Feb 25 - Judges 14-21

¹Then Samson descended to Timnah. And seeing there a woman from the daughters of the Philistines²he went up, and he told his father and his mother, saying: "I saw a woman in Timnah from the daughters of the Philistines. I ask that you take her to me as wife.³And his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, so that you would be willing to take a wife from the Philistines, who are uncircumcised?" And Samson said to his father: "Take this woman to me. For she has pleased my eyes.⁴Now his parents did not know that the matter was done by the Lord, and that he sought an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time, the Philistines had dominion over Israel⁵And so, Samson descended with his father and mother to Timnah. And when they had arrived at the vineyards of the town, he saw a young lion, savage and roaring, and it met him⁶Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Samson, and he tore apart the lion, like a young goat being torn into pieces, having nothing at all in his hand. And he was not willing to reveal this to his father and mother⁷And he went down and spoke to the woman who had pleased his eyes⁸And after some days, returning to marry her, he turned aside so that he might see the carcass of the lion. And behold, there was a swarm of bees in the mouth of the lion, with a honeycomb⁹And when he had taken it in his hands, he ate it along the way. And arriving to his father and mother, he gave them a portion, and they also ate it. Yet he was not willing to reveal to them that he had taken the honey from the body of the lion¹⁰And so his father went down to the woman, and he made a feast for his son Samson. For so the young men were accustomed to do¹¹And when the citizens of that place had seen him, they presented to him thirty companions to be with him¹²And Samson said to them: "I will propose to you a problem, which, if you can solve it for me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty shirts and the same number of tunics¹³But if you are not able to solve it, you shall give me thirty shirts and the same number of tunics." And they answered him, "Propose the problem, so that we may hear it.¹⁴And he said to them, "Food went forth from that which eats, and sweetness went forth from that which is strong." And they were unable to solve the proposition for three days¹⁵And when the seventh day had arrived, they said to the wife of Samson: "Coax your husband, and persuade him to reveal to you what the proposition means. But if you are not willing to do so, we will burn you and your father’s house. Or have you called us to the wedding in order to despoil us?¹⁶And she shed tears before Samson, and she complained, saying: "You hate me, and you do not love me. That is why you do not want to explain to me the problem, which you have proposed to the sons of my people." But he responded: "I was not willing to reveal it to my father and mother. And so, how can I reveal it to you?¹⁷Therefore, she wept before him during the seven days of the feast. And at length, on the seventh day, since she had been troubling him, he explained it. And immediately she revealed it to her countrymen¹⁸And they, on the seventh day, before the sun declined, said to him: "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have uncovered my proposition.¹⁹And so the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he descended to Ashkelon, and in that place he struck down thirty men. And taking away their garments, he gave them to those who had solved the problem. And being exceedingly angry, he went up to his father’s house²⁰Then his wife took as a husband one of his friends and wedding companions

Chapter 15

¹Then, after some time, when the days of the wheat harvest were near, Samson arrived, intending to visit his wife, and he brought her a kid from the goats. And when he wanted to enter her bedroom, as usual, her father prohibited him, saying²"I thought that you would hate her, and therefore I gave her to your friend. But she has a sister, who is younger and more beautiful than she is. And she may be a wife for you, instead of her.³And Samson answered him: "From this day, there shall be no guilt for me against the Philistines. For I will do harm to you all.⁴And he went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he joined them tail to tail. And he tied torches between the tails⁵And setting these on fire, he released them, so that they might rush from place to place. And immediately they went into the grain fields of the Philistines, setting these on fire, both the grain that was already bound for carrying, and what was still standing on the stalk. These were completely burned up, so much so that the flame also consumed even the vineyards and the olive groves⁶And the Philistines said, "Who has done this thing?" And it was said: "Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took away his wife, and gave her to another. He has done these things." And the Philistines went up and burned the woman as well as her father⁷And Samson said to them, "Even though you have done this, I will still fulfill vengeance against you, and then I will be quieted.⁸And he struck them with a tremendous slaughter, so much so that, out of astonishment, they laid the calf of the leg upon the thigh. And descending, he lived in a cave of the rock at Etam⁹And so the Philistines, ascending into the land of Judah, made camp at the place which was later called Lehi, that is, the Jawbone, where their army spread out¹⁰And some from the tribe of Judah said to them, "Why have you ascended against us?" And they responded, "We have come to bind Samson, and to repay him for what he has done to us.¹¹Then three thousand men of Judah descended to the cave of the rock at Etam. And they said to Samson: "Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why would you want to do this?" And he said to them, "As they have done to me, so I have done to them.¹²And they said to him, "We have come to bind you, and to deliver you into the hands of the Philistines." And Samson said to them, "Swear and promise to me that you will not kill me.¹³They said: "We will not kill you. But we will deliver you tied." And they bound him with two new cords. And they took him from the rock at Etam¹⁴And when he had arrived at the place of the Jawbone, and the Philistines, shouting aloud, had met him, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. And just as flax is usually consumed by a hint of fire, so were the ties with which he was bound broken and released¹⁵And finding a jawbone which was laying there, that is, the jawbone of a donkey, snatching it up, he put to death a thousand men with it¹⁶And he said, "With the jawbone of a donkey, with the jaw of the colt of a donkey, I have destroyed them, and I have struck down a thousand men.¹⁷And when he had completed these words, singing, he threw the jawbone from his hand. And called the name of that place Ramath-Lehi, which is translated as ‘the elevation of the jawbone.¹⁸And being very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, and he said: "You have given, to the hand of your servant, this very great salvation and victory. But see that I am dying of thirst, and so I will fall into the hands of the uncircumcised.¹⁹And so the Lord opened a large tooth in the jawbone of the donkey, and water went out from it. And having drank it, his spirit was revived, and he recovered his strength. For this reason, the name of that place was called ‘the Spring called forth from the jawbone,’ even to the present day²⁰And he judged Israel, in the days of the Philistines, for twenty years

