A Levite’s Concubine Raped and Killed

19 Now it came about in those days, when ^(A)there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite ^[a]staying in the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim, who took a concubine for himself from Bethlehem in Judah. ² But his concubine ^[b]found him repugnant, and she left him and went to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah, and remained there for a period of four months.

¹⁰ But the man was unwilling to spend the night, so he got up and left, and came to a place opposite ^(A)Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). And with him was a pair of saddled donkeys; his concubine also was with him. ¹¹ When they were near Jebus, the day was almost gone; and ^(B)the servant said to his master, “Please come, and let’s turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.” ¹² However, his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not of the sons of Israel; instead, we will go on as far as Gibeah.” ¹³ And he said to his servant, “Come, and let’s approach one of these places; and we will spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” ¹⁴ So they passed along and went their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵ They turned aside there to enter and spend the night in Gibeah. When ^[a]they entered, ^[b]they sat down in the public square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.