1 A Leuites wife being an harlot, forſoke her houſband, and he toke her againe. 25 As Gibeah she was moſte vilanouſly abuſed to the death. 29 The Leuite cutteth her in pieces and ſendeth her to the twelue tribes.

1.ALſo in thoſe daies, ^* when there was no King in Iſraél, a certaine Leuite dwelt on the ſide of mount Ephráim, and toke to wife a ^* concubine out of Beth-léhem Iudáh,

2.And his concubine played the whore ^" there, and went away from him vnto her fathers houſe to Beth-léhem Iudáh, and there cótinued the ſpace of foure moneths.

3.And her houſband aroſe and went after her, to ſpeake ^" friendly vnto her, and to bring her againe: he had alſo his ſeruant with him, and a couple of aſſes: and ſhe broght him vnto her fathers houſe, and when the yong womans father ſawe him, he reioyced ^" of his comming.

4.And his father in lawe, the yong womans father reteined him: and he abode with him thre daies: ſo they did eat & drinke, and lodged there.

5.¶ And when the fourth day came, thei aroſe early in the morning, & ^" he prepared to departe: then the yong womans father ſaid vnto his ſonne in lawe, ^" Comforte thine heart with a morſel of bread, and then go your way.

6.So they ſate downe, & did eat and drinke bothe of them together. And the ^a yõg womans father ſaid vnto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tary all night, & let thine heart be mery.

7.And when the mã roſe vp to departe, his father in lawe ^" was earneſt: therefore he returned, and lodged there.

8.And he aroſe vp early the fifte day to departe, & the yong womans father ſaid, ^b Comforte thine heart, I pray thee: and they taryed vntil after midday, and they bothe did eat.

9.Afterwarde when the man aroſe to departe with his concubine and his ſeruant, his father in lawe, the yong womans father ſaid vnto him, Beholde now, the day ^" draweth towarde euen: I pray you, tary all night: ^" beholde the ſunne goeth to reſt: lodge here, that thine heart may be mery, & tomorowe get you early vpon your way, and go to thy ^c tent.

10.But the man wolde not tary, but aroſe and departed, & came ouer againſt Iebús, (which is Ieruſalém) and his two aſſes laden, and his concubine were with him.

11.¶ When thei were nere to Iebús, the day ^" was ſore ſpent, and the ſeruant ſaid vnto his maſter, Come, I pray thee, & let vs turne into this citie of the Iebuſites, & lodge all night there.

12.And his maſter anſwered him, ^d We wil not turne into the citie of ſtrangers that are not of the children of Iſraél, but we wil go forthe to Gibeáh.

13.And he ſaid vnto his ſeruant, Come, and let vs drawe nere to one of theſe places, that we may lodge in Gibeáh or in Ramáh.

14.So they went forwarde vpon their way, and the ſunne went downe vpõ them nere to Gibeáh, which is in Beniamín.

15.¶ Then thei turned thether to go in and lodge in Gibeáh: and when he came, he ſate him downe in a ſtrete of the citie: for there was no man that ^" toke them into his houſe to lodging.

16.And beholde, there came an olde man from his worke out of the field at euen, and the man was of mount Ephráim, but dwelt in Gibeáh: and the men of the place were the children of ^e Ieminí.

17.¶ And when he had lift vp his eyes, he ſawe a ^" wayfaring mã in the ſtretes of the citie: then this olde man ſaid, Whether goeſt thou, and whence cameſt thou?

18.And he anſwered him, We came from Beth-léhem Iudáh, vnto the ſide of moũt Ephráim: from thence am I: and I went to Beth-léhem Iudáh, and go now to the ^f houſe of the Lord: and no man receiueth me to houſe,

19.Althogh we haue ſtrawe and prouandre for our aſſes, and alſo bread and wine for me and thine handmayd, and for the boy that is with thy ſeruant: we lacke nothing.

20.And the olde man ſaid, ^" Peace be with thee: as for all that thou lackeſt, ſhalt thou finde with me: onely abide not in the ſtrete all night.

21.¶ So he broght him into his houſe, and gaue foddre vnto the aſſes: & thei waſhed their fete, & did eat and drinke.

22.And as they were making their hearts mery, mery, beholde, the men of the citie, ^" wicked men beſet the houſe round about, and ^g ſmore at the dore, and ſpake to this olde man the maſter of the houſe, ſaying, Bring forthe the man that came into thine houſe that we may knowe him.

23.And ^* this man the maſter of the houſe, went out vnto them, and ſaid vnto them, Naye my brethren, do not ſo wickedly, I pray you: ſeing that this man is come into mine houſe, do not this vilanie.

24.Beholde, here is my daughter, a virgine, and his concubine: them wil I bring out now, ^h and humble them, and do with thé what ſemeth you good: but to this man do not this vilenie.

25.But the men wolde not hearken to him: therefore the man toke his concubine, and broght her out vnto them: and they knewe her and abuſed her all the night vnto the morning: & whé the day began to ſpring, they let her go.

26.So y^e woman came in the dawning of the day, & ⁱ fel downe at the dore of the más houſe where her lord was, til the light day.

27.And her ^* lord aroſe in the morning, & opened the dores of the houſe, and went out to go his way, and beholde, the woman his concubine was ^* dead at the dore of the houſe and her hands lay vpon the threſholde.

28.And he ſaid vnto her, Vp and let vs go: but ſhe anſwered not. Then he toke her vp vpon the aſſe, and the man roſe vp, and went vnto his ^k place.

29.And when he was come to his houſe, he toke a knife, and laid hand on his concubine, and deuided her in pieces with her bones into twelue partes, and ſent her through all quarters of Iſraél.

30.And all that ſawe it, ſaid, There was no ^l ſuche thing done or ſene ſince the time that the children of Iſraél came vp from the land of Egypt vnto this day: conſidre the matter, conſult and giue ſentence.

Judges 19

Notes