Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite lived on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim. He had taken to himself a concubine from Bethlehem Judah.

She began playing the prostitute against him, and went away to her father's house in Bethlehem Judah, where she stayed for four months. Her husband got up and went after her to speak kindly to her, to bring her back home, accompanied by his servant and two donkeys; she brought him into her father's house, and he was overjoyed to see her.

Her father, the young woman's father, kept him there; he stayed with them three days, eating and drinking together. On the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, he rose to depart; but his father-in-law said, "Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and then you may go on your way."

They sat down together to eat and drink, with the damsel's father urging him to stay overnight and be merry. When the man prepared to leave, his father-in-law urged him to stay another night. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; but the damsel's father said, "Comfort your heart, I pray you, and tarry until the day declines." They ate together again.

When the man prepared to leave for good, he and his concubine, along with her father and his father-in-law, said to him, "Stay overnight; the day is drawing to a close. Enjoy yourself here tonight, and then depart early tomorrow morning to return home." But the man would not tarry that night, so he rose up and departed, coming over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem, with two saddled asses accompanying him, and his concubine by his side.

When they were near Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, let us turn in to this city of the Jebusites and lodge there." But his master said, "We will not turn aside into the city of a stranger who is not one of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah."

They passed on and went their way, with the sun setting upon them near to Gibeah, which belonged to Benjamin. They turned aside to go in and lodge in Gibeah, but when he went in, he sat down in a street of the city because no one took them into his house to stay.

Just then, an old man from Mount Ephraim came out of the field at evening, who sojourned in Gibeah. But the men of the place were Benjamites. When he looked up, he saw a traveler in the city street, and the old man asked him, "Where are you going? Where do you come from?"

We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah toward the side of Mount Ephraim, and I am from there; I went to Bethlehem in Judah but now I'm going to the house of the Lord," he replied. "No one is taking me into their home."

The old man said, "Peace be with you; let all your needs rest on me, but do not lodge in the street." So he brought him into his house and gave provender to the donkeys; they washed their feet and ate and drank.

As they were making merry, the men of the city, notorious troublemakers, surrounded the house and shouted at the door, demanding that the homeowner bring out the stranger so they could have their way with him. The master of the house went out to them and said, "No, my brothers, don't do such a wicked thing; since this man has come into my home, don't commit this folly."

Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine; I will bring them out now, and you may humble them and do with them as seems good to you," he offered. But the men refused to listen, so the man took his concubine and brought her out to them.

They knew her and abused her all night until morning, when the day began to dawn, and then they let her go. Then she came to the door of her lord's house at dawn and lay there until it was light.

Her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, going out to leave; there he saw his concubine lying at the entrance of the house with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Let us go," but she did not respond.

He picked her up and put her on a donkey, then got up and went back to his place. When he arrived at his house, he took a knife and seized his concubine, dividing her into twelve pieces and sending them throughout all the territories of Israel.

And it was so that all who saw it said, "There has never been such a deed done nor seen from the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt until now; consider it, take counsel, and speak your minds."