Old/New Testament
19 Also in those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite dwelt on the side of Mount Ephraim and took as a wife a concubine out of Bethlehem, Judah.
2 And his concubine played the whore there and went away from him to her father’s house, to Bethlehem, Judah, and continued there for the space of four months.
3 And her husband arose and went after her, to speak friendly to her, and to bring her back. He also had his servant with him and a couple of donkeys. And she brought him to her father’s house. And when the young woman’s father saw him, he rejoiced at his coming.
4 And his father-in-law (the young woman’s father) received him. And he stayed with him for three days. So, they ate and drank and lodged there.
5 And when the fourth day came, they arose early in the morning, and he prepared to depart. Then, the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Comfort your heart with a morsel of bread, and then go your way.”
6 So, they sat down and ate and drank, both of them together. And the young woman’s father said to the man, “Please, be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry.”
7 And when the man rose up to depart, his father-in-law urged him. Therefore, he returned and lodged there.
8 And he arose up early the fifth day to depart. And the young woman’s father said, “Please, comfort your heart.” And they stayed until after midday, and they both ate.
9 Afterward, when the man arose to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law (the young woman’s father) said to him, “Behold now, the day draws toward evening. Please, stay all night. Behold, the Sun goes to rest. Lodge here, so that your heart may be merry. And tomorrow get on your way early and go to the tent.”
10 But the man would not stay, but arose and departed, and came over opposite Jebus (which is Jerusalem). And his two donkeys, laden, and his concubine were with him.
11 When they were near Jebus, the day was well-spent and the servant said to his master, “Please come and let us turn to this city of the Jebusites and lodge there all night.”
12 And his master answered him, “We will not turn into the city of strangers who are not of the children of Israel. But we will go forth to Gibeah.”
13 And he said to his servant, “Come and let us draw near to one of these places, so that we may lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah.”
14 So they went forward on their way. And the Sun went down upon them near Gibeah, which is in Benjamin.
15 Then, they turned there to go in and lodge in Gibeah. And when he came, he sat down in a street of the city, for there was no man who would take them into his house to lodge.
16 And behold, at evening, there came an old man from his work, out of the field. And the man was from Mount Ephraim but dwelt in Gibeah. And the men of that place were the children of Jemini.
17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the streets of the city. Then, this old man said, “Where are you going and from where did you come?”
18 And he answered him, “We came from Bethlehem, Judah, to the side of Mount Ephraim. I am from there. And I went to Bethlehem, Judah, and go to the House of the LORD. And no man has received me into his house,
19 “though we have straw and provender for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me and your handmaid, and for the boy who is with your servant. We lack nothing.”
20 And the old man said, “Peace be with you. As for all that you lack, you shall find it with me. Only, do not stay in the street all night.”
21 So, he brought him into his house and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet and ate and drank.
22 And as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, wicked men, surrounded the house and struck at the door and spoke to this old man, the master of the house, saying, “Bring forth the man who came into your house, so that we may know him!”
23 And this man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said to them, “No, my brethren! Please do not do so wickedly, seeing that this man has come into my house. Do not do this villainy!
24 “Behold, here is my daughter, a virgin, and his concubine! I will bring them out now. Humble them and do with them what seems good to you. But do not do this villainy to this man!”
25 But the men would not listen to him. Therefore, the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And when the day began to spring, they let her go.
26 So the woman came, in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her lord was, until the light of day.
27 And her lord arose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way. And behold, the woman, his concubine, was dead at the door of the house, her hands upon the threshold.
28 And he said to her, “Up! And let us go!” But she did not answer. Then he took her up upon the donkey. And the man rose up and went to his place.
29 And when he had come to his house, he took a knife and laid hands on his concubine and divided her in pieces, with her bones, into twelve parts, and sent her through all quarters of Israel.
30 And all who saw it, said, “There was no such thing done or seen since the time that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider the matter, consult and give sentence!”
20 Then all the children of Israel went out. And the Congregation was gathered together with the land of Gilead before the LORD in Mizpah, as one man, from Dan to Beersheba.
2 And the chief of all the people, and all the tribes of Israel, assembled four hundred thousand footmen who drew sword from the Congregation of the people of God.
3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) Then, the children of Israel said, “How did this wickedness happen?”
4 And the same Levite, the husband of the woman who was slain, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which is in Benjamin, with my concubine, to lodge.
