Bible Reading
May 31
The World English Bible
May
31
Judges
19, 20
Jdg
19:1 It happened in those days, when there was no king in Israel,
that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the
hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem
Judah.
Jdg
19:2 His concubine played the prostitute against him, and went away
from him to her father's house to Bethlehem Judah, and was there the
space of four months.
Jdg
19:3 Her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly to her,
to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of
donkeys: and she brought him into her father's house; and when the
father of the young lady saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.
Jdg
19:4 His father-in-law, the young lady's father, retained him; and
he abode with him three days: so they ate and drink, and lodged
there.
Jdg
19:5 It happened on the fourth day, that they arose early in the
morning, and he rose up to depart: and the young lady's father said
to his son-in-law, Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and
afterward you shall go your way.
Jdg
19:6 So they sat down, ate, and drank, both of them together: and
the young lady's father said to the man, Please be pleased to stay
all night, and let your heart be merry.
Jdg
19:7 The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and
he lodged there again.
Jdg
19:8 He arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and
the young lady's father said, Please strengthen your heart and stay
until the day declines; and they ate, both of them.
Jdg
19:9 When the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his
servant, his father-in-law, the young lady's father, said to him,
Behold, now the day draws toward evening, please stay all night:
behold, the day grows to an end, lodge here, that your heart may be
merry; and tomorrow get you early on your way, that you may go home.
Jdg
19:10 But the man wouldn't stay that night, but he rose up and
departed, and came over against Jebus (the same is Jerusalem): and
there were with him a couple of donkeys saddled; his concubine also
was with him.
Jdg
19:11 When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the
servant said to his master, Please come and let us turn aside into
this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.
Jdg
19:12 His master said to him, We won't turn aside into the city of a
foreigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass
over to Gibeah.
Jdg
19:13 He said to his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of
these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
Jdg
19:14 So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on
them near to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.
Jdg
19:15 They turned aside there, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he
went in, and sat him down in the street of the city; for there was no
man who took them into his house to lodge.
Jdg
19:16 Behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field
at even: now the man was of the hill country of Ephraim, and he
sojourned in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.
Jdg
19:17 He lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street
of the city; and the old man said, Where are you going? Where did you
come from?
Jdg
19:18 He said to him, We are passing from Bethlehem Judah to the
farther side of the hill country of Ephraim; from there am I, and I
went to Bethlehem Judah: and I am now
going to the house of Yahweh; and there is no man who takes me into
his house.
Jdg
19:19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our donkeys; and
there is bread and wine also for me, and for your handmaid, and for
the young man who is with your servants: there is no want of
anything.
Jdg
19:20 The old man said, Peace be to you; howsoever let all your
wants lie on me; only don't lodge in the street.
Jdg
19:21 So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder;
and they washed their feet, and ate and drink.
Jdg
19:22 As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the
city, certain base fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the
door; and they spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying,
Bring forth the man who came into your house, that we may know him.
Jdg
19:23 The man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said
to them, No, my brothers, please don't act so wickedly; seeing that
this man is come into my house, don't do this folly.
Jdg
19:24 Behold, here is my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; them
I will bring out now, and humble them, and do with them what seems
good to you: but to this man don't do any such folly.
Jdg
19:25 But the men wouldn't listen to him: so the man laid hold on
his concubine, and brought her forth to them; and they knew her, and
abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to
spring, they let her go.
Jdg
19:26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down
at the door of the man's house where her lord was, until it was
light.
Jdg
19:27 Her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the
house, and went out to go his way; and behold, the woman his
concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on
the threshold.
Jdg
19:28 He said to her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered:
then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and got him
to his place.
Jdg
19:29 When he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid
hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb, into twelve
pieces, and sent her throughout all the borders of Israel.
Jdg
19:30 It was so, that all who saw it said, There was no such deed
done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of
the land of Egypt to this day: consider it, take counsel, and speak.
Jdg
20:1 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation
was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land
of Gilead, to Yahweh at Mizpah.
Jdg
20:2 The chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel,
presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four
hundred thousand footmen who drew sword.
