士師記19:1-30

19:1 當以色列中沒有王的時候，有住以法蓮山地那邊的一個利未人，娶了一個猶大伯利恆的女子為妾。
19:2 妾行淫離開丈夫，回猶大的伯利恆，到了父家，在那裡住了四個月。
19:3 她丈夫起來，帶著一個僕人、兩匹驢去見她，用好話勸她回來。女子就引丈夫進入父家。她父見了那人，便歡歡喜喜地迎接。
19:4 那人的岳父，就是女子的父親，將那人留下住了三天。於是二人一同吃喝、住宿。
19:5 到第四天，利未人清早起來要走，女子的父親對女婿說：「請你吃點飯，加添心力，然後可以行路。」
19:6 於是二人坐下一同吃喝。女子的父親對那人說：「請你再住一夜，暢快你的心。」
19:7 那人起來要走，他岳父強留他，他又住了一宿。
19:8 到第五天，他清早起來要走，女子的父親說：「請你吃點飯，加添心力，等到日頭偏西再走。」於是二人一同吃飯。
19:9 那人同他的妾和僕人起來要走，他岳父，就是女子的父親，對他說：「看哪，日頭偏西了，請你再住一夜；天快晚了，可以在這裡住宿，暢快你的心。明天早早起行回家去。」
19:10 那人不願再住一夜，就備上那兩匹驢，帶著妾起身走了，來到耶布斯的對面（耶布斯就是耶路撒冷。）
19:11 臨近耶布斯的時候，日頭快要落了，僕人對主人說：「我們不如進這耶布斯人的城裡住宿。」
19:12 主人回答說：「我們不可進不是以色列人住的外邦城，不如過到基比亞去」；
19:13 又對僕人說：「我們可以到一個地方，或住在基比亞，或住在拉瑪。」
19:14 他們就往前走。將到便雅憫的基比亞，日頭已經落了；
19:15 他們進入基比亞要在那裡住宿，就坐在城裡的街上，因為無人接他們進家住宿。
19:16 晚上，有一個老年人從田間做工回來。他原是以法蓮山地的人，住在基比亞；那地方的人卻是便雅憫人。
19:17 老年人舉目看見客人坐在城裡的街上，就問他說：「你從哪裡來？要往哪裡去？」
19:18 他回答說：「我們從猶大的伯利恆來，要往以法蓮山地那邊去。我原是那裡的人，到過猶大的伯利恆，現在我往耶和華的殿去，在這裡無人接我進他的家。
19:19 其實我有糧草可以餵驢，我與我的妾，並我的僕人，有餅有酒，並不缺少甚麼。」
19:20 老年人說：「願你平安！你所需用的我都給你，只是不可在街上過夜。」
19:21 於是領他們到家裡，餵上驢，他們就洗腳吃喝。
19:22 他們心裡正歡暢的時候，城中的匪徒圍住房子，連連叩門，對房主老人說：「你把那進你家的人帶出來，我們要與他交合。」
19:23 那房主出來對他們說：「弟兄們哪，不要這樣作惡；這人既然進了我的家，你們就不要行這醜事。
19:24 我有個女兒，還是處女，並有這人的妾，我將她們領出來任憑你們玷辱她們，只是向這人不可行這樣的醜事。」
19:25 那些人卻不聽從他的話。那人就把他的妾拉出去交給他們，他們便與她交合，終夜凌辱她，直到天色快亮才放她去。
19:26 天快亮的時候，婦人回到她主人住宿的房門前，就仆倒在地，直到天亮。
19:27 早晨，她的主人起來開了房門，出去要行路，不料那婦人仆倒在房門前，兩手搭在門檻上；
19:28 就對婦人說：「起來，我們走吧！」婦人卻不回答。那人便將她馱在驢上，起身回本處去了。
19:29 到了家裡，用刀將妾的屍身切成十二塊，使人拿著傳送以色列的四境。
19:30 凡看見的人都說：「從以色列人出埃及地，直到今日，這樣的事沒有行過，也沒有見過。現在應當思想，大家商議當怎樣辦理。」

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.^[a] 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!”

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    在這件不法的事情的開頭，《士師記》的作者又用這卷書的慣用句做開頭，就是「以色列中沒有王」！這好像是作者心中深深的感慨，上帝允許作者這樣寫，更是彰顯人必須尋求真正的王！沒有王制定律法，執行懲戒的事情，人真的是會胡亂做出一些荒謬的事情！

    而這樣的事件也讓我們感受到罪惡不僅是個人的事情，更是群體性的事情，人常常會集眾做出犯罪的事情，就像這一群人輪姦一個女子，讓這位女子受到身心最大的創傷，真是非常可惡的行徑！使得她的丈夫十分氣憤，到了家裡，用刀將妾的屍身切成十二塊，使人拿著傳送以色列的四境。凡看見的人都說：「從以色列人出埃及地，直到今日，這樣的事沒有行過，也沒有見過。現在應當思想，大家商議當怎樣辦理。」

    在教會中我們也要防範集體性的犯罪，因為基督尚未再來以前，人仍然有犯罪的可能性，若不好好的透過聖經的話來練淨人心，人很容易隨從己議而不遵行上帝的旨意，仍然像迷羊一般，容易偏行己路，不能不謹慎！