The Crime of the Benjamites (Genesis 19:1–11)
1 ULT Now it happened in those days, and a king{ was} not in Israel, that a man, a Levite, was sojourning in the flanks of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a concubine, from Bethlehem{ in} Judah. BSB BSB: Now in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a Levite who lived in the remote hill country of Ephraim took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.
2 ULT But his concubine whored against him, and she went from with him to the house of her father, to Bethlehem{ in} Judah. And she was there days, four months. BSB BSB: But she was unfaithful to him and left him to return to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. After she had been there four months,
3 ULT And her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart to cause her to return. And his young man{ was} with him, and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him into the house of her father, and the father of the young woman saw him, and he was glad to meet him. BSB BSB: her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her and bring her back, taking his servant and a pair of donkeys. So the girl brought him into her father’s house, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.
4 ULT And his father- in- law, the father of the young woman, prevailed upon him, and he stayed with him three days. And they ate and they drank and they lodged there. BSB BSB: His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay, so he remained with him three days, eating, drinking, and lodging there.
5 ULT And it happened on the fourth day that they got up early in the morning and he arose to go, but the father of the young woman said to his son- in- law,“Strengthen your heart{ with} a piece of bread, and afterward you shall go.” BSB BSB: On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to depart, but the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you can go.”
6 ULT So they sat down, and the two of them ate together, and they drank. Then the father of the young woman said to the man,“Please consent and lodge, and may your heart be good.” BSB BSB: So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.”
7 ULT But the man arose to go, but his father- in- law urged him, so he stayed and lodged there. BSB BSB: The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
8 ULT And he got up early in the morning on the fifth day to go, but the father of the young woman said,“Please strengthen your heart.” So they lingered until the declining of the day, and the two of them ate. BSB BSB: On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning to depart, but the girl’s father said, “Please refresh your heart.” So they waited until late afternoon and the two of them ate.
9 ULT And the man arose to go, he and his concubine and his young man. But his father- in- law, the father of the young woman, said to him,“Behold, please, the day has subsided toward evening. Please lodge. Behold the declining of the day. Lodge here, and may your heart be good. Then you shall get up early tomorrow to your road, and you shall go to your tent.” BSB BSB: When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See, the day is almost over. Spend the night here, that your heart may be merry. Then you can get up early tomorrow for your journey home.”
10 ULT But the man was not willing to lodge, so he arose and he went. And he came to before Jebus(it{ is} Jerusalem). Now with him{ was} the pair of donkeys, saddled, and his concubine{ was} with him. BSB BSB: But the man was unwilling to spend the night. He got up and departed, and arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.
11 ULT They{ were} beside Jebus, and the day had gone down greatly. So the young man said to his master,“Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusite, and we shall lodge in it.” BSB BSB: When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, “Please, let us stop at this Jebusite city and spend the night here.”
12 ULT But his master said to him,“We shall not turn aside into a city of a foreigner, where none from the sons of Israel{ are} here. But we shall cross over to Gibeah.” BSB BSB: But his master replied, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners, where there are no Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.”
13 ULT And he said to his young man,“Come, and let us approach to one of the places, and we shall lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.” BSB BSB: He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
14 ULT So they crossed over and they went. And the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which{ is} to Benjamin. BSB BSB: So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
15 ULT So they turned aside there to enter to lodge in Gibeah. And they entered and they sat down in the open area of the city, but no one was receiving them into the house to lodge. BSB BSB: They stopped to go in and lodge in Gibeah. The Levite went in and sat down in the city square, but no one would take them into his home for the night.
16 ULT Then behold, an old man coming from his work, from the field in the evening. And the man{ was} from the hill country of Ephraim, and he{ was} sojourning in Gibeah. But the men of the place{ were} Benjaminite. BSB BSB: That 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.
17 ULT And he lifted his eyes, and he saw the traveling man in the open area of the city. And the old man said,“Where are you going and from where are you coming?” BSB BSB: When 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?”
18 ULT He said to him,“We{ are} crossing over from Bethlehem{ in} Judah to the flanks of the hill country of Ephraim. I{ am} from there, and I went to Bethlehem{ in} Judah, and I{ am} going{ to} the house of Yahweh. But there is not a man receiving me into the house. BSB BSB: The 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,
19 ULT But there is even straw and even fodder for our donkeys, and there is even bread and wine for me and for your maidservant and for the young man with your servants.{ There is} no need of anything.” BSB BSB: even 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 ULT But the old man said,“Peace to you! Surely all of your need{ is} upon me. Surely you must not lodge in the open area.” BSB BSB: “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”
21 ULT So he brought him into his house, and he mixed for the donkeys, and they washed their feet, and they ate and they drank. BSB BSB: So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 ULT They were making their heart good, but behold, men of the city, men of sons of wickedness, encircled themselves{ around} the house, pounding{ repeatedly} on the door. And they spoke to the old man, the master of the house, saying,“Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him.” BSB BSB: While 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!”
23 ULT But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them,“No, my brothers, please do not act wickedly! After that this man has come into my house, you must not do this outrage! BSB BSB: The 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.
24 ULT Behold, my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please let me bring them out, and you may humble them and do to them the good in your eyes. But to this man do not do this thing of outrage!” BSB BSB: Look, 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.”
25 ULT But the men did not consent to listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them outside. And they knew her and they abused her all of the night until the morning. Then they let her go at the rising of the dawn. BSB BSB: But 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.
26 ULT And the woman came at the turning of the morning, and she fell down at the entrance of the house of the man where her master was there, until the light. BSB BSB: Early 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.
27 ULT And her master arose in the morning, and he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way. And behold, the woman, his concubine, fallen{ at} the entrance of the house, and her hands{ were} on the threshold. BSB BSB: In 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 ULT And he said to her,“Arise, and let us go.” But{ there was} no answering, so he took her on the donkey, and the man arose and went to his place. BSB BSB: “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.
29 ULT And he came to his house, and he took a knife, and he seized his concubine, and he cut her to her bones, into 12 pieces, and he sent her into all of the border of Israel. BSB BSB: When 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.
30 ULT And it happened, everyone was seeing, and he said,“Like this has not been done and has not been seen from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt up to this day. Set for yourselves upon it! Take counsel, and speak!” BSB BSB: And 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!”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.