5 “And the men of Gibeah arose against me and surrounded the house by night, intending to kill me. But instead, they afflicted my concubine so that now she is dead.
6 “Then I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel; for they have committed abomination and villainy in Israel.
7 “Behold, you are all children of Israel. Give your advice and counsel in this.”
8 Then all the people arose as one man, saying, “Not one of us shall go to his tent, nor any turn into his house.
9 “But now, this is that thing which we will do to Gibeah: We will go up, by lot, against it;
10 “and we will take ten men out of a hundred, throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, so that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin they may do according to all the villainy that it has done in Israel.”
11 So, all the men of Israel were gathered opposite the city, knit together as one man.
12 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What wickedness is this that is committed among you?
13 “Now, therefore, deliver to us those wicked men who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel!” But the children of Benjamin would not obey the voice of their brethren, the children of Israel.
14 Rather, the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together in Gibeah, from out of their cities, to come and fight against the children of Israel.
15 And the children of Benjamin from out of the cities were numbered at that time, twenty-six thousand men who drew sword (in addition to the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered at seven hundred chosen men).
16 Of all these people, seven hundred chosen men were left-handed and could sling stones at a hair’s breadth, and not fail.
17 And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered at four hundred thousand men who drew sword, all men of war.
18 And the children of Israel arose and went up to the House of God and asked of God, saying, “Which of us shall go up first to fight against the children of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah first.”
19 Then the children of Israel arose up early and camped near Gibeah.
20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin. And the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.
21 And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and cut down to the ground of the Israelites that day, twenty-two thousand men.
22 And the people, the men of Israel, plucked up their hearts, and set themselves in battle formation again, in the same place where they had put themselves in formation on the first day.
23 (For the children of Israel had gone up and wept before the LORD until the evening, and had asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go back to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brethren?” And the LORD said, “Go up against them.”)
24 Then the children of Israel came near, against the children of Benjamin, on the second day.
25 Also the second day, Benjamin came forth to meet them out of Gibeah, and, again, cut down to the ground eighteen thousand men of the children of Israel. All of them could handle the sword.
26 Then all the children of Israel went up. And all the people also came to the House of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted on that day until the evening, and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings before the LORD.
27 And the children of Israel asked the LORD (for there was the Ark of the Covenant of God in those days,
28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it at that time) saying, “Shall I continue to go to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brethren, or shall I cease?” And the LORD said, “Go up. For tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”
29 And Israel set men to lie in wait all around Gibeah.
30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in formation against Gibeah, as at other times.
31 Then the children of Benjamin, coming out against the people, were drawn from the city. And they began to strike of the people and kill as at other times, by the roads in the field (of which one goes up to the House of God and the other to Gibeah) upon about thirty men of Israel.
32 (For the children of Benjamin said, “They have fallen before us, as at first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let us flee and draw them away from the city to the highways).
33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and put themselves in formation at Baal Tamar. And the men of the Israelites who lay in wait came forth from their place, out of the meadows of Geba.
34 And they came over near Gibeah, ten thousand chosen men of all Israel. And the battle was fierce, for the Benjamites did not know that calamity was upon them.
35 And the LORD struck Benjamin before Israel. And that same day, the children of Israel destroyed twenty-five thousand one hundred men of the Benjamites, all who could handle the sword.
36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were stricken down. For the men of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites because they trusted the men who lay in wait, whom they had laid beside Gibeah.
37 And those who lay in wait hurried and broke forth toward Gibeah, and the ambushers spread out and struck the whole city with the edge of the sword.
38 Also, the men of Israel had appointed a certain time with the ambushers, that they would make a great flame and smoke would arise up out of the city.
39 And when the men of Israel turned in the battle, Benjamin began to strike and kill some of the men of Israel, about thirty people. For they said, “Surely they are stricken down before us, as in the first battle!”
40 But when the flame began to rise out of the city, a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked back, and behold, the flame of the city began to ascend up to Heaven.
41 Then the men of Israel turned back; and the men of Benjamin were astonished. For they saw that calamity was upon them.
42 Therefore, they fled before the men of Israel, to the way of the wilderness. But the battle overtook them. Also, those who came out of the cities killed them in the midst of them.
43 Thus they surrounded the Benjamites, chasing them down and easily catching them opposite Gibeah, on the eastern side.
44 And eighteen thousand men of Benjamin were killed, all men of war.
45 And they turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon. And the Israelites killed five thousand of them along the way, and pursued after them to Gidom, and killed two thousand of them,
46 so that all the men of Benjamin who were killed that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew sword, who were all men of war.
