| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. | 1Now it happened in those days, before there was a king in Israel, that a certain male descendant of Levi, who lived in a remote part of the mountainous region of Ephraim, took a mistress for himself from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. |
| 2However, she got angry at him and went home to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, | 2But his mistress was sexually unfaithful to him, and then she left him to live in her father's home in Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. She had been living there for a period of about four months |
| 3her husband came after her, hoping he could convince her to return. He brought with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father's house and the girl's father saw him, he greeted him warmly. | 3when her husband got up and went after her, intending to speak lovingly to her in order to win her back. He took with him his young man servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father's house to see him, her father was happy to have met him. |
| 4His father-in-law, the girl's father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there. | 4The young woman's father (that is, his father-in-law) made him stay there for three days while they ate and drank during his visit there. |
| 5On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. But the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Have a bite to eat for some energy, then you can go." | 5On the fourth day, they got up early that morning, and the descendant of Levi got ready to leave. Then the young woman's father-in-law told him, "Fortify yourself by eating some food before you go." |
| 6So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. Then the girl's father said to the man, "Why not stay another night and have a good time!" | 6So both of them sat down for a bit, ate and drank together, and the young woman's father invited the man, "Please, enjoy yourself and spend another night." |
| 7When the man got ready to leave, his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. | 7The man got up, intending to leave, but his father-in-law urged him to spend the night there again. |
| 8He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl's father said, "Get some energy. Wait until later in the day to leave!" So they ate a meal together. | 8On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning, but the young woman's father-in-law told him, "Please, fortify yourself," so they delayed until later that afternoon while both of them ate together. |
| 9When the man got ready to leave with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Look! The day is almost over! Stay another night! Since the day is over, stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home." | 9When the man got up to leave with his mistress and servant, his father-in-law, the young woman's father, told him, "Look now, evening is coming, so please spend another night. See how the daylight is fading, so spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Then tomorrow get up early and leave on your journey home." |
| 10But the man did not want to stay another night. He left and traveled as far as Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. | 10Because the man was unwilling to spend the night, he got up, left, and arrived opposite Jebus (now known as Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys, along with his mistress. |
| 11When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late and the servant said to his master, "Come on, let's stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night in it." | 11As they approached Jebus, the daylight was almost gone, so the servant suggested to his master, "Come on, let's spend the night in this Jebusite city." |
| 12But his master said to him, "We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. We will travel on to Gibeah." | 12But his master replied, "We're not going to turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not part of the Israelis. Instead, we'll go on to Gibeah." |
| 13He said to his servant, "Come on, we will go into one of the other towns and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah." | 13He also told his servant, "Come on, let's go to one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah." |
| 14So they traveled on, and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. | 14So they continued on their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which is part of Benjamin's territorial allotment. |
| 15They stopped there and decided to spend the night in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. | 15They turned aside there, intending to enter Gibeah and spend the night. After they entered the city, they had to sit down in the public square because no one would take them into their home for the night. |
| 16But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) | 16Just then, an old man was coming out of the fields that evening from work. The man was from the mountainous region of Ephraim and had been staying in Gibeah, even though the men of that place were descendants of Benjamin. |
| 17When he looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, the old man said, "Where are you heading? Where do you come from?" | 17As the old man looked up and saw the traveling man in the public square of the city, he asked, "Now then, where are you headed? And where are you from?" |
| 18The Levite said to him, "We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That's where I'm from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I'm heading home. But no one has invited me into their home. | 18He replied, "We're traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the mountainous region of Ephraim, because I'm from there, and I've been visiting Bethlehem in Judah. I'm going home now, but no one will take me into his home. |
| 19We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, and the young man who is with your servants. We lack nothing." | 19Meanwhile, we also have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, for this young woman servant, and for the young man who is with your servants. We don't need anything else." |
| 20The old man said, "Everything is just fine! I will take care of all your needs. But don't spend the night in the town square." | 20The old man replied, "Don't be alarmed. I'll take care of all your needs. Just don't spend the night in the public square." |
| 21So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. | 21So he took him into his home and fed the donkeys while they refreshed themselves and had dinner." |
| 22They were having a good time, when suddenly some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, surrounded the house and kept beating on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, "Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him." | 22While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden certain ungodly men who lived in the city surrounded the house, pounded on the door, and ordered the old man who owned the home, "Bring out the man who came to visit your home so we can have sex with him." |
| 23The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, "No, my brothers! Don't do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don't do such a disgraceful thing! | 23The man who owned the house went out to talk to them and pleaded with them, "No, my brothers, please don't act so wickedly. This man is my guest! Don't try to do this stupid thing. |
| 24Here are my virgin daughter and my guest's concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. But don't do such a disgraceful thing to this man!" | 24Instead, here's my virgin daughter and my visitor's mistress. Please let me bring them out to you. Occupy yourselves with them, and do to them whatever you would like. But don't commit such a stupid thing against this man." |
| 25The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. They raped her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. | 25But the men were unwilling to listen to him. So the descendant of Levi grabbed his mistress, took her out to them, and they raped and tortured her all night until morning. Then they released her as the first daylight was beginning to appear. |
| 26The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master was staying until it became light. | 26As dawn was breaking, the woman approached the door of the man's home where her master was and collapsed. Eventually, full daylight came. |
| 27When her master got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold. | 27When her master got up that morning and opened the doors of the house to leave on his way, there was his mistress, fallen dead at the door of the house with her hands grasping the threshold. |
| 28He said to her, "Get up, let's leave!" But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home. | 28He spoke to her, "Get up, and let's go." But there was no response. So he placed her on the donkey, mounted his own animal, and went home. |
| 29When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. | 29When he arrived home, he grabbed a knife, took hold of his mistress, cut her apart limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her remains throughout the land of Israel. |
| 30Everyone who saw the sight said, "Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since the Israelites left the land of Egypt! Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!" | 30All the witnesses said, "Nothing has happened or has been seen like this from the day the Israelis came here from the land of Egypt to this day! Think about it, get some advice about it, and then speak up about it!" |
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