Jdg
20:3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel
had gone up to Mizpah.) The children of Israel said, Tell us, how
was this wickedness brought to pass?
Jdg
20:4 The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered,
answered, I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my
concubine, to lodge.
Jdg
20:5 The men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house by
night. They thought to have slain me, and they forced my concubine,
and she is dead.
Jdg
20:6 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 lewdness and folly in Israel.
Jdg
20:7 Behold, you children of Israel, all of you, give here your
advice and counsel.
Jdg
20:8 All the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us
go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn to his house.
Jdg
20:9 But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we
will go up against it by lot;
Jdg
20:10 and we will take ten men of one hundred throughout all the
tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and a thousand out
of ten thousand, to get food for the people, that they may do, when
they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they
have worked in Israel.
Jdg
20:11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit
together as one man.
Jdg
20:12 The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of
Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that is happen among you?
Jdg
20:13 Now therefore deliver up the men, the base fellows, who are in
Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel.
But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers the
children of Israel.
Jdg
20:14 The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of
the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of
Israel.
Jdg
20:15 The children of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the
cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, besides the
inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
Jdg
20:16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men
left-handed; everyone could sling stones at a hair-breadth, and not
miss.
Jdg
20:17 The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four
hundred thousand men who drew sword: all these were men of war.
Jdg
20:18 The children of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked
counsel of God; and they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle
against the children of Benjamin? Yahweh said, Judah shall
go up first.
Jdg
20:19 The children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped
against Gibeah.
Jdg
20:20 The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the
men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.
Jdg
20:21 The children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and
destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day Twenty-two
thousand men.
Jdg
20:22 The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set
the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in
array the first day.
Jdg
20:23 The children of Israel went up and wept before Yahweh until
even; and they asked of Yahweh, saying, Shall I again draw near to
battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? Yahweh said, Go
up against him.
Jdg
20:24 The children of Israel came near against the children of
Benjamin the second day.
Jdg
20:25 Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day,
and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again
eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
Jdg
20:26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up,
and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted
that day until even; and they offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings before Yahweh.
Jdg
20:27 The children of Israel asked of Yahweh (for the ark of the
covenant of God was there in those days,
Jdg
20:28 and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood
before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle
against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? Yahweh
said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.
Jdg
20:29 Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah.
Jdg
20:30 The children of Israel went up against the children of
Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against
Gibeah, as at other times.
Jdg
20:31 The children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were
drawn away from the city; and they began to strike and kill of the
people, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to
Bethel, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of
Israel.
Jdg
20:32 The children of Benjamin said, They are struck down before us,
as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and
draw them away from the city to the highways.
Jdg
20:33 All the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and set
themselves in array at Baal Tamar: and the ambushers of Israel broke
forth out of their place, even out of Maareh Geba.
Jdg
20:34 There came over against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of
all Israel, and the battle was sore; but they didn't know that evil
was close on them.
Jdg
20:35 Yahweh struck Benjamin before Israel; and the children of
Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand one
hundred men: all these drew the sword.
Jdg
20:36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck; for the
men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted the
ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah.
Jdg
20:37 The ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; and the ambushers
drew themselves along, and struck all the city with the edge of the
sword.
Jdg
20:38 Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the
ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up
out of the city.
Jdg
20:39 The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to
strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they
said, Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.
Jdg
20:40 But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a
pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and behold, the
whole of the city went up in smoke to the sky.
Jdg
20:41 The men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were
dismayed; for they saw that evil had come on them.
Jdg
20:42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to
the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them;
and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in its midst.
Jdg
20:43 They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and
trod them down at their
resting place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the sunrise.
Jdg
20:44 There fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were
men of valor.
Jdg
20:45 They turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of
Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men,
and followed hard after them to Gidom, and struck of them two
thousand men.
Jdg
20:46 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five
thousand men who drew the sword; all these were
men of valor.
Jdg
20:47 But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to
the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months.
Jdg
20:48 The men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin,
and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and
the livestock, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which
they found they set on fire.
