And all who saw it said, “Such a thing has never happened or been seen from the day that the people of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt until this day; consider it, take counsel, and speak.”
This is one of the darkest stories in the Bible, and the text doesn't soften it or explain it away. It simply lets the horror stand, and lets the witnesses say plainly: nothing like this has happened since Israel came out of Egypt. Consider it. Take counsel. Speak.
What's notable is that scripture doesn't rush past this to a comforting lesson. It just records it, unflinchingly, as evidence of what happens when a society has no shared standard left — everyone doing what was right in their own eyes, as the book keeps repeating. This isn't a story meant to make you feel better. It's meant to be looked at honestly.
If you've ever wondered whether the Bible is naive about how bad people can actually be to each other, this story argues otherwise. It doesn't flinch from the worst of it. And maybe that unflinching honesty is worth more trust than a text that only ever tells you comfortable things.
If a text this honest about human darkness has earned your attention, it's worth reading further to see what it says can actually change it.
A short video on this is coming soon — for now, read on.