Page 320 - bible

314 Book of Judges

an abomination been found among you? and said: Shall I go out any more to fight against
13 Deliver up the men of Gabaa, that have the children of Benjamin my brethren or not?
committed this heinous crime, that they may die, And he answered them: Go up against them,
and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. and join battle.
But they would not hearken to the proposition 24 And when the children of Israel went out
of their brethren the children of Israel: the next day to fight against the children of Ben-
14 But out of all the cities which were of jamin,
their lot, they gathered themselves together into 25 The children of Benjamin sallied forth out
Gabaa, to aid them, and to fight against the of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them, made
whole people of Israel. so great a slaughter of them, as to kill eighteen
15 And there were found of Benjamin five and thousand men that drew the sword.
twenty thousand men that drew the sword, be- 26 Wherefore all the children of Israel came to
sides the inhabitants of Gabaa, the house of God, and sat and wept before the
16 Who were seven hundred most valiant men, Lord: and they fasted that day till the evening,
fighting with the left hand as well as with the and offered to him holocausts, and victims of
right: and slinging stones so sure that they could peace offerings,
hit even a hair, and not miss by the stone’s going 27 And inquired of him concerning their state.
on either side. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord
17 Of the men of Israel also, beside the chil- was there,
dren of Benjamin, were found four hundred thou- 28 And Phinees, the son of Eleazar, the son
sand that drew swords and were prepared to of Aaron, was over the house. So they consulted
fight. the Lord, and said: Shall we go out any more
18 And they arose and came to the house of to fight against the children of Benjamin, our
God, that is, to Silo: and they consulted God, brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said
and said: Who shall be in our army the first to go to them: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver
to the battle against the children of Benjamin? them into your hands.
And the Lord answered them: Let Juda be your 29 And the children of Israel set ambushes
leader. round about the city of Gabaa:
19 And forthwith the children of Israel rising 30 And they drew up their army against Ben-
in the morning, camped by Gabaa: jamin the third time, as they had done the first
20 And going out from thence to fight against and second.
Benjamin, began to assault the city. 31 And the children of Benjamin boldly issued
21 And the children of Benjamin coming out out of the city, and seeing their enemies flee, pur-
of Gabaa slew of the children of Israel that day sued them a long way, so as to wound and kill
two and twenty thousand men. some of them, as they had done the first and
22 Again Israel, trusting in their strength and second day, whilst they fled by two highways,
their number, set their army in array in the same whereof one goeth up to Bethel and the other to
place, where they had fought before: Gabaa, and they slew about thirty men:
23 Yet so that they first went up and wept 32 For they thought to cut them off as they
before the Lord until night: and consulted him did before. But they artfully feigning a flight,