Hakim-hakim 18:1--19:30
Konteks18:1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the Danite tribe was looking for a place 1 to settle, because at that time they did not yet have a place to call their own among the tribes of Israel. 2 18:2 The Danites sent out from their whole tribe five representatives, 3 capable men 4 from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and explore it. They said to them, “Go, explore the land.” They came to the Ephraimite hill country and spent the night at Micah’s house. 5 18:3 As they approached 6 Micah’s house, they recognized the accent 7 of the young Levite. So they stopped 8 there and said to him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 9 18:4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, 10 “He hired me and I became his priest.” 18:5 They said to him, “Seek a divine oracle for us, 11 so we can know if we will be successful on our mission.” 12 18:6 The priest said to them, “Go with confidence. 13 The Lord will be with you on your mission.” 14
18:7 So the five men journeyed on 15 and arrived in Laish. They noticed that the people there 16 were living securely, like the Sidonians do, 17 undisturbed and unsuspecting. No conqueror was troubling them in any way. 18 They lived far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone. 19 18:8 When the Danites returned to their tribe 20 in Zorah and Eshtaol, their kinsmen 21 asked them, “How did it go?” 22 18:9 They said, “Come on, let’s attack them, 23 for 24 we saw their land and it is very good. You seem lethargic, 25 but don’t hesitate 26 to invade and conquer 27 the land. 18:10 When you invade, 28 you will encounter 29 unsuspecting people. The land is wide! 30 God is handing it over to you – a place that lacks nothing on earth!” 31
18:11 So six hundred Danites, fully armed, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 32 18:12 They went up and camped in Kiriath Jearim in Judah. (To this day that place is called Camp of Dan. 33 It is west 34 of Kiriath Jearim.) 18:13 From there they traveled through the Ephraimite hill country and arrived at Micah’s house. 18:14 The five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish 35 said to their kinsmen, 36 “Do you realize that inside these houses are an ephod, some personal idols, a carved image, and a metal image? Decide now what you want to do.” 18:15 They stopped 37 there, went inside the young Levite’s house (which belonged to Micah), 38 and asked him how he was doing. 39 18:16 Meanwhile the six hundred Danites, fully armed, stood at the entrance to the gate. 40 18:17 The five men who had gone to spy out the land broke in and stole 41 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, while the priest was standing at the entrance to the gate with the six hundred fully armed men. 42 18:18 When these men broke into Micah’s house and stole 43 the carved image, the ephod, the personal idols, and the metal image, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 18:19 They said to him, “Shut up! Put your hand over your mouth and come with us! You can be our adviser 44 and priest. Wouldn’t it be better to be a priest for a whole Israelite tribe than for just one man’s family?” 45 18:20 The priest was happy. He took the ephod, the personal idols, and the carved image and joined the group. 46
18:21 They turned and went on their way, but they walked behind the children, the cattle, and their possessions. 47 18:22 After they had gone a good distance from Micah’s house, Micah’s neighbors 48 gathered together and caught up with the Danites. 18:23 When they called out to the Danites, the Danites 49 turned around and said to Micah, “Why have you gathered together?” 18:24 He said, “You stole my gods that I made, as well as this priest, and then went away. What do I have left? How can you have the audacity to say to me, ‘What do you want?’” 50 18:25 The Danites said to him, “Don’t say another word to us, or some very angry men 51 will attack you, and you and your family will die.” 52 18:26 The Danites went on their way; when Micah realized 53 they were too strong to resist, 54 he turned around and went home.
18:27 Now the Danites 55 took what Micah had made, as well as his priest, and came to Laish, where the people were undisturbed and unsuspecting. They struck them down with the sword and burned the city. 56 18:28 No one came to the rescue because the city 57 was far from Sidon 58 and they had no dealings with anyone. 59 The city 60 was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites 61 rebuilt the city and occupied it. 18:29 They named it Dan after their ancestor, who was one of Israel’s sons. 62 But the city’s name used to be Laish. 18:30 The Danites worshiped 63 the carved image. Jonathan, descendant 64 of Gershom, son of Moses, 65 and his descendants 66 served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the exile. 18:31 They worshiped 67 Micah’s carved image 68 the whole time God’s authorized shrine 69 was in Shiloh.
