The Crime of the Benjamites (Genesis 19:1–11)
1 UST At that time the Israelites had no king. There was a Levite who lived in a remote place in the hilly area where the people of the tribe of Ephraim live. He had married a woman as a secondary wife. She was from the city whose name is Bethlehem that is in the area where the tribe of Judah lives. 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 UST But his secondary wife was unfaithful to him, and then she left him and returned to her father’ s house in Bethlehem in Judah. She kept living there for 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 UST Then her husband went to Bethlehem to try to persuade her to live with him again. He brought his servant and two donkeys with him. When he arrived at her father’ s house, she invited him to come in. When her father saw him, he was happy that he had come. 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 UST The woman’ s father insisted that he stay for a visit. So he stayed there for three days. During that time, he shared meals with his host and slept in his house. 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 UST On the fourth day, they all got up early in the morning because the Levite wanted to travel back home that day. But his wife’ s father said to him,“You should really have something to eat before you go{ so that you are not hungry on your journey}.” 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 UST So the two men had a meal together. Then the wife’ s father said to the Levite,“Please agree to stay another night. Relax and have a good time.” 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 UST The Levite wanted to leave, but his wife’ s father finally persuaded him to stay again that night. BSB BSB: The man got up to depart, but his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.
8 UST On the fifth day, the man got up early and prepared to leave. But the woman’ s father said to him once again,“You should have something to eat.” So the two men once again had a meal together, and they did not finish until the end of the day. 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 UST Then the Levite got up to leave with his wife and his servant. But the woman’ s father said,“Please do not leave. See how the sun is getting lower in the sky. See how dark it is getting already. You should stay here tonight and have a good time. Then you can leave on your journey tomorrow morning and get all the way home{ in one day}.” 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 UST But the Levite did not want to stay for another night. So he put saddles on his two donkeys and left with his wife{ and his servant}. They traveled as far as the city of Jebus, which people now call Jerusalem. 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 UST It was late in the afternoon by the time they got to Jebus. So the servant said to his master,“I know that the Jebusites live in this city, but I think we need to stop and stay here for the night.” 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 UST But his master told him,“No, it would not be good for us to stay here where foreign people live. There are no Israelite people here. We should go on to the city of 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 UST He told his servant,“Instead of staying here, we can go a little farther to a city where Israelites live. We could stay for the night in either Gibeah or Ramah.” BSB BSB: He continued, “Come, let us try to reach one of these towns to spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.”
14 UST So they continued walking. By the time they reached Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting. BSB BSB: So they continued on their journey, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.
15 UST So they stopped there in Gibeah to stay for the night. They went into the public square of that city and sat down{ as travelers did who were hoping that someone would give them a place to stay}. But no one who went through the square invited them to stay in his house for the night. 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 UST But then an old man came by. He had been out working in the fields all day. He was from the hilly area where the people of the tribe of Ephraim live. But at that time, he was living in Gibeah. He did not belong to the tribe of Benjamin as most of the people there did. 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 UST When he saw the Levite in the open area, he realized that he was traveling and did not have a place to stay in that city. So the old man asked him,“Where have you come from? And where are you going?” 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 UST The Levite replied,“We are returning from Bethlehem in Judah to my home in the hilly area where the people of the tribe of Ephraim live. I went from there to Bethlehem. However, before we return to my home, we are going to the sacred tent{ in Shiloh}. No one here has invited us to stay in their house tonight.” 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 UST { But wanting to be polite and not wanting to impose, the Levite continued,}“However, we have straw and grain to feed our donkeys. And I and my wife and our servant have bread and wine to eat and drink. So we do not need anything else.” 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 UST The old man said,“I will take care of you. I will provide you with a place to stay. I do not want you to have to spend the night in the open square.” 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 UST Then the old man took them to his house. He gave food to their donkeys. He gave the man and the woman and the servant water so they could wash the dust from the road off their feet. Then the old man served them a meal. BSB BSB: So he brought him to his house and fed his donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 UST While they were having a good time together, a group of very wicked men from that city surrounded the house and started to bang on the door. They shouted to the old man whose house it was,“Bring out the man who has come to your house! We are all going to rape 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 UST The old man whose house it was went outside to talk to them. He told them,“Please do not commit such a crime against this man! We are all members of the same community. I have offered this man shelter and safety in my home. You should{ respect that and} not do such a terrible thing to him! 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 UST Listen, I have an unmarried daughter living with me in my home. This man’ s wife is also here. I will bring them out to you, and you can have sex with them and do whatever you want to them. But do not do such a terrible thing to this man!” 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 UST But the men did not agree to do what he had said. So the man pushed his wife outside the house where those men were. They forced her to have sex with them. They abused her all night long. At dawn, they finally let her go. 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 UST The sun was rising when the woman got back to the old man’ s house, where her husband was staying. But she collapsed at the doorway and remained there until it became 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 UST That morning, her husband got up and unlocked the doors and left the house to continue his journey. But he saw his wife lying there at the doorway of the house. Her hands were on the doorsill. 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 UST He said to her,“Come on, we can go now.” But she did not answer{, because she was dead}. He put her body on one of the donkeys, and he{ and his servant} traveled back to his home. 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 UST When he arrived at his home, he took a knife and cut his wife’ s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece into the territory of each of the tribes of Israel{, along with a messenger to tell what had happened}. 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 UST Then everyone who saw a piece of the body{ and heard the message} said,“Nothing like this has happened since our ancestors came here from Egypt! No one has heard of such a terrible thing! We all need to think carefully about this, and people should say what they think we should do in response.” 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.