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The Blue Letter Bible

Judges 19 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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The Levite and His Concubine

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:1

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:1 - Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:2

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:2 - But she became angry with him[fn] and returned to her father’s home in Bethlehem.
After about four months,

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:3

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:3 - her husband set out for Bethlehem to speak personally to her and persuade her to come back. He took with him a servant and a pair of donkeys. When he arrived at[fn] her father’s house, her father saw him and welcomed him.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:4

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:4 - Her father urged him to stay awhile, so he stayed three days, eating, drinking, and sleeping there.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:5

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:5 - On the fourth day the man was up early, ready to leave, but the woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat before you go.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:6

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:6 - So the two men sat down together and had something to eat and drink. Then the woman’s father said, “Please stay another night and enjoy yourself.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:7

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:7 - The man got up to leave, but his father-in-law kept urging him to stay, so he finally gave in and stayed the night.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:8

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:8 - On the morning of the fifth day he was up early again, ready to leave, and again the woman’s father said, “Have something to eat; then you can leave later this afternoon.” So they had another day of feasting.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:9

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:9 - Later, as the man and his concubine and servant were preparing to leave, his father-in-law said, “Look, it’s almost evening. Stay the night and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you can get up early and be on your way.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:10

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:10 - But this time the man was determined to leave. So he took his two saddled donkeys and his concubine and headed in the direction of Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:11

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:11 - It was late in the day when they neared Jebus, and the man’s servant said to him, “Let’s stop at this Jebusite town and spend the night there.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:12

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:12 - “No,” his master said, “we can’t stay in this foreign town where there are no Israelites. Instead, we will go on to Gibeah.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:13

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:13 - Come on, let’s try to get as far as Gibeah or Ramah, and we’ll spend the night in one of those towns.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:14

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:14 - So they went on. The sun was setting as they came to Gibeah, a town in the land of Benjamin,

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:15

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:15 - so they stopped there to spend the night. They rested in the town square, but no one took them in for the night.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:16

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:16 - That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe of Benjamin.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:17

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:17 - When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:18

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:18 - “We have been in Bethlehem in Judah,” the man replied. “We are on our way to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim, which is my home. I traveled to Bethlehem, and now I’m returning home.[fn] But no one has taken us in for the night,

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:19

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:19 - even though we have everything we need. We have straw and feed for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:20

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:20 - “You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:21

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:21 - So he took them home with him and fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet, they ate and drank together.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:22

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:22 - While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:23

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:23 - The old man stepped outside to talk to them. “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:24

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:24 - Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don’t do such a shameful thing to this man.”

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:25

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:25 - But they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:26

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:26 - At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:27

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:27 - When her husband opened the door to leave, there lay his concubine with her hands on the threshold.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:28

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:28 - He said, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer.[fn] So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:29

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:29 - When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe throughout all the territory of Israel.

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Unchecked Copy Box Jdg 19:30

Unchecked Copy BoxJdg 19:30 - Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?”
See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NLT Footnotes
Or she was unfaithful to him.
As in Greek version; Hebrew reads When she brought him to.
As in Greek version (see also 19:29); Hebrew reads now I’m going to the Tabernacle of the LORD.
Greek version adds for she was dead.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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Judges Chapter 19 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras