Judges 19
19
Sodom and Gomorrah Revisited
1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite#tn Heb “a man, a Levite.” living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine#sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31. from Bethlehem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4. in Judah. 2 However, she#tn Heb “and his concubine.” The pronoun (“she”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons. got angry at him#tn Or “was unfaithful to him.” Many have understood the Hebrew verb וַתִּזְנֶה (vattizneh) as being from זָנָה (zanah, “to be a prostitute”), but it may be derived from a root meaning “to be angry; to hate” attested in Akkadian (see HALOT 275 s.v. II זנה). and went home#tn Heb “went from him.” to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 3 her husband came#tn Heb “arose and came.” after her, hoping he could convince her to return.#tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.” He brought with him his servant#tn Or “young man.” 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.#tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.” 4 His 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. 5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave.#tn Heb “and he arose to go.” But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have a bite to eat for some energy,#tn Heb “Sustain your heart [with] a bit of food.” then you can go.” 6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together.#tn Heb “And they sat and ate, the two of them together, and they drank.” Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!”#tn Heb “Be willing and spend the night so that your heart might be good.” 7 When the man got ready to leave,#tn Heb “and the man arose to go.” his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night.#tn Heb “his father-in-law persuaded him and he again spent the night there.” 8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl’s father said, “Get some energy.#tn Heb “Sustain your heart.” He is once more inviting him to stay for a meal. Wait until later in the day to leave!”#tn Heb “Wait until the declining of the day.” So they ate a meal together. 9 When the man got ready to leave#tn Heb “the man arose to go.” with his concubine and his servant,#tn Or “young man.” his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over!#tn Heb “the day is sinking to become evening.” Stay another night! Since the day is over,#tn Or “declining.” stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.”#tn Heb “for your way and go to your tent.” 10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left#tn Heb “and he arose and went.” and traveled as far as#tn Heb “to the front of.” Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).#map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine.#tc Some ancient witnesses add “and his servant.”
11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late#tn Heb “and the day was descending greatly.” and the servant#tn Or “young man.” said to his master, “Come on, let’s stop at#tn Heb “turn aside” (also in the following verse). this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.” 12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live.#tn Heb “who are not from the sons of Israel.” We will travel on to Gibeah.” 13 He said to his servant,#tn Or “young man.” “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns#tn Heb “we will enter one of the places.” and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14 So they traveled on,#tn Heb “and they passed by and went.” and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.#tn Heb “which belongs to Benjamin.” 15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night#tn Heb “they turned aside there to enter 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.#tn Heb “and he entered and sat down, and there was no one receiving them into the house to spend the night.”
16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field.#tn Heb “And look, an old man was coming from his work, from the field in the evening.” The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.)#tn Heb “And the men of the place were Benjaminites.” 17 When he looked up and saw the traveler#tn Heb “the man, the traveler.” in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 18 The Levite#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4. 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.#tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the Lord I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the Lord,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.” But no one has invited me into their home. 19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant,#tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter. and the young man who is with your servants.#tc Some Hebrew mss and ancient witnesses read the singular, “your servant,” which would refer to the Levite. If one retains the plural, then both the Levite and his wife are in view. In either case the pronominal suffix emphasizes their dependence on the old man for shelter. We lack nothing.” 20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine!#tn Heb “Peace to you.” I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal.#tn Heb “ate and drank.”
22 They were having a good time,#tn Heb “they were making their heart good.” when suddenly#tn Heb “and look.” some men of the city, some good-for-nothings,#tn Heb “the men of the city, men, the sons of wickedness.” The phrases are in apposition; the last phrase specifies what type of men they were. It is not certain if all the men of the city are in view, or just a group of troublemakers. In 20:5 the town leaders are implicated in the crime, suggesting that all the men of the city were involved. If so, the implication is that the entire male population of the town were good-for-nothings. surrounded the house and kept beating#tn The Hitpael verb form appears to have an iterative force here, indicating repeated action. 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.”#tn Heb “so we can know him.” On the surface one might think they simply wanted to meet the visitor and get to know him, but their hostile actions betray their double-talk. The old man, who has been living with them long enough to know what they are like, seems to have no doubts about the meaning of their words (see v. 23). 23 The 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! 24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s#tn Heb “his”; the referent (the visiting Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity. concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like.#tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.” But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity. grabbed his concubine and made her go outside.#tn Heb “and he caused [her] to go outside to them.” They raped#tn Heb “knew,” in the sexual sense. her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master#tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman. was staying until it became light.#tn Heb “The woman came at the turning of the morning and fell at the door of the house of the man where her master was until the light.” 27 When her master#tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman. 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. 28 He said to her, “Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home.#tn Heb “And the man took her on the donkey and arose and went to his place.” 29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces.#tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.” Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel.#tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.” 30 Everyone who saw the sight#tn The words “the sight” are supplied in the translation for clarification. said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since#tn Heb “from the day.” the Israelites left the land of Egypt!#tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the following additional words: “And he instructed the men whom he sent out, ‘Thus you will say to every male Israelite: “There has never been anything like this from the day the Israelites left Egypt till the present day.”’” Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”
