The Crime of the Benjamites
(Genesis 19:1–11)

1And it will be in those days, and no king in Israel; and it will be a man, a Levite, sojourning in the sides of mount Ephraim, and he will take to him a wife, a concubine, from the House of Bread, of Judah. 2And his concubine will commit fornication against him, and she will go from him to the house of her father, to the House of Bread, of Judah, and she will be there the days of four months. 3And her husband will rise and go after her to speak to her heart, to turn it back; and his young man with him and a pair of asses: and she will bring him into her father's house; and the father of the girl will see him and will rejoice at his meeting. 4And his father-in-law, the girl's father, will hold fast upon him, and he will dwell with, him three days: and they will eat and drink and lodge there. 5And it will be in the fourth day, and they will rise early in the morning, and he will rise up to go: and the girl's father will say to his son-in-law, Strengthen thine heart with a bit of bread, and afterward ye shall go. 6And they will sit down and eat, they two together, and drink: and the girl's father will say to the man, Be willing, now, and lodge, and do good to thy heart. 7And the man will rise up to go, and his father-in-law will press upon him, and he will sit down and lodge there. 8And he will rise early in the morning in the fifth day, to go, and the girl's father will say, Strengthen now thy heart. And they lingered till the day declined, and they two will eat. 9And the man will rise to go, he and his concubine and his boy; and his father-in-law, the girl's father, will say to him, Behold, now, the day weakened toward evening; lodge now: behold, the declining of the day; lodge here, and thy heart shall be joyous; and rise early to-morrow to your way and go to thy tent.

10And the man was not willing to lodge, and he will rise and go, and, come even to the front of Jebus; this is Jerusalem: and with him a pair of asses saddled, and his concubine with him. 11They with Jebus, and the day gone down greatly; and the youth will say to his lord, Go, now, and we will turn to this city of the Jebusites, and we will lodge in it. 12And his lord will say to him, We will not turn into a strange city which is not of the sons of Israel here; and we passed over even to Gibeah. 13And he will say to his boy, Go, and we will come near to one of the places and lodge in Gibeah or in Ramah. 14And they will pass over and will go; and the sun will go down to them near Gibeah which is to Benjamin. 15And they will turn aside there to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he will go in and sit down in the street of the city, and no man receiving them to the house to lodge.

16And behold, an old man came in from his work out of the field in the evening, and the man from mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeab; and the men of the place, sons of the Jaminite. 17And he will lift up his eyes and will see the man of the way in the street of the city: and the old man will say, Whither wilt thou go? and from whence wilt thou come? 18And he will say to him, We are passing from the House of Bread of Judah, even to the sides of mount Ephraim, from whence I am. And I will go to the House of Bread of Judah, and to the house of Jehovah; I went, and no man receiving me to his house. 19And there is also straw, also fodder for our asses; and also there is bread and wine to me and to thy maid and to the boy with thy servants: no want of any word. 20And the old man will say, Peace to thee: only all thy want upon me; only in the street thou shalt not lodge. 21And he will bring him to his house, and will bring for the asses: and they will wash their feet, and eat and drink.

22They doing good to their heart, and behold, the men of the city, men of the sons of Belial, encompassed the house, knocking upon the door; and they will say to the man, the lord of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man which came into thy house, and we will know him. 23And the man, the lord of the house, will go forth to them, and will say to them, Nay, my brethren, ye will not do evil; after that this man came into my house ye will not do this folly. 24Behold, my daughter a virgin, and his concubine; I will bring them forth now, and humble ye them, and do to them the good in your eyes: and to this man ye will not do the word of this folly. 25And the men were not willing to hear to him: and the man will lay hold upon his concubine and will bring out to them without, and they will know her, and will gratify their desires upon her all the night, even till morning: and they will send her away in the ascending of the dawn. 26And the woman will come at the turning of the morning and she will fall at the door of the house where her lord there, even till the light.

27And her lord will rise in the morning and will open the doors of the house and will come forth to go to his way, and behold, the woman his concubine, fallen at the door of the house, and her hands upon the threshold. 28And he will say to her, Arise, and go. And none answered. And he will take her upon the ass, and the man will rise and go to his place. 29And he will come to his house and will take a knife, and will lay hold upon his concubine, and he will give her, even to her bones, into twelve pieces, and he will send her into all the bound of Israel. 30And it was, all seeing and saying, It was not, and it was not seen according to this from the day of the coming up of the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt till this day: consider for yourselves upon it; take counsel and speak.