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Judges 20

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1 καὶ ἐξῆλθον πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐξεκκλησιάσθη πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγὴ ὡς ἀνὴρ εἷς ἀπὸ Δαν καὶ ἕως Βηρσαβεε καὶ γῆ Γαλααδ πρὸς κύριον εἰς Μασσηφα 2 καὶ ἔστη τὸ κλίμα παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τετρακόσιαι χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν πεζῶν σπωμένων ῥομφαίαν 3 καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν ὅτι ἀνέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς κύριον εἰς Μασσηφα καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ λαλήσατε ποῦ ἐγένετο ἡ κακία αὕτη 4 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ Λευίτης ὁ ἀνὴρ τῆς γυναικὸς τῆς πεφονευμένης καὶ εἶπεν εἰς Γαβαα τῆς Βενιαμιν ἦλθον ἐγὼ καὶ ἡ παλλακή μου καταλῦσαι 5 καὶ ἀνέστησαν ἐ{P'} ἐμὲ οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ παρὰ τῆς Γαβαα καὶ περιεκύκλωσαν ἐ{P'} ἐμὲ τὴν οἰκίαν νυκτὸς καὶ ἐμὲ ἠθέλησαν ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ τὴν παλλακήν μου ἐταπείνωσαν καὶ ἐνέπαιξαν αὐτῇ καὶ ἀπέθανεν 6 καὶ ἐπελαβόμην τῆς παλλακῆς μου καὶ ἐμέλισα αὐτὴν καὶ ἐξαπέστειλα ἐν παντὶ ὁρίῳ κληρονομίας Ισραηλ ὅτι ἐποίησαν ἀφροσύνην ἐν τῷ Ισραηλ 7 ἰδοὺ πάντες ὑμεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ δότε ἑαυτοῖς λόγον καὶ βουλήν 8 καὶ ἀνέστη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὡς ἀνὴρ εἷς λέγων οὐκ εἰσελευσόμεθα ἀνὴρ εἰς τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐκκλινοῦμεν ἀνὴρ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ 9 καὶ νῦν τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ποιήσομεν τῇ Γαβαα ἀναβησόμεθα ἐ{P'} αὐτὴν ἐν κλήρῳ 10 καὶ λημψόμεθα δέκα ἄνδρας τοῖς ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑκατὸν τοῖς χιλίοις καὶ χιλίους τοῖς μυρίοις λαβεῖν ἐπισιτισμὸν τῷ λαῷ τοῖς εἰσπορευομένοις ἐπιτελέσαι τῇ Γαβαα τοῦ Βενιαμιν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀφροσύνην ἣν ἐποίησαν ἐν Ισραηλ

1 So the whole of Israel, all that dwelt between Dan and Bersabee, and the men of Galaad too, assembled with a common purpose before the Lord at Maspha; 2 no chief, no clan but took part in this general muster of the Lord’s people. Four hundred thousand foot, 3 the sons of Benjamin heard, had been sent to Maspha by their fellow-Israelites. And now the Levite, the dead woman’s husband, was asked how such a wrong came to be done, 4 and told them how he had gone with his wife to lodge at Gabaa, in Benjamin; 5 how the townsfolk beset the house where he was spending the night, ready to make an attempt on his life, and how their mad lust had indeed brought about his wife’s death. 6 So I carried off the body, he told them, and cut it in pieces, which I sent round to every quarter of your dominions, to bear witness of such a wrongful and shameful deed as was never yet done in Israel. 7 Men of Israel, you are met in council; see to it where your duty lies. 8 And all that stood by answered with one voice, Never will we return to our dwelling-places, our homes shall see us no more, 9 until we have inflicted a common punishment on Gabaa. 10 We must set apart ten Israelites in every hundred, a hundred in every thousand, a thousand in every ten thousand, to supply the army with food; then we will go to the attack against Gabaa in Benjamin, and exact retribution for the wrong done.

