Judges 19:16-20:21
Then behold, an old man was coming out of the field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjaminites.And he raised his eyes and saw the traveler in the public square of the city; and the old man said,“ Where are you going, and where do you come from?”And he said to him,“ We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, for I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to my house, and no one will take me into his house.Yet there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, and your female slave, and the young man who is with your servants; there is no lack of anything.”Then the old man said,“ Peace to you. Only let me take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the public square.”So he took him into his house and fed the donkeys, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.While they were celebrating, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless men, surrounded the house, pushing one another at the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying,“ Bring out the man who entered your house that we may have relations with him.”Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them,“ No, my brothers, please do not act so wickedly. Since this man has come into my house, do not commit this vile sin.Here is my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine. Please let me bring them out, then rape them and do to them whatever you wish. But do not commit this act of vile sin against this man.”But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and brought her outside to them; and they raped her and abused her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn.As the day began to dawn, the woman came and fell down at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was, until full daylight.When her master got up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold.And he said to her,“ Get up and let’s go,” but there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey; and the man set out and went to his home.When he entered his house, he took a knife and seized his concubine, and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb. Then he sent her throughout the territory of Israel.All who saw it said,“ Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, make a plan, and speak up!”Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one person to the Lord at Mizpah.And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, took their stand in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers who drew the sword.( Now the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) And the sons of Israel said,“ Tell us, how did this wickedness take place?”So the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said,“ I came with my concubine to spend the night at Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin.But the citizens of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night, threatening me. They intended to kill me; instead, they raped my concubine so that she died.And I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout the land of Israel’s inheritance; for they have committed an outrageous sin and vile act in Israel.Behold, all you sons of Israel, give your response and advice here.”Then all the people rose up as one person, saying,“ Not one of us will go to his tent, nor will any of us go home.But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up against it by lot.And we will take ten men out of a hundred throughout the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to supply provisions for the people, so that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may punish them for all the vile sin that they have committed in Israel.”So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united as one man.Then the tribes of Israel sent men through the entire tribe of Benjamin, saying,“ What is this wickedness that has taken place among you?Now then, turn over the men, the worthless men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and remove this wickedness from Israel.” But the sons of Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel.Instead, the sons of Benjamin gathered from the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel.From the cities on that day the sons of Benjamin were counted, twenty six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah who were counted, seven hundred choice men.Out of all these people seven hundred choice men were left handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.Then the men of Israel besides Benjamin were counted, four hundred thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were men of war.Now the sons of Israel set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God and said,“ Who shall go up first for us to battle against the sons of Benjamin?” Then the Lord said,“ Judah shall go up first.”So the sons of Israel got up in the morning and camped against Gibeah.The men of Israel went to battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel lined up for battle against them at Gibeah.Then the sons of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and struck to the ground on that day twenty two thousand men of Israel.
