Judges 19:13
And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. And he said unto his servant, Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah.
The verse records the Levite's decision to draw near to lodge for the night in Gibeah or in Ramah. It stands in chapters 17 through 21, which describe events from the early period of the judges placed out of chronological order, so that the main narrative of the book properly ends with chapter 16. In its immediate setting it introduces the crime committed by the men of Gibeah, a crime with which the entire tribe of Benjamin identified itself. With the rest of the closing chapters it belongs to a record of internal strife, lawless violence, and bloodshed.
The passage belongs to the record of Israel's backsliding and moral decline when everyone did what was right in his own eyes, with gross immorality prevailing and bringing attendant evil, disgrace, and punishment. The account exposes putting hospitality above a woman's safety and tribal loyalty above justice, showing that prevailing customs do not excuse sin. The chapter shows that human judgment left without God's revelation can become so perverted that wrong seems right.