1 Egressi itaque sunt omnes filii Israël, et pariter congregati, quasi vir unus, de Dan usque Bersabee, et terra Galaad, ad Dominum in Maspha. 2 Omnesque anguli populorum, et cunctæ tribus Israël in ecclesiam populi Dei convenerunt, quadringenta millia peditum pugnatorum. 3 (Nec latuit filios Benjamin quod ascendissent filii Israël in Maspha.) Interrogatusque Levita, maritus mulieris interfectæ, quomodo tantum scelus perpetratum esset, 4 respondit: Veni in Gabaa Benjamin cum uxore mea, illucque diverti: 5 et ecce homines civitatis illius circumdederunt nocte domum in qua manebam, volentes me occidere, et uxorem meam incredibili furore libidinis vexantes, denique mortua est. 6 Quam arreptam, in frustra concidi, misique partes in omnes terminos possessionis vestræ: quia numquam tantum nefas, et tam grande piaculum, factum est in Israël. 7 Adestis, omnes filii Israël: decernite quid facere debeatis. 8 Stansque omnis populus, quasi unius hominis sermone respondit: Non recedemus in tabernacula nostra, nec suam quisquam intrabit domum: 9 sed hoc contra Gabaa in commune faciamus. 10 Decem viri eligantur e centum ex omnibus tribubus Israël, et centum de mille, et mille de decem millibus, ut comportent exercitui cibaria, et possimus pugnare contra Gabaa Benjamin, et reddere ei pro scelere, quod meretur.

11 καὶ συνήχθη πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἐκ τῶν πόλεων ὡς ἀνὴρ εἷς ἐρχόμενοι 12 καὶ ἐξαπέστειλαν αἱ φυλαὶ Ισραηλ ἄνδρας ἐν πάσῃ φυλῇ Βενιαμιν λέγοντες τίς ἡ κακία αὕτη ἡ γενομένη ἐν ὑμῖν 13 καὶ νῦν δότε τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς τοὺς ἐν Γαβαα τοὺς υἱοὺς Βελιαλ καὶ θανατώσομεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξαροῦμεν κακίαν ἐξ Ισραηλ καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν εἰσακοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ 14 καὶ συνήχθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν ἐκ τῶν πόλεων αὐτῶν εἰς Γαβαα ἐξελθεῖν τοῦ πολεμῆσαι μετὰ υἱῶν Ισραηλ 15 καὶ ἐπεσκέπησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐκ τῶν πόλεων εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν σπωμένων ῥομφαίαν χωρὶς τῶν κατοικούντων τὴν Γαβαα οὗτοι ἐπεσκέπησαν ἑπτακόσιοι ἄνδρες νεανίσκοι ἐκλεκτοὶ 16 ἀμφοτεροδέξιοι πάντες οὗτοι σφενδονῆται βάλλοντες λίθους πρὸς τὴν τρίχα καὶ οὐ διαμαρτάνοντες

11 So, with one mind and one intent, all Israel made common cause against this city. 12 An embassy was sent to the Benjamites to reproach them with harbouring the guilt of a foul crime, 13 bidding them hand over the wanton folk at Gabaa that had been the authors of it, so that their death might rid Israel of a disgrace. But the sons of Benjamin would take no orders from their fellow-Israelites; 14 all the cities which belonged to their domain sent men to Gabaa’s rescue, defying the whole commonwealth of Israel. 15 Benjamin then counted twenty-five thousand warriors, apart from the citizens of Gabaa; 16 and these could provide seven hundred champions of their own, men who could fight as well with the left hand as with the right, and could sling a stone without missing their aim by a hair’s breadth.

11 Convenitque universus Israël ad civitatem, quasi homo unus eadem mente, unoque consilio. 12 Et miserunt nuntios ad omnem tribum Benjamin, qui dicerent: Cur tantum nefas in vobis repertum est? 13 Tradite homines de Gabaa, qui hoc flagitium perpetrarunt, ut moriantur, et auferatur malum de Israël. Qui noluerunt fratrum suorum filiorum Israël audire mandatum: 14 sed ex cunctis urbibus, quæ sortis suæ erant, convenerunt in Gabaa, ut illis ferrent auxilium, et contra universum populum Israël dimicarent. 15 Inventique sunt viginti quinque millia de Benjamin educentium gladium, præter habitatores Gabaa, 16 qui septingenti erant viri fortissimi, ita sinistra ut dextra præliantes: et sic fundis lapides ad certum jacientes, ut capillum quoque possent percutere, et nequaquam in alteram partem ictus lapidis deferretur.

