Judges
Chapter 19
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a Levite man sojourning in the far side of the hill country of Ephraim. He took for himself a woman, a A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place., from Bethlehem of Judah.
2His A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place. prostituted herself against him, and she went from him to her father’s house, to Bethlehem of Judah. She was there for four months.
3Her husband got up and went after her, to speak to her heart, to bring him back. His young man was with him, and a pair of donkeys. She brought him into her father’s house, and the young woman’s father saw him and was glad to meet him.
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- Text
The written consonants are lehashivo, “to bring him back.” The Masoretic reading is lehashivah, “to bring her back.” The written “him” is printed.
4His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, pressed him, and he stayed with him three days. They ate and drank and spent the night there.
5On the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he rose to go. The young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, Sustain your heart with a bit of bread, and after that you may go.
6The two of them sat and ate together and drank. The young woman’s father said to the man, Please agree to spend the night, and let your heart be glad.
7The man rose to go, but his father-in-law urged him, so he turned back and spent the night there.
8He got up early in the morning on the fifth day to go. The young woman’s father said, Please sustain your heart, and linger until the day turns. The two of them ate.
9The man rose to go, he and his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place. and his young man. His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, Look, please, the day has sunk toward evening. Please spend the night. Look, the day is declining. Spend the night here, and let your heart be glad. You can get up early tomorrow for your way, and you can go to your tent.
10The man was not willing to spend the night. He rose and went and came as far as opposite Jebus, that is Jerusalem. With him were a pair of saddled donkeys, and his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place. was with him.
11They were near Jebus, and the day was very far gone. The young man said to his lord, Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusite and spend the night in it.
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- Translation
Adonav is “his lord,” the Levite. It is not the divine name.
12His lord said to him, We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners, who are not of the sons of Israel. We will pass on as far as Gibeah.
13He said to his young man, Come, and let us draw near one of the places and spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.
14They passed on and went, and the sun went in on them beside Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.
15They turned aside there to go in and spend the night in Gibeah. He went in and sat in the open square of the city, and there was no man who gathered them into a house to spend the night.
16Look, an old man was coming in from his work, from the field, in the evening. The man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was a A person living in a land that is not their own. in Gibeah. The men of the place were Benjaminites.
17He lifted his eyes and saw the traveling man in the open square of the city. The old man said, Where are you going, and where do you come from?
18He said to him, We are crossing from Bethlehem of Judah to the far side of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem of Judah, and I am going to the house of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.. There is no man who gathers me into the house.
19We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, for your servant-woman, and for the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.
20The old man said, Peace to you. Only, all your lack is on me. Only do not spend the night in the open square.
21He brought him into his house and mixed feed for the donkeys. They washed their feet, and they ate and drank.
22They were making their hearts glad, and look, the men of the city, men who were sons of worthlessness, surrounded the house, beating on the door. They said to the man, the old owner of the house, Bring out the man who came into your house, so that we may know him.
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- Translation
Bene beliyaal are sons of worthlessness. To know him, in this line, is the demand the old man treats as an outrage.
23The man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, No, my brothers, please do not do harm. After this man has come into my house, do not do this disgrace.
24Look, my daughter, the young woman, and his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place.. Please let me bring them out, and you may humble them and do to them whatever is good in your eyes. But to this man, do not do this disgraceful thing.
25The men were not willing to listen to him. The man seized his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place. and brought her out to them, outside. They knew her and abused her all night until morning, and they sent her away at the going up of the dawn.
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- Text
The written consonants are ba’alot, “at the going up.” The Masoretic reading is ka’alot, “as it went up.” The written “at the going up” is printed.
- Translation
They knew her. In this line the verb is sexual. They also abused her. The line is printed as the Hebrew says it.
26The woman came at the turn of the morning and fell at the opening of the man’s house where her lord was, until it was light.
27Her lord got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his way, and look, the woman, his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place., had fallen at the opening of the house, with her hands on the threshold.
28He said to her, Get up, and let us go. There was no answer. He took her onto the donkey, and the man rose and went to his place.
29He came to his house, took the knife, seized his A woman who lives with a man as a wife but does not have a wife’s full place., and cut her, by her bones, into twelve pieces, and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.
30Everyone who saw it said, Nothing like this has happened or been seen from the day the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Set yourselves to it. Take counsel, and speak.