19:1 In those days Israel had no king. There was a Levite 70 living temporarily in the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. He acquired a concubine 71 from Bethlehem 72 in Judah. 19:2 However, she 73 got angry at him 74 and went home 75 to her father’s house in Bethlehem in Judah. When she had been there four months, 19:3 her husband came 76 after her, hoping he could convince her to return. 77 He brought with him his servant 78 and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house and the girl’s father saw him, he greeted him warmly. 79 19:4 His father-in-law, the girl’s father, persuaded him to stay with him for three days, and they ate and drank together, and spent the night there. 19:5 On the fourth day they woke up early and the Levite got ready to leave. 80 But the girl’s father said to his son-in-law, “Have a bite to eat for some energy, 81 then you can go.” 19:6 So the two of them sat down and had a meal together. 82 Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Why not stay another night and have a good time!” 83 19:7 When the man got ready to leave, 84 his father-in-law convinced him to stay another night. 85 19:8 He woke up early in the morning on the fifth day so he could leave, but the girl’s father said, “Get some energy. 86 Wait until later in the day to leave!” 87 So they ate a meal together. 19:9 When the man got ready to leave 88 with his concubine and his servant, 89 his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look! The day is almost over! 90 Stay another night! Since the day is over, 91 stay another night here and have a good time. You can get up early tomorrow and start your trip home.” 92 19:10 But the man did not want to stay another night. He left 93 and traveled as far as 94 Jebus (that is, Jerusalem). 95 He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys and his concubine. 96
19:11 When they got near Jebus, it was getting quite late 97 and the servant 98 said to his master, “Come on, let’s stop at 99 this Jebusite city and spend the night in it.” 19:12 But his master said to him, “We should not stop at a foreign city where non-Israelites live. 100 We will travel on to Gibeah.” 19:13 He said to his servant, 101 “Come on, we will go into one of the other towns 102 and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 19:14 So they traveled on, 103 and the sun went down when they were near Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. 104 19:15 They stopped there and decided to spend the night 105 in Gibeah. They came into the city and sat down in the town square, but no one invited them to spend the night. 106
19:16 But then an old man passed by, returning at the end of the day from his work in the field. 107 The man was from the Ephraimite hill country; he was living temporarily in Gibeah. (The residents of the town were Benjaminites.) 108 19:17 When he looked up and saw the traveler 109 in the town square, the old man said, “Where are you heading? Where do you come from?” 19:18 The Levite 110 said to him, “We are traveling from Bethlehem 111 in Judah to the remote region of the Ephraimite hill country. That’s where I’m from. I had business in Bethlehem in Judah, but now I’m heading home. 112 But no one has invited me into their home. 19:19 We have enough straw and grain for our donkeys, and there is enough food and wine for me, your female servant, 113 and the young man who is with your servants. 114 We lack nothing.” 19:20 The old man said, “Everything is just fine! 115 I will take care of all your needs. But don’t spend the night in the town square.” 19:21 So he brought him to his house and fed the donkeys. They washed their feet and had a meal. 116
19:22 They were having a good time, 117 when suddenly 118 some men of the city, some good-for-nothings, 119 surrounded the house and kept beating 120 on the door. They said to the old man who owned the house, “Send out the man who came to visit you so we can have sex with him.” 121 19:23 The man who owned the house went outside and said to them, “No, my brothers! Don’t do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Don’t do such a disgraceful thing! 19:24 Here are my virgin daughter and my guest’s 122 concubine. I will send them out and you can abuse them and do to them whatever you like. 123 But don’t do such a disgraceful thing to this man!” 19:25 The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite 124 grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. 125 They raped 126 her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn. 19:26 The woman arrived back at daybreak and was sprawled out on the doorstep of the house where her master 127 was staying until it became light. 128 19:27 When her master 129 got up in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went outside to start on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, sprawled out on the doorstep of the house with her hands on the threshold. 19:28 He said to her, “Get up, let’s leave!” But there was no response. He put her on the donkey and went home. 130 19:29 When he got home, he took a knife, grabbed his concubine, and carved her up into twelve pieces. 131 Then he sent the pieces throughout Israel. 132 19:30 Everyone who saw the sight 133 said, “Nothing like this has happened or been witnessed during the entire time since 134 the Israelites left the land of Egypt! 135 Take careful note of it! Discuss it and speak!”
[18:1] 1 tn Heb “an inheritance.”
[18:1] 2 tn Heb “because there had not fallen to them by that day in the midst of the tribes of Israel an inheritance.”
[18:2] 3 tn Heb “The Danites sent from their tribe five men, from their borders.”
[18:2] 4 tn Heb “men, sons of strength.”
[18:2] 5 tn Heb “They came to the Ephraimite hill country, to Micah’s house, and spent the night there.”
[18:3] 6 tn Or “When they were near.”
[18:3] 7 tn Heb “voice.” This probably means that “his speech was Judahite [i.e., southern] like their own, not Israelite [i.e., northern]” (R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 263).
[18:3] 8 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[18:3] 9 tn Heb “What [is there] to you here?”