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Judges 19
19
The Concubine and the Levite
1In those days there was no king in Israel; there was a man, a Levite, who dwelled as a foreigner#Or “alien” in the remote areas of the hill country of Ephraim. And he took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. 2But his concubine felt repugnance toward him,#Other modern translations read “his concubine played the harlot against him” and she left him and went to her father’s house, to Bethlehem in Judah; she was there some four months. 3So her husband set out, and he went after her to speak tenderly to her,#Literally “to her heart” to bring her back. He took with him his servant and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him to her father’s house, and the father of the young woman saw him and was glad to meet him. 4His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, urged him to stay with him three days; and they ate and drank, and they spent the night there. 5On the fourth day, they rose early in the morning, and he prepared to go, but the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, “Refresh yourself#Literally “Refresh your heart” with a bit of food, and afterward you may go.” 6So the two of them sat and ate and drank together, and the father of the young woman said to the man, “Please, agree to spend the night and enjoy yourself.”#Literally “and let your heart be good” 7The man got up to go, but his father-in-law urged him, and he returned and spent the night there. 8On the fifth day he rose early in the morning to go, and the father of the young woman said, “Please, enjoy yourself,”#Literally “and let your heart be good” and they lingered until the day declined, and the two of them ate. 9And the man got up to go—he, his concubine, and his servant—but his father-in-law, the father of the young woman, said to him, “Please, the day has worn on to evening; please, spend the night, the day has drawn to a close. Spend the night here and enjoy yourself.#Literally “and let your heart be good” You can rise early tomorrow for your journey and go to your home.”#Literally “go to your tent”
10But the man was not willing to spend the night, and he got up and went; and he arrived opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. 11They were near Jebus, and the day was far spent,#Literally “the day went down very” and the servant said to his master, “Please, come, let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites,#Hebrew “Jebusite” and let us spend the night in it.” 12But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside to the city of foreigners,#Hebrew “foreigner” who are not from the Israelites;#Literally “sons/children of Israel” we will cross over up to Gibeah.” 13And he said to his servant, “Come, let us approach one of these places; we will spend the night in Gibeah or in Ramah.” 14So they crossed over and went their way, and the sun went down on them beside Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. 15And they turned aside there to enter and to spend the night at Gibeah. And they went and sat in the open square of the city, but no one took them in to spend the night.#Literally “was receiving them to their house to spend the night”
16Then behold, an old man was coming from his work from the field in the evening, and the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was dwelling as a foreigner#Or “alien” in Gibeah. (The people of the place were descendants#Or “sons/children” of Benjamin.) 17And the old man raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city, and he said, “Where are you going, and from where do you come?” 18And he said to him, “We are crossing over from Bethlehem in Judah up to the remote areas of the hill country of Ephraim, where I am from. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but now I am going to Yahweh’s house,#Or “my house,” according to the LXX and some modern translations (NASB, NRSV) but no one took me in to spend the night.#Literally “was receiving me to their house” 19There is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, for your servant,#That is, the concubine and for the young man who is with your servant; there is no lack of anything.” 20And the old man said, “Peace to you. I will take care of your needs; however, you must not spend the night in the open square.” 21So he brought him to his house, and he fed the donkeys; they washed their feet, ate, and drank.
22While they were enjoying themselves,#Literally “their hearts were being good” behold, the men of the city, the perverse lot,#Literally “sons of uselessness” surrounded the house, pounding on the door. And they said to the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we may have sex with him.”#Literally “we may know him” 23So the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this disgraceful thing. 24Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. Please, let me bring them out; do violence to them,#Or “rape them” and do to them whatever you please.#Literally “the good in your eyes” Do not do this disgraceful thing to this man.” 25But the men were not willing to listen to him, and the man seized his concubine and brought her out to them; and they had intercourse with her, and they abused her all night until the morning; they let her go at the approach of dawn. 26And the woman came as the morning appeared, and she fell at the entrance of the man’s house where her master was, until daylight.#Hebrew “light”
27In the morning her master got up, and he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his journey, and behold, his concubine was falling#Or “spread out” at the entrance of the house, with her hand on the threshold. 28And he said to her, “Get up, let us go,” but there was no answer. So he put her on the donkey, and the man got up and went to his place. 29When he entered his house he took a knife, and he grasped his concubine and cut her into twelve pieces; and he sent her throughout the whole territory of Israel. 30All who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever been since the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” went up from the land of Egypt until this day. Take note of it, consider it, and speak up.”
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