7. There was a young man out of BETHLEHEM Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he lived there.

8. The man departed out of the city, out of BETHLEHEM Judah, to live where he could find a place, and he came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, as he traveled.

9. Micah said to him, "Where did you come from?"He said to him, "I am a Levite of BETHLEHEM Judah, and I am looking for a place to live."

1. In those days, when there was no king in Israel, there was a certain Levite living on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took for himself a concubine out of BETHLEHEM Judah.

2. His concubine played the prostitute against him, and went away from him to her father's house to BETHLEHEM Judah, and was there for four months.

3. Her husband arose, and went after her, to speak kindly to her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of donkeys. She brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young lady saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

4. His father-in-law, the young lady's father, kept him there; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank, and stayed there.

5. On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning, and he rose up to depart. The young lady's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you shall go your way."

6. So they sat down, ate, and drank, both of them together. Then the young lady's father said to the man, "Please be pleased to stay all night, and let your heart be merry."

7. The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he stayed there again.

8. He arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the young lady's father said, "Please strengthen your heart and stay until the day declines"; and they both ate.

9. When the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the young lady's father, said to him, "Behold, now the day draws toward evening, please stay all night. Behold, the day is ending. Stay here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow go on your way early, that you may go home."

10. But the man wouldn't stay that night, but he rose up and departed, and toward Jebus (also called Jerusalem). With him were a couple of saddled donkeys. His concubine also was with him.

11. When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Please come and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and stay in it."

12. His master said to him, "We won't turn aside into the city of a foreigner that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah."

13. He said to his servant, "Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah."

14. So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

15. They turned aside there, to go in to stay in Gibeah. He went in, and sat down in the street of the city; for there was no one who took them into his house to stay.

16. Behold, an old man came from his work out of the field at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.

17. He lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"

18. He said to him, "We are passing from BETHLEHEM Judah to the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to BETHLEHEM Judah. I am going to The LORD's house; and there is no one who has taken me into his house.

In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of BETHLEHEM Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of BETHLEHEM Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul.