King James Version · The judges
Judges 19
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And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain sojourning on the side of mount , who took to him a out of Beth–lehem–judah. And played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her ’s house to Beth–lehem–judah, and was there four whole months. And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her ’s house: and when of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 4And his in law, the damsel’s , retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s said unto his son in law, Comfort thine with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way. And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s had said unto the man, Be content, I thee, and tarry all night, and let thine be merry. 7And when the man rose up to depart, his in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. 8And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s said, Comfort thine , I thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and , and his servant, his in law, the damsel’s , said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against , which is ; and there were with him two asses saddled, also was with him. And when they were by , the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I thee, and let us turn in into this city of the , and lodge in it. 12And his master said unto him, We will not turn aside hither into the city of a , that is not of the ; we will pass over to . And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in , or in . 14And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by , which belongeth to . And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in : and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city: for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount ; and he sojourned in : but the men of the place were . And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth–lehem–judah toward the side of mount ; from thence am I: and I went to Beth–lehem–judah, but I am now going to the ; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. Now as they were making their merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and ; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. But the men would not to him: so the man took , and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man’s house where her was, till it was . 27And her rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on , and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the came up out of the land of unto this day: consider of it, take , and speak your .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · The judges, 1200 BC to 1050 BC ›
No central government and no standing army. The great empires are weak, which is precisely why Israel's troubles come from close neighbors: Moab, Ammon, Midian, and the newly arrived Philistines on the coast.
- Egypt
- Broken into competing power centres and no longer able to project force into Canaan. Its withdrawal is the single biggest reason this period has no imperial overlord.
- Mesopotamia
- Assyria exists but is dormant, hemmed in and looking east. The century that would have crushed a stateless Israel simply has not arrived yet.
- The coast
- The Philistines settle their five cities after arriving from the Aegean world, bringing Mycenaean-style pottery, a taste for pork, and an early advantage in ironworking. Further north the Phoenician ports of Tyre and Sidon start the trading expansion that will eventually give the alphabet to Greece.
- Further afield
- Greece has entered its dark age: the palaces are gone, Linear B is forgotten, and writing disappears from the Aegean for three centuries. In China the Zhou dynasty replaces the Shang in 1046 BC and issues the doctrine that heaven withdraws its mandate from unjust kings, an idea with an interesting resemblance to the book of Judges.