I had never read the Bible until I retired. When I did-I was shocked. I will bet your minister never told you this story. I invight you to follow along with your Bible.
Outrage in Benjamin While Traveling to the House of the Lord
In the days when there was no king in Israel, a Levite living in a remote part of the hill country of Ephraim acquired a woman to have sex with him (concubine) and live with his wife and family (Judges 19:1). She became unfaithful to him and left to go back to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah.
Four months later, the Levite decided to go and get his concubine. When the girl’s father saw him, he gladly welcomed him into his house. The girl’s father and the Levite ate and drank together for the next five days. On the morning of the fifth day, the Levite left with the concubine. They traveled until dark and decided to spend the night in the city of Gibeah in Benjamin. They sat down in the city square, looking for someone to take them in for the night (Judges 19:15).
An old man saw them and asked “where are you going?” The Levite answered, “we’re traveling from Bethlehem and now I am going to the house of the Lord”. “Peace to you”, the old man said, “I will take care of your needs”. He brought them to his house and they washed up, feed the donkeys, ate and drank. While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden perverted men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him” (Judges 19:22).
The old man went out and said to them, “No, don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come to my house. Don’t do this terrible thing. Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the concubine now. Use them and do whatever you want to them. But don’t do this horrible thing to this man” (Judges 19:24).
But the men would not listen to him, so the Levite seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At day break, they let her go. The woman made her way back and she collapsed near the doorway of the house.
When her master got up in the morning to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house. “Get up”, he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response because the girl was dead. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home (Judges 19:28).
When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout the territories of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has happened or been since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt to this day. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!” (Judges 19:29)
A Rancid story from the “Good Book.”