Chapter 16

¹He also went into Gaza. And there he saw a harlot woman, and he entered to her²And when the Philistines had heard of this, and it had become well known among them, that Samson had entered the city, they surrounded him, placing guards at the gate of the city. And there they were keeping watch all night in silence, so that, in the morning, they might kill him as he was going out³But Samson slept until the middle of the night, and rising up from there, he took both doors from the gate, with their posts and bars. And laying them upon his shoulders, he carried them to the top of the hill that looks toward Hebron⁴After these things, he loved a woman who was living in the valley of Sorek. And she was called Delilah⁵And the leaders of the Philistines went to her, and they said: "Deceive him, and learn from him wherein lies his great strength, and how we may be able to overcome him and to impose restraints on him. And if you will do this, each one of us will give you one thousand one hundred silver coins.⁶Therefore, Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me, I beg you, wherein lies your very great strength, and with what might you be bound, so that you could not break free?⁷And Samson answered her, "If I will be bound with seven cords, made of sinews not yet dry, but still damp, I will be weak like other men.⁸And the princes of the Philistines brought to her seven cords, such as he had described. And she bound him with these⁹And so, those hiding in ambush with her, in the bedroom, were expecting the end of the matter. And she cried out to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he broke the cords, as one would break a thread of flax, twisted for cutting and singed by fire. And so it was not known wherein lay his strength¹⁰And Delilah said to him: "Behold, you have mocked me, and you have spoken a falsehood. But at least now, tell me with what you may be bound.¹¹And he answered her, "If I will be bound with new cords, which have never been used, I will be weak and like other men.¹²Again, Delilah tied him with these, and she cried out, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" For an ambush had been prepared in the bedroom. But he broke the bindings like the filaments of a web¹³And Delilah spoke to him again: "How long will you deceive me and tell me falsehoods? Reveal with what you ought to be bound." And Samson responded to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head with a loom, and if you tie these around a spike and fix it to the ground, I will be weak.¹⁴And when Delilah had done this, she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson." And arising from sleep, he withdrew the spike with the hairs and the weaving¹⁵And Delilah said to him: "How can you say that you love me, when your soul is not with me? You have lied to me on three occasions, and you are not willing to reveal wherein lies your very great strength.¹⁶And when she had been very troublesome to him, and over many days had continually stayed nearby, giving him no time to rest, his soul was faint, and he was weary, even unto death¹⁷Then disclosing the truth of the matter, he said to her: "Iron has never been drawn across my head, for I am a Nazirite, that is, I have been consecrated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head will be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I will be faint and will be like other men.¹⁸Then, seeing that he had confessed to her his whole soul, she sent to the leaders of the Philistines and ordered: "Come up just once more. For now he has opened his heart to me." And they went up, taking with them the money that they had promised¹⁹But she made him sleep upon her knees, and recline his head upon her bosom. And she called a barber, and he shaved his seven locks of hair. And she began to push him away, and to repel him from herself. For immediately his strength departed from him²⁰And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And awaking from sleep, he said in his mind, "I will break away and shake myself free, just as I did before." For he did not know that the Lord had withdrawn from him²¹And when the Philistines had seized him, they immediately plucked out his eyes. And they led him, bound in chains, to Gaza. And enclosing him in a prison, they made him work a millstone²²And now his hair began to grow back²³And the leaders of the Philistines convened as one, so that they might offer great sacrifices to Dagon, their god. And they feasted, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy, Samson, into our hands.²⁴Then, too, the people, seeing this, praised their god, and they said the same, "Our god has delivered our adversary into our hands: the one who destroyed our land and who killed very many.²⁵And rejoicing in their celebration, having now taken food, they instructed that Samson be called, and that he be mocked before them. And having been brought from prison, he was mocked before them. And they caused him to stand between two pillars²⁶And he said to the boy who was guiding his steps, "Permit me to touch the pillars, which support the entire house, and to lean against them, so that I may rest a little.²⁷Now the house was full of men and women. And all the leaders of the Philistines were there, as well as about three thousand persons, of both sexes, on the roof and in the upper level of the house, who were watching Samson being mocked²⁸Then, calling upon the Lord, he said, "O Lord God remember me, and restore to me now my former strength, O my God, so that I may avenge myself against my enemies, and so that I may receive one vengeance for the deprivation of my two eyes.²⁹And taking hold of both the pillars, on which the house rested, and holding one with his right hand and the other with his left³⁰he said, "May my life die with the Philistines." And when he had shaken the pillars strongly, the house fell upon all the leaders, and the rest of the multitude who were there. And he killed many more in his death than he had killed before in his life³¹Then his brothers and all his relatives, going down, took his body, and they buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying place of his father, Manoah. And he judged Israel for twenty years

