New International Reader's Version

Judges 19:11-19 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

11. By the time the travelers came near Jebus, the day was almost over. So the servant said to his master, "Come. Let's stop at this Jebusite city. Let's spend the night here."

12. His master replied, "No. We won't go into a city where strangers live. The people there aren't from Israel. We'll continue on to Gibeah."

13. He added, "Come. Let's try to reach Gibeah or Ramah. We can spend the night in one of those places."

14. So they continued on. As they came near Gibeah in Benjamin, the sun went down.

15. They stopped there to spend the night. They went to the city's main street and sat down. But no one took them home for the night.

16. That evening an old man came into the city. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim. But he was living in Gibeah. The people who lived there were from the tribe of Benjamin.

17. The old man saw the traveler in the main street. He asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"

18. The Levite answered, "We've come from Bethlehem in Judah. We're on our way to Ephraim. I live deep in the hill country there. I've been to Bethlehem. Now I'm going to the house of the Lord. But no one has taken me home for the night.

19. We have straw and feed for our donkeys. We have food and wine for ourselves. We have enough for me, my female servant and the young man who is with us. We don't need anything."