[11] And they came as far as Jebus: and the day had far advanced, and the young man said to his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside to this city of the Jebusites, and let us lodge in it. [12] And his master said to him, We will not turn aside to a strange city, where there is not one of the children of Israel, but we will pass on as far as Gabaa. [13] And he said to his young man, Come, and let us draw nigh to one of the places, and we will lodge in Gabaa or in Rama. [14] And they passed by and went on, and the sun went down upon them near to Gabaa, which is in Benjamin. [15] And they turned aside thence to go in to lodge in Gabaa; and they went in, and sat down in the street of the city, and there was no one who conducted them into a house to lodge.
[16] And behold, an old man came out of the field from his work in the evening; and the man was of mount Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gabaa, and the men of the place were sons of Benjamin. [17] And he lifted up his eyes, and saw a traveller in the street of the city; and the old man said to him, Whither goest thou, and whence comest thou? [18] And he said to him, We are passing by from Bethleem Juda to the sides of mount Ephraim: I am from thence, and I went as far as Bethleem Juda, and I am going home, and there is no man to take me into his house. [19] Yet is there straw and food for our asses, and bread and wine for me and my handmaid and the young man with thy servants; there is no want of anything. [20] And the old man said, Peace be to thee; only be every want of thine upon me, only do thou by no means lodge in the street. [21] And he brought him into his house, and made room for his asses; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank.
[22] And they were comforting their heart, when, behold, the men of the city, sons of transgressors, compassed the house, knocking at the door: and they spoke to the old man the owner of the house, saying, Bring out the man who came into thy house, that we may know him. [23] And the master of the house came out to them, and said, Nay, brethren, do not ye wrong, I pray you, after this man has come into my house; do not ye this folly. [24] Behold my daughter a virgin, and the man’s concubine: I will bring them out, and humble ye them, and do to them that which is good in your eyes; but to this man do not this folly. [25] But the men would not consent to hearken to him; so the man laid hold of his concubine, and brought her out to them; and they knew her, and abused her all night till the morning, and let her go when the morning dawned.
[26] And the woman came toward morning, and fell down at the door of the house where her husband was, until it was light. [27] And her husband rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went forth to go on his journey; and, behold, the woman his concubine had fallen down by the doors of the house, and her hands were on the threshold. [28] And he said to her, Rise, and let us go; and she answered not, for she was dead: and he took her upon his ass, and went to his place.
[29] And he took his sword, and laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve parts, and sent them to every coast of Israel. [30] And it was so, that every one who saw it said, Such a day as this has not happened nor has been seen from the day of the going up of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt until this day: take ye counsel concerning it, and speak.
Chapter 20
[1] And all the children of Israel went out, and all the congregation was gathered as one man, from Dan even to Bersabee, and in the land of Galaad, to the Lord at Massepha. [2] And all the tribes of Israel stood before the Lord in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. [3] And the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Massepha: and the children of Israel came and said, Tell us, where did this wickedness take place? [4] And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I and my concubine went to Gabaa of Benjamin to lodge. [5] And the men of Gabaa rose up against me, and compassed the house by night against me; they wished to slay me, and they have humbled my concubine, and she is dead. [6] And I laid hold of my concubine, and divided her in pieces, and sent the parts into every coast of the inheritance of the children of Israel; for they have wrought lewdness and abomination in Israel. [7] Behold, all ye are children of Israel; and consider and take counsel here among yourselves.
[8] And all the people rose up as one man, saying, No one of us shall return to his tent, and no one of us shall return to his house. [9] And now this is the thing which shall be done in Gabaa; we will go up against it by lot. [10] Moreover we will take ten men for a hundred for all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred for a thousand, and a thousand for ten thousand, to take provision, to cause them to come to Gabaa of Benjamin, to do to it according to all the abomination, which they wrought in Israel. [11] And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one man.
[12] And the tribes of Israel sent men through the whole tribe of Benjamin, saying, What is this wickedness that has been wrought among you? [13] Now then give up the men the sons of transgressors that are in Gabaa, and we will put them to death, and purge out wickedness from Israel: but the children of Benjamin consented not to hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel. [14] And the children of Benjamin were gathered from their cities to Gabaa, to go forth to fight with the children of Israel. [15] And the children of Benjamin from their cities were numbered in that day, twenty-three thousand, every man drawing a sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men of all the people, able to use both hands alike; [16] All these could sling with stones at a hair, and not miss. [17] And the men of Israel, exclusive of Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword; all these were men of war.
[18] And they arose and went up to Baethel, and enquired of God: and the children of Israel said, Who shall go up for us first to fight with the children of Benjamin? And the Lord said, Juda shall go up first as leader. [19] And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gabaa.
[20] And they went out, all the men of Israel, to fight with Benjamin, and engaged with them at Gabaa. [21] And the sons of Benjamin went forth from Gabaa, and they destroyed in Israel on that day two and twenty thousand men down to the ground.
[22] And the men of Israel strengthened themselves, and again engaged in battle in the place where they had engaged on the first day. [23] And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the Lord till evening, and enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we again draw nigh to battle with our brethren the children of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up against them. [24] And the children of Israel advanced against the children of Benjamin on the second day. [25] And the children of Benjamin went forth to meet them from Gabaa on the second day, and destroyed of the children of Israel yet further eighteen thousand men down to the ground: all these drew sword.
[26] And the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Baethel; and they wept, and sat there before the Lord; and they fasted on that day until evening, and offered whole-burnt-offerings and perfect sacrifices, before the Lord, [27] for the ark of the Lord God was there in those days, [28] and Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days; and the children of Israel enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall we yet again go forth to fight with our brethren the sons of Benjamin? and the Lord said, Go up, to-morrow I will give them into your hands. [29] And the children of Israel set an ambush against Gabaa round about it.
[30] And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and arrayed themselves against Gabaa as before. [31] And the children of Benjamin went out to meet the people, and were all drawn out of the city, and began to smite and slay the people as before in the roads, whereof one goes up to Baethel, and one to Gabaa in the field, about thirty men of Israel. [32] And the children of Benjamin said, They fall before us as at the first: but the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them out from the city into the roads; and they did so.
[33] And all the men rose up out of their places, and engaged in Baal Thamar; and the liers in wait of Israel advanced from their place from M
araagabe. [34] And there came over against Gabaa ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel; and the fight was severe; and they knew not that evil was coming upon them. [35] And the Lord smote Benjamin before the children of Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin in that day a hundred and twenty-five thousand men: all these drew sword. [36] And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten; and the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted in the ambuscade which they had prepared against Gabaa.
[37] And when they retreated, then the liers in wait rose up, and they moved toward Gabaa, and the whole ambush came forth, and they smote the city with the edge of the sword.
[38] And the children of Israel had a signal of battle with the liers in wait, that they should send up a signal of smoke from the city. [39] And the children of Israel saw that the liers in wait had seized Gabaa, and they stood in line of battle; and Benjamin began to smite down wounded ones among the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they fall again before us, as in the first battle.
[40] And the signal went up increasingly over the city as a pillar of smoke; and Benjamin looked behind him, and behold the destruction of the city went up to heaven.
[41] And the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin hasted, because they saw that evil had come upon them. [42] And they turned to the way of the wilderness from before the children of Israel, and fled: but the battle overtook them, and they from the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.
[43] And they cut down Benjamin, and pursued him from Nua closely till they came opposite Gabaa on the east. [44] And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these were men of might.
[45] And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon; and the children of Israel picked off of them five thousand men; and the children of Israel went down after them as far as Gedan, and they smote of them two thousand men. [46] And all that fell of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew sword in that day: all these were men of might. [47] And the rest turned, and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Remmon, even six hundred men; and they sojourned four months in the rock of Remmon.
[48] And the children of Israel returned to the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword from the city of Methla, even to the cattle, and every thing that was found in all the cities: and they burnt with fire the cities they found.
Chapter 21
[1] Now the children of Israel swore in Massephath, saying, No man of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife. [2] And the people came to Baethel, and sat there until evening before God: and they lifted up their voice and wept with a great weeping; [3] and said, Wherefore, O Lord God of Israel, has this come to pass, that to-day one tribe should be counted as missing from Israel? [4] And it came to pass on the morrow that the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace offerings.
[5] And the children of Israel said, Who of all the tribes of Israel, went not up in the congregation to the Lord? for there was a great oath concerning those who went not up to the Lord to Massephath, saying, He shall surely be put to death.
[6] And the children of Israel relented toward Benjamin their brother, and said, To-day one tribe is cut off from Israel. [7] What shall we do for wives for the rest that remain? whereas we have sworn by the Lord, not to give them of our daughters for wives. [8] And they said, What one man is there of the tribes of Israel, who went not up to the Lord to Massephath? and, behold, no man came to the camp from Jabis Galaad to the assembly. [9] And the people were numbered, and there was not there a man from the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad.
[10] And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the strongest, and they charged them, saying, Go ye and smite the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad with the edge of the sword. [11] And this shall ye do: every male and every woman that has known the lying with man ye shall devote to destruction, but the virgins ye shall save alive: and they did so.