17 καὶ πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἐπεσκέπησαν χωρὶς τῶν υἱῶν Βενιαμιν τετρακόσιαι χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν σπωμένων ῥομφαίαν πάντες οὗτοι ἄνδρες πολεμισταί 18 καὶ ἀνέστησαν καὶ ἀνέβησαν εἰς Βαιθηλ καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν ἐν τῷ θεῷ καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ τίς ἀναβήσεται ἡμῖν ἀφηγούμενος πολεμῆσαι μετὰ Βενιαμιν καὶ εἶπεν κύριος Ιουδας ἀναβήσεται ἀφηγούμενος 19 καὶ ἀνέστησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐπὶ τὴν Γαβαα 20 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ εἰς πόλεμον μετὰ Βενιαμιν καὶ παρετάξαντο με{T'} αὐτῶν εἰς πόλεμον ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ πρὸς τὴν Γαβαα 21 καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ διέφθειραν ἐν Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ δύο καὶ εἴκοσι χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν 22 καὶ ἐνίσχυσεν ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ καὶ προσέθεντο παρατάξασθαι πόλεμον ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ᾧ παρετάξαντο ἐκεῖ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ 23 καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἔκλαυσαν ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν ἐν κυρίῳ λέγοντες εἰ προσθῶ προσεγγίσαι εἰς πόλεμον μετὰ Βενιαμιν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ἀνάβητε πρὸς αὐτόν 24 καὶ προσήλθοσαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς Βενιαμιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ 25 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Βενιαμιν εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς Γαβαα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ καὶ διέφθειρεν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ ὀκτωκαίδεκα χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν πάντες οὗτοι ἐσπασμένοι ῥομφαίαν 26 καὶ ἀνέβησαν πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ ἤλθοσαν εἰς Βαιθηλ καὶ ἔκλαυσαν ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ἐνήστευσαν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἀνήνεγκαν ὁλοκαυτώματα σωτηρίου ἔναντι κυρίου 27 καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ ἐκεῖ ἡ κιβωτὸς διαθήκης κυρίου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις 28 καὶ Φινεες υἱὸς Ελεαζαρ υἱοῦ Ααρων παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον αὐτῆς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις λέγων εἰ προσθῶ ἔτι ἐξελθεῖν εἰς πόλεμον μετὰ υἱῶν Βενιαμιν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου ἢ κοπάσω καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ἀνάβητε ὅτι αὔριον παραδώσω αὐτὸν ἐν χειρί σου

17 But Israel, without Benjamin, had four hundred thousand warriors under arms, 18 and these now mustered at Silo,[1] where they asked divine counsel to know who should lead them into battle against Benjamin; Juda, the Lord told them, is to be your leader. 19 So next day without more ado, they encamped close to Gabaa, 20 and offered Benjamin battle, making an assault on the city. 21 Hereupon the men of Benjamin made a sally, and slew, that day, twenty-two thousand Israelites. 22 Even then, the Israelites did not alter their plan of attack, such confidence had they in their numbers and their valour. 23 But first they went up to the Lord’s sanctuary and offered, all the long day, their tearful supplications; were they to fight on against their brethren of Benjamin? Go out to meet them, the Lord said, and offer battle. 24 This second day, when Israel marched against them, 25 the Benjamites made a fresh sally from the gates of Gabaa, with such a murderous onslaught that eighteen thousand warriors were left dead on the field. 26 And now all Israel went into God’s house and sat there in tears; they kept a fast till night-fall, and brought him burnt-sacrifice and welcome-offerings, 27 consulting him about the plight they were in. At this time, the ark of God rested there, 28 and there, too, was Phinees, son to Eleazar that was son of Aaron, in charge of God’s house. And now when they asked the Lord whether they should take the field once more against their brethren of Benjamin, the answer was, Go to the attack; I mean to give you the mastery of them to-morrow.

17 Virorum quoque Israël, absque filiis Benjamin, inventa sunt quadringenta millia educentium gladium, et paratorum ad pugnam. 18 Qui surgentes venerunt in domum Dei, hoc est, in Silo: consulueruntque Deum, atque dixerunt: Quis erit in exercitu nostro princeps certaminis contra filios Benjamin? Quibus respondit Dominus: Judas sit dux vester. 19 Statimque filii Israël surgentes mane, castrametati sunt juxta Gabaa: 20 et inde procedentes ad pugnam contra Benjamin, urbem oppugnare cœperunt. 21 Egressique filii Benjamin de Gabaa, occiderunt de filiis Israël die illo viginti duo millia virorum. 22 Rursum filii Israël et fortitudine et numero confidentes, in eodem loco in quo prius certaverant, aciem direxerunt: 23 ita tamen ut prius ascenderent et flerent coram Domino usque ad noctem, consulerentque eum, et dicerent: Debeo ultra procedere ad dimicandum contra filios Benjamin fratres meos, an non? Quibus ille respondit: Ascendite ad eos, et inite certamen. 24 Cumque filii Israël altera die contra filios Benjamin ad prælium processissent, 25 eruperunt filii Benjamin de portis Gabaa: et occurrentes eis tanta in illos cæde bacchati sunt, ut decem et octo millia virorum educentium gladium prosternerent. 26 Quam ob rem omnes filii Israël venerunt in domum Dei, et sedentes flebant coram Domino: jejunaveruntque die illo usque ad vesperam, et obtulerunt ei holocausta, atque pacificas victimas, 27 et super statu suo interrogaverunt. Eo tempore ibi erat arca fœderis Dei, 28 et Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron præpositus domus. Consuluerunt igitur Dominum, atque dixerunt: Exire ultra debemus ad pugnam contra filios Benjamin fratres nostros, an quiescere? Quibus ait Dominus: Ascendite: cras enim tradam eos in manus vestras.