47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon for four months.
48 Then, the men of Israel turned to the children of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, from the men of the city to the beasts, and all who came to hand. Also, they set on fire all the cities that they could find.
21 Moreover, the men of Israel swore in Mizpah, saying, “None of us shall give his daughter to the Benjamites as a wife.”
2 And the people came to the House of God and stayed there until evening before God, and lifted up their voices and wept with great lamentation,
3 and said, “O LORD God of Israel! Why has this come to pass at this time in Israel, that this day one tribe of Israel should be missing?”
4 And the next day, the people rose up and made an Altar there, and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings.
5 Then, the children of Israel said, “Who is he among all the tribes of Israel who did not come up with the Congregation to the LORD?” For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the LORD to Mizpah, saying, “Let him die the death.”
6 And the children of Israel were sorry for Benjamin, their brother, and said, “There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.
7 “What shall we do about wives for those who remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them our daughters as wives?”
8 Also they said, “Is there any other tribe of Israel that did not come up to Mizpah to the LORD?” And behold, no one had come from Jabesh Gilead to the camp or to the Congregation.
9 For when the people were reviewed, behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were there.
10 Therefore, the Congregation sent twelve thousand men of the most valiant there and commanded them, saying, “Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead with the edge of the sword, both women and children.
11 “And this is what you shall do: you shall utterly destroy all the males and all the women who have lain with men.”
12 And they found four hundred maids among the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead, virgins who had known no man by lying with any male. And they brought them to the camp, to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.
13 Then the whole Congregation sent and spoke with the children of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon and called peaceably to them.
14 And Benjamin came back at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive from the women of Jabesh Gilead. But they did not have enough for them.
15 And the people were sorry for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
16 Therefore, the elders of the Congregation said, “What shall we do about wives for the remnant? For the women of Benjamin have been destroyed.”
17 And they said, “There must be an inheritance for those of Benjamin that escapes, so that a tribe is not destroyed out of Israel.
18 “However, we may not give them wives from our daughters.” For the children of Israel had sworn, saying, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.”
19 Therefore they said, “Behold, there is a feast of the LORD every year in Shiloh (which is on the northern side of Bethel and on the eastern side of the road that goes up from Bethel to Shechem and to the south of Lebonah).”
20 Therefore, they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in wait in the vineyards.
21 “And when you see that the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then every man come out of the vineyards and catch yourself a wife from the daughters of Shiloh and go into the land of Benjamin.
22 “And when their fathers or their brethren come to us to complain, we will say to them, ‘Have pity on them for our sakes, because we did not reserve a wife for each man in the war; and because you have not given to them before now, you have sinned.’”
23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives of those who danced, according to their number. They took them and went away and returned to their inheritance and repaired the cities and dwelt in them.
24 So, the children of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family. And each man went out from there to his inheritance.
25 In those days, there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was good in his eyes.
31 And the Lord said, “To what shall I liken the men of this generation? And what are they like?
32 “They are like little children sitting in the marketplace, crying one to another, saying, ‘We have played the flute for you, and you have not danced. We have mourned for you, and you have not wept.’
33 “For John Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine. And you say, ‘He has a demon.’
34 “The Son of Man has come, and eats, and drinks. And you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
35 “But wisdom is justified by all her children.”
36 And one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went into the Pharisee’s house and sat down at table.
37 And behold, a woman in the city (who was a sinner), when she knew that Jesus sat at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought a box of ointment.
38 And she stood behind him, weeping at his feet. And she began to wash his feet with her tears. And she wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had asked Him, saw it, he spoke to himself, saying, “If this man were a Prophet, He would surely have known who and what kind of woman this is who touches Him. For she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered, and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he said, “Master, say on.”
41 “There was a certain lender who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 “When they had nothing with which to pay, he forgave them both. Therefore, tell Me, which of them will love him most?”
43 Simon answered, and said, “I suppose the one to whom he forgave most.” And He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, “See this woman? I entered into your house and you gave Me no water for my feet. But she has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 “You gave Me no kiss. But since the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46 “You did not anoint My head with oil. But she has anointed My feet with ointment.
47 “Therefore I say to you her many sins are forgiven. For she has loved much. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 And those who sat at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this Who even forgives sins?”
50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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