13. He told his servant, “Let’s go someplace else. We’ll spend the night either at Gibeah or Ramah.”
14. So they went on. It was sunset by the time they arrived at Gibeah. (Gibeah belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.)
15. They went to spend the night there. The Levite entered Gibeah and sat down in the city square, because no one offered to take them home for the night.
16. That evening an old man came into the city from his work in the fields. He was from the mountain region of Ephraim but lived in Gibeah. The other people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin.
17. He saw the traveler in the city square. So the old man asked, “Where do you come from? And where are you going?”
18. The Levite replied, “We’re on our way from Bethlehem in Judah to a remote area in the mountains of Ephraim. That’s where I’m from. I had gone to Bethlehem in Judah. Now I’m going to the Lord’s house, but no one has offered to take me into his home.
19. We have straw and fodder for our donkeys. I even have bread and wine for myself, the woman, and my servant. We have everything we need.”
20. Then the old man said, “Welcome! Let me take care of your needs. Just don’t spend the night in the city square.”
21. So he took the Levite to his house and fed the donkeys. After they washed, they ate and drank.
22. While they were enjoying themselves, some worthless men from the city surrounded the house and pounded on the door. They told the old man, the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so that we can have sex with him.”
23. The owner went out to them. He told them, “No, my friends! Please don’t do anything so evil! This man is a guest in my home. Don’t do such a godless thing!