[18:4] 10 tn Heb “He said to them, ‘Such and such Micah has done for me.’” Though the statement is introduced and presented, at least in part, as a direct quotation (note especially “for me”), the phrase “such and such” appears to be the narrator’s condensed version of what the Levite really said.
[18:5] 12 tn Heb “so we can know if our way on which we are going will be successful.”
[18:6] 14 tn Heb “In front of the LORD is your way in which you are going.”
[18:7] 16 tn Heb “who were in its midst.”
[18:7] 17 tn Heb “according to the custom of the Sidonians.”
[18:7] 18 tn Heb “and there was no one humiliating anything in the land, one taking possession [by] force.”
[18:7] 19 tc Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.” Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX and Symmachus read “Syria” here rather than the MT’s “men.” This reading presupposes a Hebrew Vorlage אֲרָם (’aram, “Aram,” i.e., Arameans) rather than the MT reading אָדָם (’adam). This reading is possibly to be preferred over the MT.
[18:8] 20 tn Heb “They came to their brothers.”
[18:9] 23 tn Heb “Arise, and let us go up against them.”
[18:9] 24 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX adds “we entered and walked around in the land as far as Laish and.”
[18:9] 25 tn Heb “But you are inactive.”
[18:9] 27 tn Heb “to go”; “to enter”; “to possess.”
[18:10] 28 tn Heb “When you enter.”
[18:10] 29 tn Heb “you will come to.”
[18:10] 30 tn Heb “broad of hands,” an idiom meaning “wide on both sides.”
[18:10] 31 tn Heb “a place where there is no lack of anything that is in the earth.”
[18:11] 32 tn Heb “They journeyed from there, from the tribe of the Danites, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men, equipped with weapons of war.”
[18:12] 33 tn Or “Mahaneh Dan”; the Hebrew term “Mahaneh” means “camp [of].” Many English versions retain the transliterated Hebrew expression, but cf. CEV “Dan’s Camp.”
[18:14] 35 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the LXX lacks the phrase “of Laish.”
[18:15] 37 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[18:15] 38 tn Heb “Micah’s house.”
[18:15] 39 tn Heb “they asked him concerning peace.”
[18:16] 40 tn Heb “And the six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war…from the sons of Dan.”
[18:17] 41 tn Heb “went up, went in there, took.”
[18:17] 42 tn Heb “six hundred men, equipped with the weapons of war.”
[18:18] 43 tn Heb “These went into Micah’s house and took.”
[18:19] 44 tn See the note on the word “adviser” in 17:10.
[18:19] 45 tn Heb “Is it better for you to be priest for the house of one man or for you to be priest for a tribe, for a clan in Israel?”
[18:20] 46 tn Heb “and went into the midst of the people.”
[18:21] 47 tn Heb “They turned and went and put the children, the cattle, and the possessions in front of them.”
[18:22] 48 tn Heb “the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house.”
[18:23] 49 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:24] 50 tn Heb “What is this you say to me, ‘What to you?’”
[18:25] 51 tn Heb “bitter in spirit.” This phrase is used in 2 Sam 17:8 of David and his warriors, who are compared to a bear robbed of her cubs.
[18:25] 52 tn Heb “and you will gather up your life and the life of your house.”
[18:26] 54 tn Heb “they were stronger than he.”
[18:27] 55 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:27] 56 tn The Hebrew adds “with fire.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[18:28] 57 tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.
[18:28] 58 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[18:28] 59 tn Heb “and a thing there was not to them with men.”
[18:28] 60 tn Heb “it.” The Hebrew pronoun is feminine singular here, referring to the “city” (a grammatically feminine singular noun) mentioned in v. 27.
[18:28] 61 tn Heb “They”; the referent (the Danites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 62 tn Heb “They called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who had been born to Israel.”
[18:30] 63 tn Heb “erected for themselves.”
[18:30] 65 tc Several ancient textual witnesses, including some LXX
[18:31] 67 tn Heb “they set up for themselves.”
[18:31] 68 tn Heb “the carved image that Micah had made.”
[18:31] 69 tn Heb “the house of God.”
[19:1] 70 tn Heb “a man, a Levite.”
[19:1] 71 sn See the note on the word “concubine” in 8:31.
[19:1] 72 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[19:2] 73 tn Heb “and his concubine.” The pronoun (“she”) has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 74 tn Or “was unfaithful to him.” Many have understood the Hebrew verb וַתִּזְנֶה (vattizneh) as being from זָנָה (zanah, “to be a prostitute”), but it may be derived from a root meaning “to be angry; to hate” attested in Akkadian (see HALOT 275 s.v. II זנה).
