| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 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 in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine. |
| 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 she became angry with him and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem. After 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. | 3her husband set out for Bethlehem to speak personally to her and persuade her to come back. He took with him a servant and a pair of donkeys. When he arrived at her father’s house, her father saw him and welcomed 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. | 4Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping 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 the man was up early, ready to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat 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 the two men sat down together and had something to eat and drink. Then the woman’s father said, “Please stay another night and enjoy yourself.” |
| 7When the man got ready to leave, his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. | 7The man got up to leave, but his father-in-law kept urging him to stay, so he finally gave in and stayed the night. |
| 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 morning of the fifth day he was up early again, ready to leave, and again the woman’s father said, “Have something to eat; then you can leave later this afternoon.” So they had another day of feasting. |
| 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." | 9Later, as the man and his concubine and servant were preparing to leave, his father-in-law said, “Look, it’s almost evening. Stay the night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way.” |
| 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. | 10But this time the man was determined to leave. So he took his two saddled donkeys and his concubine and headed in the direction of Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). |
| 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." | 11It was late in the day when they neared Jebus, and the man’s servant said to him, “Let’s stop at this Jebusite town and spend the night there.” |
| 12But his master said to him, "We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. We will travel on to Gibeah." | 12“No,” his master said, “we can’t stay in this foreign town where there are no Israelites. Instead, we will 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." | 13Come on, let’s try to get as far as Gibeah or Ramah, and we’ll spend the night in one of those towns.” |
| 14So they traveled on, and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. | 14So they went on. The sun was setting as they came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin, |
| 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. | 15so they stopped there to spend the night. They rested in the town square, but no one took them in 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.) | 16That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe 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?" | 17When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going. |
| 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. | 18“We have been in Bethlehem in Judah,” the man replied. “We are on our way to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim, which is my home. I traveled to Bethlehem, and now I’m returning home. But no one has taken us in for the night, |
| 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." | 19even though we have everything we need. We have straw and feed for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves.” |
| 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." | 20“You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.” |
| 21So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. | 21So he took them home with him and fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet, they ate and drank together. |
| 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, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you 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 old man stepped outside to talk to them. “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful. |
| 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!" | 24Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don’t do such a shameful thing to 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 they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go. |
| 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. | 26At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light. |
| 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 husband opened the door to leave, there lay his concubine with her hands on 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 said, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her 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 got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe throughout all the territory 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!" | 30Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?” |
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