29 καὶ ἔθηκαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ἔνεδρα ἐν τῇ Γαβαα κύκλῳ 30 καὶ ἔταξεν Ισραηλ πρὸς τὸν Βενιαμιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ παρετάξαντο πρὸς Γαβαα καθὼς ἅπαξ καὶ ἅπαξ 31 καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐξειλκύσθησαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἤρξαντο τύπτειν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καθὼς ἅπαξ καὶ ἅπαξ ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἥ ἐστιν μία ἀναβαίνουσα εἰς Βαιθηλ καὶ μία ἀναβαίνουσα εἰς Γαβαα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ ὡσεὶ τριάκοντα ἄνδρας ἐν τῷ Ισραηλ 32 καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ Βενιαμιν προσκόπτουσιν ἐνώπιον ἡμῶν καθὼς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ εἶπαν φύγωμεν καὶ ἐκσπάσωμεν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως εἰς τὰς ὁδούς 33 καὶ πᾶς ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἀνέστη ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ καὶ παρετάξαντο ἐν Βααλθαμαρ καὶ τὸ ἔνεδρον Ισραηλ ἐπάλαιεν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν τῆς Γαβαα 34 καὶ παρεγένοντο ἐξ ἐναντίας τῆς Γαβαα δέκα χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν ἐκλεκτῶν ἐκ παντὸς Ισραηλ καὶ ὁ πόλεμος ἐβαρύνθη καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι ἀφῆπται αὐτῶν ἡ κακία 35 καὶ ἐτρόπωσεν κύριος τὸν Βενιαμιν κατὰ πρόσωπον Ισραηλ καὶ διέφθειραν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ἐν τῷ Βενιαμιν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε χιλιάδας καὶ ἑκατὸν ἄνδρας πάντες οὗτοι σπώμενοι ῥομφαίαν

29 This time, the Israelites hid men in ambush round the city of Gabaa, 30 and when, once again, they made a frontal attack, such as they had made twice before, 31 the men of Benjamin sallied out more boldly than ever, ready to pursue their adversaries to any distance. Just as on the two earlier days, they began cutting the Israelites down as they ran, some on the road to Bethel, some on the road to Gabaa itself, and about thirty of them fell. 32 A fresh rout it seemed, but in truth the men of Israel did but feign flight, so as to lure their pursuers down these roads, far away from the city. 33 Meanwhile the main body of Israelites had withdrawn from the ground they held, and taken up their stand at a place called Baal-Thamar, but leaving bodies of men in ambush round the city;[2] and these now began to disclose themselves one by one, 34 and march on the city from the west. The defenders of the city had been lured out of it by the ten thousand Israelites who came to the attack; so that now things went ill with the army of Benjamin; they were surrounded on all sides unawares. 35 So it was that the Lord struck down Benjamin at the onslaught of the Israelites, who slew that day twenty-five thousand one hundred fighting men, all of them trained to war.

29 Posueruntque filii Israël insidias per circuitum urbis Gabaa: 30 et tertia vice, sicut semel et bis, contra Benjamin exercitum produxerunt. 31 Sed et filii Benjamin audacter eruperunt de civitate, et fugientes adversarios longius persecuti sunt, ita ut vulnerarent ex eis sicut primo die et secundo, et cæderent per duas semitas vertentes terga, quarum una ferebatur in Bethel et altera in Gabaa, atque prosternerent triginta circiter viros: 32 putaverunt enim solito eos more cedere. Qui fugam arte simulantes inierunt consilium ut abstraherent eos de civitate, et quasi fugientes ad supradictas semitas perducerent. 33 Omnes itaque filii Israël surgentes de sedibus suis, tetenderunt aciem in loco qui vocatur Baalthamar. Insidiæ quoque, quæ circa urbem erant, paulatim se aperire cœperunt, 34 et ab occidentali urbis parte procedere. Sed et alia decem millia virorum de universo Israël, habitatores urbis ad certamina provocabant. Ingravatumque est bellum contra filios Benjamin: et non intellexerunt quod ex omni parte illis instaret interitus. 35 Percussitque eos Dominus in conspectu filiorum Israël, et interfecerunt ex eis in illo die viginti quinque millia, et centum viros, omnes bellatores et educentes gladium.

