¹² 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 pass on by until Gibeah.”

¹⁶ But behold, an old man was coming from his work, from the field, at evening. Now the man was from ^(A)the hill country of Ephraim, and he was sojourning in Gibeah, but the men of the place ^(B)were Benjamites. ¹⁷ 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?” ¹⁸ And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem in Judah. But I am now going to ^[a]the house of Yahweh, and no man is taking me into his house. ¹⁹ Yet there is both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and also bread and wine for me, ^[b]your maidservant, and ^(C)the young man who is with your servants; there is no lack of anything.” ²⁰ Then the old man said, “^(D)Peace be to you. Only let me take care of all that you lack; however, do not spend the night in the open square.” ^21 (E)So he brought him into his house and gave the donkeys fodder, and they washed their feet and ate and drank.

²² They were making their hearts merry, and behold, ^(F)the men of the city, certain ^[c](G)vile 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 ^[d]know him.” ²³ Then the man, the owner of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, please do not do evil. Since this man has come into my house, ^(H)do not commit this disgraceful act. ^24 (I)Behold, my daughter who is a virgin, and his concubine—please let me bring them out that you may violate them and do to them whatever is good in your eyes. But do not commit such a disgraceful act against this man.” ²⁵ But the men were not willing to listen to him. So the man took hold of his concubine and brought her out to them; and they knew her and abused her all night until morning, and they let her go at the ^[e]breaking of dawn. ^26 [f]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.

²⁷ Then her master arose in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, and behold, the woman, his concubine, was lying at the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. ²⁸ And he said to her, “Get up and let us go,” ^(J)but there was no answer. Then he took her on the donkey; and the man arose and went to his ^[g]home. ²⁹ Then he entered his house and took a knife and took hold of his concubine and ^(K)cut her in twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territory of Israel. ³⁰ And 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; ^(L)take counsel and speak up!”