[12] And they found among the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad four hundred young virgins, who had not known man by lying with him; and they brought them to Selom in the land of Chanaan.
[13] And all the congregation sent and spoke to the children of Benjamin in the rock Remmon, and invited them to make peace. [14] And Benjamin returned to the children of Israel at that time, and the children of Israel gave them the women whom they had save alive of the daughters of Jabis Galaad; and they were content.
[15] And the people relented for Benjamin, because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.
[16] And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for them that remain? for the women have been destroyed out of Benjamin. [17] And they said, There must be an inheritance of them that are escaped of Benjamin; and so a tribe shall not be destroyed out of Israel. [18] For we shall not be able to give them wives of our daughters, because we swore among the children of Israel, saying, Cursed is he that gives a wife to Benjamin.
[19] And they said, Lo! now there is a feast of the Lord from year to year in Selom, which is on the north of Baethel, eastward on the way that goes up from Baethel to Sychem, and from the south of Lebona. [20] And they charged the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; [21] and ye shall see; and lo! if there come out the daughters of the inhabitants of Selom to dance in dances, then shall ye go out of the vineyards and seize for yourselves every man a wife of the daughters of Selom, and go ye into the land of Benjamin. [22] And it shall come to pass, when their fathers or their brethren come to dispute with us, that we will say to them, Grant them freely to us, for we have not taken every man his wife in the battle: because ye did not give to them according to the occasion, ye transgressed.
[23] And the children of Benjamin did so; and they took wives according to their number from the dancers whom they seized: and they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them. [24] And the children of Israel went thence at that time every man to his tribe and his kindred; and they went thence every man to his inheritance. [25] And in those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own sight.
Ruth
Chapter 1
[1] And it came to pass when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land: and a man went from Bethleem Juda to sojourn in the land of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. [2] And the man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife’s name Noemin, and the names of his two sons Maalon and Chelaion, Ephrathites of Bethleem of Juda: and they came to the land of Moab, and remained there.
[3] And Elimelech the husband of Noemin died; and she was left, and her two sons. [4] And they took to themselves wives, women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpha, and the name of the second Ruth; and they dwelt there about ten years. [5] And both Maalon and Chelaion died also; and the woman was left of her husband and her two sons.
[6] And she rose up and her two daughters-in-law, and they returned out of the country of Moab, for she heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had visited his people to give them bread. [7] And she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her: and they went by the way to return to the land of Juda.
[8] And Noemin said to her daughter-in-law, Go now, return each to the house of her mother: the Lord deal mercifully with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. [9] The Lord grant you that ye may find rest each of you in the house of her husband: and she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. [10] And they said to her, We will return with thee to thy people.
[11] And Noemin said, Return now, my daughters; and why do ye go with me? have I yet sons in my womb to be your husbands? [12] Turn now, my daughters, for I am too old to be married: for I said, Suppose I were married, and should bear sons; [13] would ye wait for them till they should be grown? or would ye refrain from being married for their sakes? Not so, my daughters; for I am grieved for you, that the hand of the Lord
has gone forth against me.
[14] And they lifted up their voice, and wept again; and Orpha kissed her mother-in-law and returned to her people; but Ruth followed her.
[15] And Noemin said to Ruth, Behold, thy sister-in-law has returned to her people and to her gods; turn now thou also after thy sister-in-law. [16] And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following thee; for whithersoever thou goest, I will go, and wheresoever thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. [17] And wherever thou diest, I will die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if I leave thee, for death only shall divide between me and thee. [18] And Noemin seeing that she was determined to go with her, ceased to speak to her any more.
[19] And they went both of them until they came to Bethleem: and it came to pass, when they arrived at Bethleem, that all the city rang with them, and they said, Is this Noemin? [20] And she said to them, Nay, do not call me Noemin; call me ‘Bitter,’ for the Mighty One has dealt very bitterly with me. [21] I went out full, and the Lord has brought me back empty: and why call ye me Noemin, whereas the Lord has humbled me and the Mighty One has afflicted me?
[22] So Noemin and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, returned from the country of Moab; and they came to Bethleem in the beginning of barley harvest.
Chapter 2
[1] And Noemin had a friend an acquaintance of her husband, and the man was a mighty man of the kindred of Elimelech, and his name was Booz. [2] And Ruth the Moabitess said to Noemin, Let me go now to the field, and I will glean among the ears behind the man with whomsoever I shall find favour: and she said to her, Go, daughter. [3] And she went; and came and gleaned in the field behind the reapers; and she happened by chance to come on a portion of the land of Booz, of the kindred of Elimelech.
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