Levite and his concubine at Gibeah, Old Testament

The Outrage of Gibeah (Judges 19 Retold) --- 1 A Levite man from Ephraim journeyed with his concubine to Bethlehem in Judah to take her back home. --- 2 They stayed in Bethlehem for several days, enjoying the hospitality of the woman's father. But when it was time to leave, the Levite urged his concubine to depart. --- 3 "Come," he said, "let's get going." --- 4 She, however, refused. "No," she pleaded, "let's stay another night. My father enjoys your company." --- 5 The Levite pressed on, insisting they leave by evening. They reached Jebus, as Jerusalem was then called, as the sun began to set. --- 6 Still eager to reach home before nightfall, the Levite suggested they rest there for the night. --- 7 But his servant argued, "We can't stay in this foreign city. Let's go on to Gibeah, just a little further." --- 8 So they travelled on and arrived at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin as dusk settled. --- 9 Finding no one to offer them lodging, they stood in the town square. Finally, an old man from the hills of Ephraim, who was staying in Gibeah, saw them and invited them to his home. ---10 The Levite gladly accepted and they followed the old man to his house, where he washed their feet, provided them with a meal, and offered them a place to sleep. --- 11 As evening deepened, a group of vile men from Gibeah surrounded the house, pounding on the door and shouting to the old man. --- 12 "Bring out the man who came to stay with you," they demanded. "We want to have him." --- 13 Horrified, the old man pleaded with them, "No, my friends, don't do such an evil thing! He is under my roof. Don't commit such a shameful act!" --- 14 But the men wouldn't listen. In desperation, the old man offered his own virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine to them, saying, "Do what you must with them, but leave these men alone, for they are under my protection." --- 15 Consumed by lust, the men ignored the old man's pleas. They seized the concubine and dragged her outside, assaulting her through the night until morning. --- 16 At dawn, utterly broken, the concubine stumbled back to the doorway of the house and collapsed. --- 17 When the Levite rose in the morning and saw his concubine lying at the door, with her hands still on the threshold, he thought she was merely sleeping. --- 18 "Get up," he said, "it's time to go." But there was no response. He realized with a jolt of horror that she was dead. --- 19 He placed her body on his donkey and set out for home, his heart heavy with grief and rage. --- 20 Arriving at his home, he cut his concubine's body into twelve pieces and sent them throughout the land of Israel, along with a message: "Look at what has been done to my concubine! Such an outrage has never been seen in Israel!" --- This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. --- Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-1674), a Dutch Golden Age artist, was a star pupil of Rembrandt. He mastered history paintings, portraits, and genre scenes, known for his blend of Rembrandt's drama with Flemish elegance. His "Levite and His Concubine" is a famous example