1 In those days Israel had no king. Now a Levite who lived in a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim took a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah.2 But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months,3 her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents' home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him.4 His father-in-law, the woman's father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there.5 On the fourth day they got up early and he prepared to leave, but the woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh yourself with something to eat; then you can go."6 So the two of them sat down to eat and drink together. Afterward the woman's father said, "Please stay tonight and enjoy yourself."7 And when the man got up to go, his father-in-law persuaded him, so he stayed there that night.8 On the morning of the fifth day, when he rose to go, the woman's father said, "Refresh yourself. Wait till afternoon!" So the two of them ate together.9 Then when the man, with his concubine and his servant, got up to leave, his father-in-law, the woman's father, said, "Now look, it's almost evening. Spend the night here; the day is nearly over. Stay and enjoy yourself. Early tomorrow morning you can get up and be on your way home."10 But, unwilling to stay another night, the man left and went toward Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), with his two saddled donkeys and his concubine.11 When they were near Jebus and the day was almost gone, the servant said to his master, "Come, let's stop at this city of the Jebusites and spend the night."12 His master replied, "No. We won't go into any city whose people are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah."13 He added, "Come, let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah and spend the night in one of those places."14 So they went on, and the sun set as they neared Gibeah in Benjamin.15 There they stopped to spend the night. They went and sat in the city square, but no one took them in for the night.16 That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was living in Gibeah (the inhabitants of the place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the fields.17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"18 He answered, "We are on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim where I live. I have been to Bethlehem in Judah and now I am going to the house of the LORD. "No one has taken me in for the night.19 We have both straw and fodder for our donkeys and bread and wine for ourselves your servants —me, the woman and the young man with us. We don't need anything."20 "You are welcome at my house," the old man said. "Let me supply whatever you need. Only don't spend the night in the square."21 So he took him into his house and fed his donkeys. After they had washed their feet, they had something to eat and drink.22 While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him."23 The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing.24 Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don't do such an outrageous thing."25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go.26 At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight.27 When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold.28 He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.29 When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel.30 Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!"

1 وفي تلك الايام حين لم يكن ملك في اسرائيل كان رجل لاوي متغربا في عقاب جبل افرايم. فاتخذ له امرأة سرية من بيت لحم يهوذا.2 فزنت عليه سريته وذهبت من عنده الى بيت ابيها في بيت لحم يهوذا وكانت هناك اياما اربعة اشهر.3 فقام رجلها وسار وراءها ليطيّب قلبها ويردّها ومعه غلامه وحماران. فادخلته بيت ابيها. فلما رآه ابو الفتاة فرح بلقائه.4 وامسكه حموه ابو الفتاة فمكث معه ثلاثة ايام فأكلوا وشربوا وباتوا هناك.5 وكان في اليوم الرابع انهم بكروا صباحا وقام للذهاب. فقال ابو الفتاة لصهره اسند قلبك بكسرة خبز وبعد تذهبون.6 فجلسا وأكلا كلاهما معا وشربا. وقال ابو الفتاة للرجل ارتض وبتّ وليطب قلبك.7 ولما قام الرجل للذهاب الحّ عليه حموه فعاد وبات هناك.8 ثم بكر في الغد في اليوم الخامس للذهاب فقال ابو الفتاة اسند قلبك. وتوانوا حتى يميل النهار. واكلا كلاهما.9 ثم قام الرجل للذهاب هو وسريته وغلامه فقال له حموه ابو الفتاة ان النهار قد مال الى الغروب. بيتوا الآن. هوذا آخر النهار. بتّ هنا وليطب قلبك وغدا تبكرون في طريقكم وتذهب الى خيمتك.10 فلم يرد الرجل ان يبيت بل قام وذهب وجاء الى مقابل يبوس. هي اورشليم. ومعه حماران مشدودان وسريته معه11 وفيما هم عند يبوس والنهار قد انحدر جدا قال الغلام لسيده تعال نميل الى مدينة اليبوسيين هذه ونبيت فيها.12 فقال له سيده لا نميل الى مدينة غريبة حيث ليس احد من بني اسرائيل هنا. نعبر الى جبعة.13 وقال لغلامه تعال نتقدم الى احد الاماكن ونبيت في جبعة او في الرامة.14 فعبروا وذهبوا وغابت لهم الشمس عند جبعة التي لبنيامين.15 فمالوا الى هناك لكي يدخلوا ويبيتوا في جبعة. فدخل وجلس في ساحة المدينة ولم يضمّهم احد الى بيته للمبيت.16 واذا برجل شيخ جاء من شغله من الحقل عند المساء. والرجل من جبل افرايم وهو غريب في جبعة ورجال المكان بنيامينيون.17 فرفع عينيه ورأى الرجل المسافر في ساحة المدينة فقال الرجل الشيخ الى اين تذهب ومن اين اتيت.18 فقال له نحن عابرون من بيت لحم يهوذا الى عقاب جبل افرايم. انا من هناك وقد ذهبت الى بيت لحم يهوذا وانا ذاهب الى بيت الرب وليس احد يضّمني الى البيت.19 وايضا عندنا تبن وعلف لحميرنا وايضا خبز وخمر لي ولامتك وللغلام الذي مع عبيدك. ليس احتياج الى شيء.20 فقال الرجل الشيخ السلام لك. انما كل احتياجك عليّ ولكن لا تبت في الساحة.21 وجاء به الى بيته وعلف حميرهم فغسلوا ارجلهم وأكلوا وشربوا22 وفيما هم يطيبون قلوبهم اذا برجال المدينة رجال بني بليعال احاطوا بالبيت قارعين الباب وكلموا الرجل صاحب البيت الشيخ قائلين اخرج الرجل الذي دخل بيتك فنعرفه.23 فخرج اليهم الرجل صاحب البيت وقال لهم لا يا اخوتي لا تفعلوا شرا. بعدما دخل هذا الرجل بيتي لا تفعلوا هذه القباحة.24 هوذا ابنتي العذراء وسريته دعوني اخرجهما فاذلوهما وافعلوا بهما ما يحسن في اعينكم واما هذا الرجل فلا تعملوا به هذا الامر القبيح.25 فلم يرد الرجال ان يسمعوا له. فامسك الرجل سريته واخرجها اليهم خارجا فعرفوها وتعللوا بها الليل كله الى الصباح وعند طلوع الفجر اطلقوها.26 فجاءت المرأة عند اقبال الصباح وسقطت عند باب بيت الرجل حيث سيدها هناك الى الضوء.27 فقام سيدها في الصباح وفتح ابواب البيت وخرج للذهاب في طريقه واذا بالمرأة سريته ساقطة على باب البيت ويداها على العتبة.28 فقال لها قومي نذهب. فلم يكن مجيب. فأخذها على الحمار وقام الرجل وذهب الى مكانه.29 ودخل بيته واخذ السكين وامسك سريته وقطعها مع عظامها الى اثنتي عشرة قطعة وارسلها الى جميع تخوم اسرائيل.30 وكل من رأى قال لم يكن ولم ير مثل هذا من يوم صعود بني اسرائيل من ارض مصر الى هذا اليوم. تبصّروا فيه وتشاوروا وتكلموا