[19:2] 75 tn Heb “went from him.”
[19:3] 76 tn Heb “arose and came.”
[19:3] 77 tn Heb “to speak to her heart to bring her back.”
[19:3] 79 tn Heb “he was happy to meet him.”
[19:5] 80 tn Heb “and he arose to go.”
[19:5] 81 tn Heb “Sustain your heart [with] a bit of food.”
[19:6] 82 tn Heb “And they sat and ate, the two of them together, and they drank.”
[19:6] 83 tn Heb “Be willing and spend the night so that your heart might be good.”
[19:7] 84 tn Heb “and the man arose to go.”
[19:7] 85 tn Heb “his father-in-law persuaded him and he again spent the night there.”
[19:8] 86 tn Heb “Sustain your heart.” He is once more inviting him to stay for a meal.
[19:8] 87 tn Heb “Wait until the declining of the day.”
[19:9] 88 tn Heb “the man arose to go.”
[19:9] 90 tn Heb “the day is sinking to become evening.”
[19:9] 92 tn Heb “for your way and go to your tent.”
[19:10] 93 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[19:10] 94 tn Heb “to the front of.”
[19:10] 95 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:10] 96 tc Some ancient witnesses add “and his servant.”
[19:11] 97 tn Heb “and the day was descending greatly.”
[19:11] 99 tn Heb “turn aside” (also in the following verse).
[19:12] 100 tn Heb “who are not from the sons of Israel.”
[19:13] 101 tn Or “young man.”
[19:13] 102 tn Heb “we will enter one of the places.”
[19:14] 103 tn Heb “and they passed by and went.”
[19:14] 104 tn Heb “which belongs to Benjamin.”
[19:15] 105 tn Heb “they turned aside there to enter to spend the night.”
[19:15] 106 tn Heb “and he entered and sat down, and there was no one receiving them into the house to spend the night.”
[19:16] 107 tn Heb “And look, an old man was coming from his work, from the field in the evening.”
[19:16] 108 tn Heb “And the men of the place were Benjaminites.”
[19:17] 109 tn Heb “the man, the traveler.”
[19:18] 110 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:18] 111 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[19:18] 112 tn Heb “I went to Bethlehem in Judah, but [to] the house of the LORD I am going.” The Hebrew text has “house of the LORD,” which might refer to the shrine at Shiloh. The LXX reads “to my house.”
[19:19] 113 tn By calling his concubine the old man’s “female servant,” the Levite emphasizes their dependence on him for shelter.
[19:19] 114 tc Some Hebrew
[19:20] 115 tn Heb “Peace to you.”
[19:21] 116 tn Heb “ate and drank.”
[19:22] 117 tn Heb “they were making their heart good.”
[19:22] 118 tn Heb “and look.”
[19:22] 119 tn Heb “the men of the city, men, the sons of wickedness.” The phrases are in apposition; the last phrase specifies what type of men they were. It is not certain if all the men of the city are in view, or just a group of troublemakers. In 20:5 the town leaders are implicated in the crime, suggesting that all the men of the city were involved. If so, the implication is that the entire male population of the town were good-for-nothings.
[19:22] 120 tn The Hitpael verb form appears to have an iterative force here, indicating repeated action.
[19:22] 121 tn Heb “so we can know him.” On the surface one might think they simply wanted to meet the visitor and get to know him, but their hostile actions betray their double-talk. The old man, who has been living with them long enough to know what they are like, seems to have no doubts about the meaning of their words (see v. 23).
[19:24] 122 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the visiting Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:24] 123 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[19:25] 124 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Levite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:25] 125 tn Heb “and he caused [her] to go outside to them.”
[19:25] 126 tn Heb “knew,” in the sexual sense.
[19:26] 127 tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman.
[19:26] 128 tn Heb “The woman came at the turning of the morning and fell at the door of the house of the man where her master was until the light.”
[19:27] 129 tn The Hebrew term here translated “master,” is plural. The plural indicates degree here and emphasizes the Levite’s absolute sovereignty over the woman.
[19:28] 130 tn Heb “And the man took her on the donkey and arose and went to his place.”
[19:29] 131 tn Heb “he carved her up by her bones into twelve pieces.”
[19:29] 132 tn Heb “and he sent her through all the territory of Israel.”
[19:30] 133 tn The words “the sight” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[19:30] 134 tn Heb “from the day.”
[19:30] 135 tc Codex Alexandrinus (A) of the (original) LXX has the following additional words: “And he instructed the men whom he sent out, ‘Thus you will say to every male Israelite: “There has never been anything like this from the day the Israelites left Egypt till the present day.”’”
