The men refused to listen to him, so the Levite ¹  grabbed his concubine and made her go outside. ²  They raped ³  her and abused her all night long until morning. They let her go at dawn.

When he was maligned, he ¹  did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened ²  no retaliation, ³  but committed himself to God ⁴  who judges justly.

But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, forcing us to do burdensome labor.

The ¹  robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him. ² 

You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; ¹  you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you.

As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.

His children are far ¹  from safety, and they are crushed ²  at the place where judgment is rendered, ³  nor is there anyone to deliver them. ⁴ 

I was a father ¹  to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

if I have raised my hand ¹  to vote against the orphan, when I saw my support in the court, ² 

He caused them ¹  to hate his people, and to mistreat ²  his servants.

We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,

how our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, ¹  and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly. ² 

And Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made me look stupid; I wish ¹  there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.”

They replied, “You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.”

The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice. ¹ 

I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

This was the one who exploited ¹  our people ²  and was cruel to our ancestors, ³  forcing them to abandon ⁴  their infants so they would die. ⁵ 

For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” ¹ 

For you have heard of my former way of life ¹  in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it.

The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. ¹  They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died.