(21) And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and are gone away, and what have Í more? and how then' say ye unto me, 25 What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest 1angry fellows 'fall upon you', and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy house26 hold. And the children of Dan went their way and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house. (27) And they took that which Micah

had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword; and they burnt the city with fire. 28 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no dealings with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built 'the city, and 29 dwelt therein. And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name

of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the 30 city was Laish at the first. And the children of Dan set up for themselves' the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses', he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of 31 the captivity of the land. So they

191

set them up Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. 2 °And his concubine played the 'harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehemjudah, and was there the space of *(3 four months. And her husband arose,

and went after her, to speak kindly! unto her, to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to 4 meet him. And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he

1 Heb. bitter of soul. 2 Another reading is, Manasseh. 3 Heb. to her heart.

abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. 5 And it came to pass on the fourth day, that they arose early in the morning, 'and' he rose up to depart: and the damsel's father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward ye (6 shall go your way. So they sat down, and did eat and drink, both of them together: 'and' the damsel's father said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine i heart be merry. And the man rose up to depart; but his father in law urged him, 'and' he lodged there again. 8 And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the damsel's father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee, and 'tarry yel until the day declineth; and they did eat, 9 both of them. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth 'toward' evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go 10 home. But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus ('the same is Jerusalem): and there were with him la couple of asses saddled; his concubine also was with him. (11 °When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn 'aside! into this city of 12 the Jebusites, and lodge in it. oÅnd his master said unto him, We will not turn aside into the city of a stranger, 6that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah. (13 And he said unto his servant, Come and let us draw near to one of these places: land we will lodge in Gibeah, 14 or in Ramah. So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them near to Gibeah, (15 which belongeth to Benjamin. And they turned aside thither, to go in to lodge in Gibeah: and he went in, and sat him down in the street of the city for there was no man that

:

Or, where there are none of the children of Israel

:

took them into his house to lodge. 16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even; now the man was of the hill country of Ephraim, and he sojourned in Gibeah but the men of the place 17 were Benjamites. And he lifted' up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, Whither goest thou? 18 and whence comest thou? And he said unto him, We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim; from thence am I, and I went to Bethlehem-judah and I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that 'taketh' me into his house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want 20 of any thing. And the old man said, Peace be unto thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge 21 not in the street. So he brought him into his house, and gave the asses 'fodder: and they washed their feet, (22 and did eat and drink. As they were

making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain 2sons of "Belial, beset the house round about, 'beating' at the door; and 'they' spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. (23 °And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this 24 folly. Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do 25 not any such folly. "But the men would not hearken to him so the man laid hold on his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her 26 go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where 27 her lord was, till it was light.

1 The Sept. has, and I am going to my house.

о

And

her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, 'with her hands upon the threshold. 28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going; but none answered: then The took her up upon 'the' ass; and the man rose up, and gat him unto 29 his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, limb by limb', into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the 'bor(30 ders of Israel. And it was so, that

And

all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take counsel', and speak. 201 Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was 'assembled' as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, 2 unto the LORD 'at Mizpah'. the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand 3) footmen that drew sword. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpah.) And the children of Israel said, Tell us, how was this wicked4 ness brought to pass? And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was murdered', answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my con(5) cubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night; me they thought to have slain, and my concubine they forced, 6 and she is dead. And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly (7) in Israel. Behold, ye children of

Israel, all of you, give here your ad8 vice and counsel. And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn unto his house. 9) But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up

10 against it by lot; and we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to 'Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they 11 have wrought in Israel. So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.

12

And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is this that (13 is come to pass among you? Now

therefore deliver up the men, the 31sons of Belial, which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel. But "Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Is14 rael. And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered 'on' that day out of the cities twenty and "six thousand men that drew sword, 'besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered 16 seven hundred chosen men.

17

Among

all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hairbreadth, and not miss.

And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all (18) these were men of war. And the children of Israel arose, and went up to Beth-el, and asked counsel of God; and they said, 'Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD 19 said, Judah shall go up first. And

the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gib20 eah. And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel 'set the battle in 21 array against them at Gibeah.

