Judges 19

vayehi bayyamim hahem umelekh en beyisra'el vayehi ish levi gar beyarkete har-efrayim vayyiqqakh-lo isha filegesh mibbet lekhem yehudah

In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite residing at the other end of the hill country of Ephraim took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.

vattizneh alayw pilagsho vattelekh me'itto el-bet aviha el-bet lekhem yehudah vattehi-sham yamim arba'ah khodashim

Once his concubine deserted him, leaving him for her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah; and she stayed there a full four months.

vayyaqom ishah vayyelekh akhareha ledabber al-libbah (lhshyvv) [lahashivah] vena'aro immo vetsemed khamorim vattevi'ehu bet aviha vayyirehu avi hanna'arah vayyismakh liqrato

Then her husband set out, with an attendant and a pair of donkeys, and went after her to woo her and to win her back. She admitted him into her father’s house; and when the young woman’s father saw him, he received him warmly.

vayyakhazeq-bo khoteno avi hanna'arah vayyeshev itto sheloshet yamim vayyokhelu vayyishtu vayyalinu sham

His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, pressed him, and he stayed with him three days; they ate and drank and lodged there.

vayehi bayyom harevi'i vayyashkimu vabboqer vayyaqom lalekhet vayyomer avi hanna'arah el-khatano se'ad libbekha pat-lekhem ve'akhar telekhu

Early in the morning of the fourth day, he started to leave; but the young woman’s father said to his son-in-law, “Eat something to give you strength, then you can leave.”

vayyeshevu vayyokhelu shenehem yakhdav vayyishtu vayyomer avi hanna'arah el-ha'ish ho'el-na velin veyitav libbekha

So the two of them sat down and they feasted together. Then the young woman’s father said to the man, “Won’t you stay overnight and enjoy yourself?”

vayyaqom ha'ish lalekhet vayyiftsar-bo khoteno vayyashov vayyalen sham

The man started to leave, but his father-in-law kept urging him until he turned back and spent the night there.

vayyashkem babboqer bayyom hakhamishi lalekhet vayyomer avi hanna'arah se'od-na levavekha vehitmahmehu ad-netot hayyom vayyokhelu shenehem

Early in the morning of the fifth day, he was about to leave, when the young woman’s father said, “Come, have a bite.” The two of them ate, dawdling until past noon.

vayyaqom ha'ish lalekhet hu ufilagsho vena'aro vayyomer lo khoteno avi hanna'arah hinneh na rafah hayyom la'arov linu-na hinneh khanot hayyom lin poh veyitav levavekha vehishkamtem makhar ledarkekhem vehalakhta le'ohalekha

Then the man, his concubine, and his attendant started to leave. His father-in-law, the young woman’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is waning toward evening; do stop for the night. See, the day is declining; spend the night here and enjoy yourself. You can start early tomorrow on your journey and head for home.”

velo-avah ha'ish lalun vayyaqom vayyelekh vayyavo ad-nokhakh yevus hi yerushalai͏m ve'immo tsemed khamorim khavushim ufilagsho immo

But the man refused to stay for the night. He set out and traveled as far as the vicinity of Jebus—that is, Jerusalem; he had with him a pair of laden donkeys, and his concubine was with him.

hem im-yevus vehayyom rad me'od vayyomer hanna'ar el-adonayw lekhah-nna venasurah el-ir-hayevusi hazzot venalin bah

Since they were close to Jebus, and the day was very far spent, the attendant said to his master, “Let us turn aside to this town of the Jebusites and spend the night in it.”

vayyomer elayw adonayw lo nasur el-ir nokhri asher lo-mibbene yisra'el hennah ve'avarnu ad-givah

But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside to a town of aliens who are not of Israel, but will continue to Gibeah.

vayyomer lena'aro lekha veniqrevah be'akhad hammeqomot velannu vaggivah o varamah

Come,” he said to his attendant, “let us approach one of those places and spend the night either in Gibeah or in Ramah.”

vayya'avru vayyelekhu vattavo lahem hashemesh etsel haggivah asher levinyamin

So they traveled on, and the sun set when they were near Gibeah of Benjamin.

vayyasuru sham lavo lalun baggivah vayyavo vayyeshev birkhov ha'ir ve'en ish me'assef-otam habbaytah lalun

They turned off there and went in to spend the night in Gibeah. He went and sat down in the town square, but nobody took them indoors to spend the night.

vehinneh ish zaqen ba min-ma'asehu min-hassadeh ba'erev veha'ish mehar efrayim vehu-gar baggivah ve'anshe hammaqom bene yemini