36 καὶ εἶδεν Βενιαμιν ὅτι τετρόπωται καὶ ἔδωκεν ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ τῷ Βενιαμιν τόπον ὅτι ἤλπισαν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔνεδρον ὃ ἔταξαν πρὸς τὴν Γαβαα 37 καὶ τὸ ἔνεδρον ὥρμησεν καὶ ἐξεχύθησαν πρὸς τὴν Γαβαα καὶ ἐπορεύθη τὸ ἔνεδρον καὶ ἐπάταξαν ὅλην τὴν πόλιν ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας 38 καὶ ἡ συνταγὴ ἦν ἀνδρὶ Ισραηλ πρὸς τὸ ἔνεδρον τοῦ ἀνενέγκαι αὐτοὺς πυρσὸν τοῦ καπνοῦ τῆς πόλεως 39 καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ Βενιαμιν ἦρκται τοῦ τύπτειν τραυματίας ἐν τῷ ἀνδρὶ Ισραηλ ὡσεὶ τριάκοντα ἄνδρας ὅτι εἶπαν πλὴν τροπούμενος τροποῦται ἐναντίον ἡμῶν καθὼς ὁ πόλεμος ὁ ἔμπροσθεν 40 καὶ ὁ πυρσὸς ἤρξατο ἀναβαίνειν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως στῦλος καπνοῦ καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν Βενιαμιν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνέβη συντέλεια τῆς πόλεως εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν 41 καὶ ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἀπέστρεψεν καὶ ἔσπευσεν ἀνὴρ Βενιαμιν καὶ εἶδεν ὅτι ἧπται αὐτοῦ ἡ κακία 42 καὶ ἔκλιναν ἐνώπιον ἀνδρὸς Ισραηλ εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἐρήμου καὶ ὁ πόλεμος κατέφθασεν αὐτόν καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων διέφθειραν αὐτὸν ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν 43 καὶ ἔκοψαν τὸν Βενιαμιν καταπαῦσαι αὐτὸν κατάπαυσιν καὶ κατεπάτησαν αὐτὸν ἕως ἐξ ἐναντίας τῆς Γαβαα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου

36 This, then, was the way of it.[3] On ran the men of Benjamin, finding the conflict so uneven, and still the Israelites gave ground to them, so that they should fall into the trap which had been set for them round the city. 37 Now, on a sudden, while the men of Benjamin thus exposed their rear to attack, the men in ambush rose from their hiding-places, made their way into the city, and put everyone they found there to the sword. 38 A signal had been agreed upon between them and the rest of the Israelites; when they had taken the city, they were to make a great fire, whose smoke rolling upwards would announce the capture. 39 And this sight now met the eyes of the Israelites who had been entrusted with the fighting. They were being fiercely pressed by the Benjamites, who thought them routed and had already slain some thirty of them; 40 but now they saw a column of smoke rising up from the city. The Benjamites, too, looked back and saw it; saw that their city had been taken, and the flames of it were mounting up to heaven. 41 So now the men who had been feigning flight faced about, and offered fiercer resistance; while the Benjamites, when they saw what was befalling them, turned their backs 42 and made for the road that leads out into the desert. But, go where they would, the men who were matched against them were at their heels; and by now the men who had been burning down the city came out to meet them as well. 43 Thus the enemy attacked them from both sides, cutting them down without respite; all over the country-side east of Gabaa men were falling, and lying where they fell.

