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A Levite's Concubine Degraded |
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| Judges 19:1 |
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Now it came about in those days, when there
was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote part
of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem
in Judah. |
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| Judges 19:2 |
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But his concubine played the harlot against
him, and she went away from him to her father's house in Bethlehem in Judah, and
was there for a period of four months. |
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| Judges 19:3 |
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Then her husband arose and went after her to
speak tenderly to her in order to bring her back, taking with him his servant
and a pair of donkeys. So she brought him into her father's house, and when the
girl's father saw him, he was glad to meet him. |
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| Judges 19:4 |
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His father-in-law, the girl's father, detained
him; and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. |
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| Judges 19:5 |
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Now on the fourth day they got up early in the
morning, and he prepared to go; and the girl's father said to his son-in-law,
"Sustain yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go." |
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| Judges 19:6 |
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So both of them sat down and ate and drank together;
and the girl's father said to the man, "Please be willing to spend the night,
and let your heart be merry." |
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| Judges 19:7 |
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Then the man arose to go, but his father-in-law
urged him so that he spent the night there again. |
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| Judges 19:8 |
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On the fifth day he arose to go early in the
morning, and the girl's father said, "Please sustain yourself, and wait until
afternoon"; so both of them ate. |
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| Judges 19:9 |
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When the man arose to go along with his concubine
and servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father, said to him, "Behold now, the
day has drawn to a close; please spend the night. Lo, the day is coming to an
end; spend the night here that your heart may be merry. Then tomorrow you may
arise early for your journey so that you may go home." |
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| Judges 19:10 |
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But the man was not willing to spend the night,
so he arose and departed and came to a place opposite Jebus (that is, Jerusalem).
And there were with him a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with
him. |
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| Judges 19:11 |
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When they were near Jebus, the day was almost
gone; and the servant said to his master, "Please come, and let us turn aside
into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it." |
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| Judges 19:12 |
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However, his master said to him, "We will not
turn aside into the city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; but
we will go on as far as Gibeah." |
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| Judges 19:13 |
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He said to his servant, "Come and let us approach
one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah." |
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| Judges 19:14 |
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So they passed along and went their way, and
the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. |
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| Judges 19:15 |
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They turned aside there in order to enter and
lodge in Gibeah. When they entered, they sat down in the open square of the city,
for no one took them into his house to spend the night. |
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| Judges 19:16 |
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Then behold, an old man was coming out of the
field from his work at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim,
and he was staying in Gibeah, but the men of the place were Benjamites. |
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| Judges 19:17 |
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And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler
in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and
where do you come from?" |
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| Judges 19:18 |
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He said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem
in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, for I am from there,
and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to my house, and no man will
take me into his house. |
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| Judges 19:19 |
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Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys,
and also bread and wine for me, your maidservant, and the young man who is with
your servants; there is no lack of anything." |
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| Judges 19:20 |
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The old man said, "Peace to you. Only let me
take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the open square." |
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| Judges 19:21 |
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So he took him into his house and gave the donkeys
fodder, and they washed their feet and ate and drank. |
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| Judges 19:22 |
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While they were celebrating, behold, the men
of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, pounding the door;
and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the
man who came into your house that we may have relations with him." |
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| Judges 19:23 |
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Then the man, the owner of the house, went out
to them and said to them, "No, my fellows, please do not act so wickedly; since
this man has come into my house, do not commit this act of folly. |
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| Judges 19:24 |
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Here is my virgin daughter and his concubine.
Please let me bring them out that you may ravish them and do to them whatever
you wish. But do not commit such an act of folly against this man." |
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| Judges 19:25 |
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But the men would not listen to him. So the
man seized his concubine and brought her out to them; and they raped her and abused
her all night until morning, then let her go at the approach of dawn. |
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| Judges 19:26 |
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As the day began to dawn, the woman came and
fell down at the doorway of the man's house where her master was, until full daylight. |
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| Judges 19:27 |
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When her master arose in the morning and opened
the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, then behold, his concubine
was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. |
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| Judges 19:28 |
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He said to her, "Get up and let us go," but
there was no answer. Then he placed her on the donkey; and the man arose and went
to his home. |
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| Judges 19:29 |
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When he entered his house, he took a knife and
laid hold of his concubine and cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent
her throughout the territory of Israel. |
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| Judges 19:30 |
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All who saw it said, "Nothing like this has
ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the
land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!" |
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