In the evening, an old man came along from his property outside the town. (This man hailed from the hill country of Ephraim and resided at Gibeah, where the locals were Benjaminites.)

vayyissa enayw vayyar et-ha'ish ha'oreakh birkhov ha'ir vayyomer ha'ish hazzaqen anah telekh ume'ayin tavo

He happened to notice the wayfarer in the town square. “Where,” the old man inquired, “are you going to, and where do you come from?”

vayyomer elayw overim anakhnu mibbet-lekhem yehudah ad-yarkete har-efrayim misham anokhi va'elekh ad-bet lekhem yehudah ve'et-bet Adonai ani holekh ve'en ish me'assef oti habbayetah

He replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the other end of the hill country of Ephraim. That is where I live. I made a journey to Bethlehem of Judah, and now I am on my way to the House of GOD, and nobody has taken me indoors.

vegam-teven gam-mispo yesh lakhamorenu vegam lekhem vayayin yesh-li vela'amatekha velanna'ar im-avadekha en makhsor kol-davar

We have both bruised straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and your handmaid, and for the attendant with your servants. We lack nothing.”

vayyomer ha'ish hazzaqen shalom lakh raq kol-makhsorekha alay raq barekhov al-talan

“Rest easy,” said the old man. “Let me take care of all your needs. Do not on any account spend the night in the square.”

vayevi'ehu leveto (vyvvl) [vayyavol] lakhamorim vayyirkhatsu raglehem vayyokhelu vayyishtu

And he took him into his house. He mixed fodder for the donkeys; then they bathed their feet and ate and drank.

hemmah metivim et-libbam vehinneh anshe ha'ir anshe vene-veliyya'al nasabbu et-habbayit mitdappeqim al-haddalet vayyomeru el-ha'ish ba'al habbayit hazzaqen lemor hotse et-ha'ish asher-ba el-betekha veneda'ennu

While they were enjoying themselves, the townsmen, a depraved lot, had gathered about the house and were pounding on the door. They called to the aged owner of the house, “Bring out that man who’s come into your house, so that we can be intimate with him.”

vayyetse alehem ha'ish ba'al habbayit vayyomer alehem al-akhay al-tare'u na akhare asher-ba ha'ish hazzeh el-beti al-ta'asu et-hannevalah hazzot

The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please, my friends, do not commit such a wrong. Since this fellow has entered my house, do not perpetrate this outrage.

hinneh vitti habbetulah ufilagshehu otsi'ah-nna otam ve'annu otam va'asu lahem hattov be'enekhem vela'ish hazzeh lo ta'asu devar hannevalah hazzot

Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. Let me bring them out to you. Use them, do what you like with them; but don’t do that outrageous thing to this fellow.”

velo-avu ha'anashim lishmoa lo vayyakhazeq ha'ish befilagsho vayyotse alehem hakhuts vayyede'u otah vayyitallelu-vah kol-hallaylah ad-habboqer vayeshallekhuha (vlvt) [ka'alot] hashakhar

But the others would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and pushed her out to them. They raped her and abused her all night long until morning; and they let her go when dawn broke.

vattavo ha'isha lifnot habboqer vattippol petakh bet-ha'ish asher-adoneha sham ad-ha'or

Toward morning the woman came back; and as it was growing light, she collapsed at the entrance of the very house where her husband was.

vayyaqom adoneha babboqer vayyiftakh daltot habbayit vayyetse lalekhet ledarko vehinneh ha'isha filagsho nofelet petakh habbayit veyadeha al-hassaf

When her husband arose in the morning, he opened the doors of the house and went out to continue his journey; and there was the woman, his concubine, lying at the entrance of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

vayyomer eleha qumi venelekhah ve'en oneh vayyiqqakheha al-hakhamor vayyaqom ha'ish vayyelekh limqomo

“Get up,” he said to her, “let us go.” But there was no reply. So the man placed her on the donkey and set out for home.

vayyavo el-beto vayyiqqakh et-hamma'akhelet vayyakhazeq befilagsho vayenattekheha la'atsameha lishnem asar netakhim vayeshallekheha bekhol gevul yisra'el

When he came home, he picked up a knife, and took hold of his concubine and cut her up limb by limb into twelve parts. He sent them throughout the territory of Israel.

vehayah khol-haro'eh ve'amar lo-nihyetah velo-niratah kazot lemiyyom alot bene-yisra'el me'erets mitsrayim ad hayyom hazzeh simu-lakhem aleha utsu vedabberu

And everyone who saw it cried out, “Never has such a thing happened or been seen from the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day! Put your mind to this; take counsel and decide.”