Chapter 17

¹In that time, there was a certain man, from mount Ephraim, named Micah²And he said to his mother, "The one thousand one hundred silver coins, which you had separated for yourself, and about which you had sworn in my hearing, behold, I have them, and they are with me." And she answered him, "My son has been blessed by the Lord.³Therefore, he restored them to his mother. And she said to him: "I have consecrated and vowed this silver to the Lord, so that my son would receive it from my hand, and would make a molten idol and a graven image. And now I deliver it to you.⁴And when he restored these to his mother, she took two hundred of the silver coins, and she gave them to the silversmith, so that he might make from them a molten idol and a graven image. And it was in the house of Micah⁵And he also separated in it a little shrine for the god. And he made an ephod and theraphim, that is, a priestly garment and idols. And he filled the hand of one of his sons, and he became his priest⁶In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself⁷Also, there was another young man, from Bethlehem of Judah, one of his relatives. And he himself was a Levite, and he was living there⁸Then, departing from the city of Bethlehem, he wished to sojourn wherever he would find it beneficial to himself. And when he had arrived at mount Ephraim, while making the journey, he also turned aside for a little while to the house of Micah⁹And he was asked by him where he came from. And he responded: "I am a Levite from Bethlehem of Judah. And I am traveling so that I may live where I am able, if I perceive it to be useful to me.¹⁰And Micah said: "Stay with me. And you shall be to me like a parent and a priest. And I will give to you, each year, ten silver coins, and a double-layered garment, and whatever provisions are necessary.¹¹He agreed, and he stayed with the man. And he was to him like one of his sons¹²And Micah filled his hand, and he had the young man with him as his priest¹³saying: "Now I know that God will be good to me, since I have a priest from the stock of the Levites.