36 Filii autem Benjamin cum se inferiores esse vidissent, cœperunt fugere. Quod cernentes filii Israël, dederunt eis ad fugiendum locum, ut ad præparatas insidias devenirent, quas juxta urbem posuerant. 37 Qui cum repente de latibulis surrexissent, et Benjamin terga cædentibus daret, ingressi sunt civitatem, et percusserunt eam in ore gladii. 38 Signum autem dederant filii Israël his quos in insidiis collocaverant, ut postquam urbem cepissent, ignem accenderent: ut ascendente in altum fumo, captam urbem demonstrarent. 39 Quod cum cernerent filii Israël in ipso certamine positi (putaverunt enim filii Benjamin eos fugere, et instantius persequebantur, cæsis de exercitu eorum triginta viris), 40 et viderent quasi columnam fumi de civitate conscendere: Benjamin quoque aspiciens retro, cum captam cerneret civitatem, et flammas in sublime ferri: 41 qui prius simulaverant fugam, versa facie fortius resistebant. Quod cum vidissent filii Benjamin, in fugam versi sunt, 42 et ad viam deserti ire cœperunt, illuc quoque eos adversariis persequentibus: sed et hi qui urbem succenderant, occurrerunt eis. 43 Atque ita factum est, ut ex utraque parte ab hostibus cæderentur, nec erat ulla requies morientium. Ceciderunt, atque prostrati sunt ad orientalem plagam urbis Gabaa.

44 καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐκ τοῦ Βενιαμιν ὀκτωκαίδεκα χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν σὺν πᾶσιν τούτοις ἄνδρες δυνατοί 45 καὶ ἐξέκλιναν καὶ ἔφυγον εἰς τὴν ἔρημον πρὸς τὴν πέτραν τὴν Ρεμμων καὶ ἐκαλαμήσαντο ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς πέντε χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν καὶ προσεκολλήθησαν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἕως Γαδααμ καὶ ἐπάταξαν ἐξ αὐτῶν δισχιλίους ἄνδρας 46 καὶ ἐγένοντο πάντες οἱ πεπτωκότες ἐν τῷ Βενιαμιν εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν σπωμένων ῥομφαίαν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ σὺν πᾶσι τούτοις ἄνδρες δυνατοί 47 καὶ ἐξέκλιναν καὶ ἔφυγον εἰς τὴν ἔρημον πρὸς τὴν πέτραν τὴν Ρεμμων ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ Ρεμμων τετράμηνον 48 καὶ ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ ἀπέκλεισεν τοὺς υἱοὺς Βενιαμιν καὶ ἐπάταξαν αὐτοὺς ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας ἀπὸ πόλεως ἑξῆς ἕως κτήνους ἕως παντὸς τοῦ εὑρεθέντος εἰς πάσας τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰς πόλεις τὰς εὑρεθείσας ἐξαπέστειλαν ἐν πυρί

44 Eighteen thousand men, all their picked warriors, were killed there and then; 45 the rest of Benjamin, after witnessing their defeat, escaped into the desert, and made for the rock that is called Remmon. Even in that flight, straggling and scattered, five thousand met their death; and another two thousand were killed by the pursuers as they tried to go further afield. 46 Thus twenty-five thousand sons of Benjamin perished, some here, some there, all of them warriors trained to battle. 47 The whole number of Benjamites that made good their escape into the desert was no more than six hundred men; and these spent four whole months on the rock of Remmon. 48 Meanwhile the Israelites went back and put all that was left in the city, man and beast, to the sword; and busy flames devoured every city and township in the lands of Benjamin.

44 Fuerunt autem qui in eodem loco interfecti sunt, decem et octo millia virorum, omnes robustissimi pugnatores. 45 Quod cum vidissent qui remanserant de Benjamin, fugerunt in solitudinem: et pergebant ad petram, cujus vocabulum est Remmon. In illa quoque fuga palantes, et in diversa tendentes, occiderunt quinque millia virorum. Et cum ultra tenderent, persecuti sunt eos, et interfecerunt etiam alia duo millia. 46 Et sic factum est, ut omnes qui ceciderant de Benjamin in diversis locis essent viginti quinque millia pugnatores ad bella promptissimi. 47 Remanserunt itaque de omni numero Benjamin, qui evadere et fugere in solitudinem potuerunt, sexcenti viri: sederuntque in petra Remmon mensibus quatuor. 48 Regressi autem filii Israël, omnes reliquias civitatis a viris usque ad jumenta gladio percusserunt, cunctasque urbes et viculos Benjamin vorax flamma consumpsit.

[1] ‘At Silo’; literally, ‘at the house of God, that is, Silo’. But the same word is rendered simply ‘house of God’ by the Latin version in verse 26, and ‘Bethel’ in verse 31.

[2] The narrative here is not clear, but it seems likely the Israelites practised a feigned withdrawal, like Abimelech in 9.43.

[3] These words have been inserted to warn the reader that verses 36-46 are a more detailed account of what has already been described in verses 29-35. The Latin translator, not understanding this, here represents the Benjamites as running away, conscious of defeat; but it is clear from the context that the rout of the Benjamites does not begin till verse 41.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd