And hee arose early in the morning on the fift day to depart, and the damosels father sayd, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they taried vntill after noone, and they did eate both of them. Judges 19:8 (KJV)
The passage quoted above is presented as a verbatim rendering of Judges 19:8 from the King James Version. In one draft the same passage is rendered with several notable variations: the day is described as the fourth rather than the fifth, the father’s invitation is expanded to include “with a morsel of bread,” and the timing of the stay is altered from “until afternoon” to “all night.” The wording of the father’s comfort also shifts from the concise “Comfort thine heart, I pray thee” to the more detailed “Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.” These differences are recorded explicitly in the alternative draft.
A separate draft asserts that the quoted passage does not appear in any verse of the King James Version and characterises it as a fabricated quotation. That statement is included verbatim, indicating a clear concern that the text as presented may not correspond to an authentic KJV source.
Both the original verse block and the alternative rendering are therefore preserved in the study. The original KJV wording is retained as the authoritative citation, while the variant wording is noted for its departures in day number, added detail about bread, and altered duration of the stay. The claim of fabrication is also retained, reflecting the observation that the passage, as quoted, is not found in the KJV canon. By presenting the authoritative verse, the variant rendering, and the fabrication claim together, the study provides a comprehensive view of the material supplied in the drafts without introducing any new theological interpretation or external information.