Chapter 18

¹In those days, there was no king in Israel. And the tribe of Dan sought a possession for themselves, so that they might live in it. For even to that day, they had not received their lot among the other tribes²Therefore, the sons of Dan sent five very strong men, of their stock and family, from Zorah and Eshtaol, so that they might explore the land and diligently inspect it. And they said to them, "Go, and consider the land." And after traveling, they arrived at mount Ephraim, and they entered into the house of Micah. There they rested³And they recognized the speech of the youth who was a Levite. And while making use of an inn with him, they said to him: "Who brought you here? What are you doing here? For what reason did you want to come here?⁴And he answered them, "Micah has offered me one thing and another, and he has paid me wages, so that I may be his priest.⁵Then they begged him to consult the Lord, so that they might be able to know whether the journey they undertook would be prosperous, and whether the matter would have success⁶And he responded to them, "Go in peace. The Lord looks with favor on your path, and on the journey that you have undertaken.⁷And so the five men, going on, arrived at Laish. And they saw the people, living in it without any fear, according to the custom of the Sidonians, secure and peaceful, having hardly anyone to oppose them, and with great wealth, and living separately, far from Sidon and from all men⁸And they returned to their brothers at Zorah and Eshtaol, who questioned them as to what they had done. And they responded⁹"Rise up. Let us ascend to them. For we have seen that the land is very wealthy and fruitful. Do not delay; do not refrain. Let us go out and possess it. There will be no difficulty¹⁰We shall enter to those who dwell securely, in a very wide region, and the Lord will deliver the place to us, a place in which there is no lack of anything that grows upon the earth.¹¹And so, those of the kindred of Dan set out, that is, six hundred men from Zorah and Eshtaol, girded with the weapons of warfare¹²And going up, they stayed at Kiriath-jearim of Judah. And so the place, from that time, received the name the Camp of Dan, and it is behind the back of Kiriath-jearim¹³From there, they crossed over to mount Ephraim. And when they had arrived at the house of Micah¹⁴the five men, who before had been sent to consider the land of Laish, said to the rest of their brothers: "You know that in these houses there is an ephod and theraphim, and a molten idol and a graven image. Consider what it may please you to do.¹⁵And when they had turned aside a little, they entered the house of the Levite youth, who was in the house of Micah. And they greeted him with peaceful words¹⁶Now the six hundred men, who were all armed, were standing before the door¹⁷But those who had entered the house of the youth strove to take away the graven image, and the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. But the priest was standing in front of the door, with the six hundred very strong men waiting not far away¹⁸And so, those who had entered took away the graven image, the ephod, and the theraphim, and the molten idol. And the priest said to them, "What are you doing?¹⁹And they responded to him: "Be silent and place your finger over your mouth. And come with us, so that we may have you as a father as well as a priest. For which is better for you: to be a priest in the house of one man, or in one tribe and family in Israel?²⁰And when he had heard this, he agreed to their words. And he took the ephod, and the idols, and the graven image, and he set out with them²¹And while traveling, they had also sent the children, and the cattle, and all that was valuable to go ahead of them²²And when they were far from the house of Micah, the men who were living in the houses of Micah, crying out together, followed them²³And they began to shout behind their backs. And when they had looked back, they said to Micah: "What do you want? Why are you crying out?²⁴And he responded: "You have taken away my gods, which I made for myself, and the priest, and all that I have. And do you say, ‘What is it that you want?’ ²⁵And the sons of Dan said to him, "Take care that you no longer speak to us, otherwise men with a mind for violence may overwhelm you, and you yourself would perish with all your house.²⁶And so, they continued on the journey that they had begun. But Micah, seeing that they were stronger than he was, returned to his house²⁷Now the six hundred men took the priest, and the things we stated above, and they went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and they struck them down with the edge of the sword. And they burned the city with fire²⁸For no one at all sent reinforcements, because they lived far away from Sidon, and they had no association or business with any man. Now the city was situated in the region of Rehob. And building it up again, they lived in it²⁹calling the name of the city Dan, according to the name of their father, who had been born of Israel, though before it was called Laish³⁰And they established for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, with his sons, were priests in the tribe of Dan, even until the day of their captivity³¹And the idol of Micah remained with them during the entire time that the house of God was in Shiloh. In those days, there was no king in Israel

