His concubine abused to death. B. C. about 1406. Deut. 13. 13. Gen. 19, 5. Rom. 1. 26, 27. r JUDGES. the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and 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, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; see ing that this man is come into mine 12 Sam. 13. 12 house, 'do not this folly. Gen. 19. 6, 7. a Deut. 13. 12. Josh 22 12 ch. 21, 5. 1 Sam. 11. 7. ch. 18. 29. 1 Sam. 3. 20. 2 SAML 3. 10. $24.2. 24 "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 not so vile a thing. 25 But the men would not hearken to him so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her ail the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go. 26 Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. 27 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, and her hands were upon the threshold. 28 And he said unto her, Up, and let us be going: but none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. 29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and adivided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. 30 And it was so, that 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 advice, and speak your minds. b CHAPTER XX. 2 And the chief of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. d ch. 8. 10. 3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this wickedness? The Levite in an assembly of the people declareth his wrong. 8 The decree of the assembly. 12 The Benjamites, being required to deliver up the guilty persons, refuse and prepare for war. 18 The Israelites in two battles lose forty thousand. 26 By strata gem they destroy all the Benjamites, except six hundred. THEN all the children of Israel man the Levite. e ch. 19. 15. 4 And the Levite, the husband of Heb. the the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. 5 And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me and my concubine have they † forced, that she is dead. 6 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 in Israel. f ch. 19. 22. g ch. 19. 25, 26. + Heb. hum bled. h ch. 19. 29. i Josh. 7. 15. 7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and k ch. 19. 30. counsel. 8 ¶ 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 into his house. 9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah; we will go up by lot against it; 10 And we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victuals for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel. 11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit to- +Heb. fellows. gether as one man. I went out, and the congregation gathered themselves together out of was gathered together as one man, Judg. 10. 17. from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh. the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. 15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of Israel's war with Benjamin. B. C. about 1406. o ch. 3. 15. 1 Chr. 12. 2. p ver. 23, 26. ch. 1. 1. B. C. z Deut. 10, 8. & 18.5. the cities twenty and six thousand | zar, the son of Aaron, stood before it men. 16 Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at a hair breadth, and not miss. 29 And Israel a set liers in wait round a So Josh. 8.4. about Gibeah. 30 And the children of Israel went 17 And the men of Israel, besides 18 ¶ And the children of Israel arose, and went up to the house of God, 9 Num. 27. 21. and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first. r Gen. 49. 27. ⚫ ver. 26, 27. t ver. 21. u ver. 18. x Josh. 18. 1. 1 Sam. 4.3, 4. y Josh. 24. 33. 19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. 21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men. 22 And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. 23 And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again 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 the second day. 25 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 these drew the sword. 26 ¶ Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, "went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace of ferings before the LORD. on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times. 31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and +Heb. to smite kill, as at other times, in the highof the people | wounded as ways, of which one goeth up to the at, &c. house of God, and the other to Gib-Or, Beth-el. eah 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 Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the highways. 33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah. 34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but b Josh. 8. 14. they knew not that evil was near them. 35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and a 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 the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah. • Josh. 8, 20. Heb. the whole con umption. + Heb. touched them. Benjamin bewailed. B. C. 4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, about 1406. and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offer-2 Sam. 24. 25. 40 But when the flame began to 41 And when the men of Israel 42 Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. 43 Thus they inclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, Or from Me- and trode them down with ease muchah, &c. C 5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they d ch. 5. 23 had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD, that we will not give them of our daughters to + over against Gibeah toward the sun-wives? 44 And there fell of Benjamin eight- 8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from * Jabesh-gilead to the 1 Sam. 11. 1. e 9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 45 And they turned and fled toward 10 And the congregation sent thither 47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. 48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand also they set on fire all the cities that they came to. & 31. 11. f ver. 5. & ch. 5.23. 1 Sam. 11. 7. The remaining Benjamites B. C. JUDGES. the women are destroyed out of Ben about 1406. jamin? 1 ver. 1. ch. 11. 35, Heb. from year to year. Or, toward the sunrising. Il Or, on. m See Ex. 15. 20. ch. 11.34. 1 Sum. 18. 6. Jer. 31. 13. 17 And they said, There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. 18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: 'for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh † yearly, in a place which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; m 21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every 261 are provided with wives. B. C. us in them. man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. about 1406. 22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for Or, Gratify our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, that ye should be guilty. 23 And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and "repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. 24 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 every man to his inheritance. n See ch. 20, 48. 25 In those days there was no king ch. 17. 6. & in Israel: Pevery man did that which was right in his own eyes. 18. 1. & 19. 1. p Deut. 12. 8. ch. 17. 6. 3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 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 dwelt there about ten years. 5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. 6¶ 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 had visited his people in giving them bread. 7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. h 8 And Naomi said unto her two Josh. 24 daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with 2 Tim. 1. 16, 17, 18. k ver. 5. ch. 2. 20. me. 9 The LORD grant you that ye may find 'rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. m Deut. 25. 5. 12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband Or, if I were also to night, and should also bear sons; with a hus band. 13 Would yet tarry for them till Heb. hope. they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for tit grieveth Heb. I have me much for your sakes that "the hand of the LORD is gone out against me. much bitter ness. n Judg. 2. 15. Job 19. 21. Ps. 32. 4. & 38. 2. & 39. 9, 10. 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave o Prov. 17. 17. unto her. & 18. 24. | 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD t 1 Sam. 3. 17. do so to me, and more also, if aught but death part thee and me. 18 "When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. 19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, y Is this Naomi ? |
