Judges 19:16-20:21
But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah.( The residents of the town were Benjaminites.)When he looked up and saw the traveler in the town square, the old man said,“ Where are you heading? Where do you come from?”The Levite said to him,“ We are traveling from Bethlehem 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. But no one has invited me into their home.We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, and the young man who is with your servants. We lack nothing.”The old man said,“ Everything is just fine! I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.”So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal.They were having a good time, when suddenly some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, surrounded the house and kept beating 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.”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!Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!”The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. They raped her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn.The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master was staying until it became light.When her master 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.He said to her,“ Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home.When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel.Everyone who saw the sight said,“ Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since the Israelites left the land of Egypt! Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”All the Israelites from Dan to Beer Sheba and from the land of Gilead left their homes and assembled together before the LORD at Mizpah.The leaders of all the people from all the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, which numbered four hundred thousand sword-wielding foot soldiers.The Benjaminites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah. Then the Israelites said,“ Explain how this wicked thing happened!”The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, spoke up,“ I and my concubine stopped in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin to spend the night.The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died.I grabbed hold of my concubine and carved her up and sent the pieces throughout the territory occupied by Israel, because they committed such an unthinkable atrocity in Israel.All you Israelites, make a decision here!”All Israel rose up in unison and said,“ Not one of us will go home! Not one of us will return to his house!Now this is what we will do to Gibeah: We will attack the city as the lot dictates.We will take ten of every group of a hundred men from all the tribes of Israel( and a hundred of every group of a thousand, and a thousand of every group of ten thousand) to get supplies for the army. When they arrive in Gibeah of Benjamin they will punish them for the atrocity which they committed in Israel.”So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as allies.The tribes of Israel sent men throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying,“ How could such a wicked thing take place?Now, hand over the good-for-nothings in Gibeah so we can execute them and purge Israel of wickedness.” But the Benjaminites refused to listen to their Israelite brothers.The Benjaminites came from their cities and assembled at Gibeah to make war against the Israelites.That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah.Among this army were seven hundred specially-trained left-handed soldiers. Each one could sling a stone and hit even the smallest target.The men of Israel( not counting Benjamin) had mustered four hundred thousand sword-wielding soldiers, every one an experienced warrior.The Israelites went up to Bethel and asked God,“ Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?” The LORD said,“ Judah should lead.”The Israelites got up the next morning and moved against Gibeah.The men of Israel marched out to fight Benjamin; they arranged their battle lines against Gibeah.The Benjaminites attacked from Gibeah and struck down twenty-two thousand Israelites that day.