And

the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites on that day twenty and two thousand 22 men. And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the

1 Heb. Geba.

2 Heb. tribes. See Num. iv. 18, 1 Sam. ix. 21.

3 Or, base fellows

place where they set themselves in (23 array the first day. (And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even; and they' asked of the LORD, saying, Shall I again draw nigh to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him.)

24

And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin 25 the second day. And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all 26 these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto 'Beth-el', and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the children of Israel 'asked' of

the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant 28 of God was there in those days, and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him' into thine 29) hand. And Israel set liers in wait against Gibeah round about.

30

And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other 31) times. And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city: and they began to smite and kill of the people, as at other times, in the high ways, of which one goeth up to

Beth-el, and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Is rael said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city unto the high 33 ways. And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and 'seti themselves in array at Baal-tamar : and the liers in wait of Israel brake! forth out of their place, even out of 34 Maareh-gebaꞌ. And there came

According to some ancient authorities, five.

Or, the meadow of Geba (or Gibeah See ver. 10)

lover against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not 35 that evil was close upon them. And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel and the children of Israel destroyed of 'Benjamin' that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword. 36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place to 'Benjamin', because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set against Gib37 eah. And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge 38) of the sword. Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait was, that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up 39 out of the city. And the men of Israel turned in the battle, 'and' Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first 40 battle. But when the 'cloud' began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the whole of the city went up in smoke to heaven. *(41 And the men of Israel turned, 'and' the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon 42) them. Therefore they turned their

backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle followed hard after them; and they which came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst 'thereof. (43 They inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and 1trode them down at their resting place, as far as over against Gibeah toward the 44 sunrising. And there fell of Benja

min eighteen thousand men; all these 45) were men of valour. And they turned

and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and followed hard after them unto Gidom, and 'smote' of them two 46 thousand men. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and

1 Heb. touching.

five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. 47 But six hundred men turned and fled Itoward the wilderness unto the rock

of Rimmon, and abode in the rock 48) of Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, 'both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found: moreover all the cities which they found' they set on fire.

211 Now the men of Israel had sworn in 'Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Ben2 jamin to wife. And the people came to Beth-el', and 'sat there till even before God, and lifted' up their voices, 3 and wept sore. And they said, O LORD, the God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to-day one tribe lacking in 4 Israel? And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up in the assembly unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up unto the LORD to Mizpah', saying, He shall surely be put to 6 death. And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe 7 cut off from Israel this day. How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of 8) our daughters to wives? And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up unto the LORD to Mizpah!? And, behold, there came none to the camp from 9 Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhab10 itants of Jabesh-gilead there. And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword, with the 11 women and the little ones'. And

Or, And the men... battle: (\now】 4 Benjamin... heaven:) and the men &c.

5 Or, at Menuhah!

Or, as otherwise read, the inhab ited city See Deut. ii. 34.

this is the thing that ye shall do; ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lien by man. 12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had 'not known man by lying with him and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

13

And the whole congregation sent 'and spake to the children of Benjamin that were in the rock of Rimmon, and 'proclaimed peace unto them. 14 And Benjamin 'returned' at that time; and they gave them 'the women which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead and yet so they sufficed 15 them not. And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

16 Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women 17 are destroyed out of Benjamin? And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not 'blotted' 18 out from Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a (19 wife to Benjamin. And they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD

Ifrom year to year' in Shiloh, which is on the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the high way that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the 20 south of Lebonah. And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vine21 yards; and see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22) And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come to complain unto us, that we will say unto them, 'Grant' them graciously unto us: because we took not 'for each man 'of them' his wife in battle: neither did ye give them' unto them; 'else would ye 23 now! be guilty. And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they 'carried off1 : and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and built the cities, and 24 dwelt in them. And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence 25 every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

11

AND it came to pass in the days when the judges judged', that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife "Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued 3 there. And Elimelech Naomi's hus

band died; and she was left, and her 4 two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled (5 there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died both of them; and the woman was left of her two chil 6 dren and of her husband. Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD

RUTH.-I. 1 Now.. ruled; 5 (also).. sons. = = [46]