refused to heed the voice of their fellow Israelites.

¹⁴And from their cities they came together at Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

¹⁵On that day the Benjamites mobilized 26, 000 swordsmen from their cities, in addition to the 700 select men of Gibeah.

¹⁶Among all these soldiers there were 700 select left-handers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair without missing.

¹⁷The Israelites, apart from Benjamin, mobilized 400, 000 swordsmen, each one an experienced warrior.

¹⁸The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.

¹⁹The next morning the Israelites set out and camped near Gibeah.

²⁰And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took up their battle positions at Gibeah.

²¹And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down 22, 000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

Related Resources from Heartlight

Cross References for Judges 19:16-20:21

The Berean Standard Bible