Chapter 19

¹There was a certain man, a Levite, living beside mount Ephraim, who took a wife from Bethlehem of Judah²She left him, and she returned to the house of her father in Bethlehem. And she stayed with him for four months³And her husband followed her, wishing to be reconciled with her, and to speak kindly to her, and to lead her back with him. And he had with him a servant and two donkeys. And she received him, and brought him into the house of her father. And when his father-in-law had heard about this, and had seen him, he met him with joy⁴And he embraced the man. And the son-in-law stayed in the house of his father-in-law for three days, eating and drinking with him in a friendly manner⁵But on the fourth day, arising in the night, he intended to set out. But his father-in-law took hold of him, and he said to him, "First taste a little bread, and strengthen your stomach, and then you shall set out.⁶And they sat down together, and they ate and drank. And the father of the young woman said to his son-in-law, "I ask you to remain here today, so that we may rejoice together.⁷But getting up, he intended to begin to set out. But nevertheless, his father-in-law pressed him resolutely, and made him remain with him⁸But when morning came, the Levite was preparing for his journey. And his father-in-law said to him again, "I beg you to take a little food, and to be strengthened, until the daylight increases, and after that, you shall set out." Therefore, they ate together⁹And the young man got up, so that he might travel with his wife and servant. And his father-in-law spoke to him again: "Consider that the daylight is declining, and it approaches toward evening. Remain with me also today, and spend the day in gladness. And tomorrow you shall set out, so that you may go to your own house.¹⁰His son-in-law was not willing to agree to his words. Instead, he immediately continued on, and he arrived opposite Jebus, which by another name is called Jerusalem, leading with him two donkeys carrying burdens, and his mate¹¹And now they were near Jebus, but day was turning into night. And the servant said to his lord, "Come, I beg you, let us turn aside to the city of the Jebusites, so that we may find lodging in it.¹²His lord responded to him: "I will not enter into the town of a foreign people, who are not of the sons of Israel. Instead, I will cross over as far as Gibeah¹³And when I will have arrived there, we will lodge in that place, or at least in the city of Ramah.¹⁴Therefore, they passed by Jebus, and continuing on, they undertook the journey. But the sun went down on them when they were near Gibeah, which is of the tribe of Benjamin¹⁵And so they diverted to it, so that they might lodge there. And when they had entered, they were sitting in the street of the city. For no one was willing to give them hospitality¹⁶And behold, they saw an old man, returning from the field and from his work in the evening, and he was also from mount Ephraim, and he was living as a stranger in Gibeah. For the men of that region were of the sons of Benjamin¹⁷And the old man, lifting up his eyes, saw the man sitting with his bundles in the street of the city. And he said to him: "Where have you come from? And where are you going?¹⁸He answered him: "We set out from Bethlehem of Judah, and we are traveling to our own place, which is beside mount Ephraim. From there we went to Bethlehem, and now we go to the house of God. But no one is willing to receive us under his roof¹⁹We have straw and hay as fodder for the donkeys, and we have bread and wine for the use of myself, and for your handmaid and the servant who is with me. We lack nothing except lodging.²⁰And the old man responded to him: "Peace be with you. I will provide all that is necessary. Only, I beg you, do not stay in the street.²¹And he led him into his house, and he gave fodder to his donkeys. And after they had washed their feet, he received them with a banquet²²And while they were feasting, and were refreshing their bodies with food and drink after the labor of the journey, the men of that city, sons of Belial (that is, without yoke), came and surrounded the old man’s house. And they began to knock at the door, calling out to the lord of the house, and saying, "Bring out the man who entered your house, so that we may abuse him.²³And the old man went out to them, and he said: "Do not choose, brothers, do not choose to do this evil. For this man has entered to my hospitality. And you must cease from this senselessness²⁴I have a virgin daughter, and this man has a mate. I will lead them out to you, so that you may debase them and may satisfy your lust. Only, I beg you, do not commit this crime against nature on the man.²⁵But they were not willing to agree to his words. So the man, discerning this, led out his mate to them, and he delivered her to their sexual abuse. And when they had abused her for the entire night, they released her in the morning²⁶But the woman, as darkness was receding, came to the door of the house, where her lord was staying, and there she fell down²⁷When morning came, the man arose, and he opened the door, so that he might complete the journey that he had begun. And behold, his mate was lying before the door, with her hands reaching out to the threshold²⁸And he, thinking that she was resting, said to her, "Get up, and let us walk." But since she gave no response, realizing that she had died, he took her up, and he laid her on his donkey, and he returned to his house²⁹And when he had arrived, he took up a sword, and he cut into pieces the dead body of his wife, with her bones, into twelve parts. And he sent the pieces into all the parts of Israel³⁰And when each one had seen this, they were crying out together, "Never has such a thing been done in Israel, from the day that our fathers ascended from Egypt, even to the present time. Let a sentence be brought and let us decide in common what ought to be done.

Chapter 20

¹And so all the sons of Israel went out like one man, from Dan to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, and they gathered together, before the Lord, at Mizpah²And all the chiefs of the people, and every tribe of Israel, convened as an assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand foot soldiers for battle³(But it was not hidden from the sons of Benjamin that the sons of Israel had ascended to Mizpah.) And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was killed, being questioned as to how so great a crime had been perpetrated⁴responded: "I went to Gibeah of Benjamin, with my wife, and I diverted to that place⁵And behold, the men of that city, at night, surrounded the house in which I was staying, intending to kill me. And they abused my wife with such an incredible fury of lust that in the end she died⁶And taking her up, I cut her into pieces, and I sent the parts into all the borders of your possession. For never before was such a nefarious crime, and so great a sin, committed in Israel⁷You are all present here, O sons of Israel. Discern what you ought to do.⁸And all the people, standing, responded as if with the word of one man: "We shall not return to our own tents, nor shall anyone enter into his own house⁹But this we shall do in common against Gibeah¹⁰We shall select ten men out of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of one thousand, and one thousand out of ten thousand, so that they may transport supplies for the army, and so that we will be able to fight against Gibeah of Benjamin, and to repay it for its crime as it deserves.¹¹And all of Israel convened against the city, like one man, with one mind and one counsel¹²And they sent messengers to the entire tribe of Benjamin, who said: "Why has so great a wickedness been found among you¹³Deliver the men of Gibeah, who have perpetrated this deplorable act, so that they may die, and so that the evil may be taken away from Israel." And they were not willing to listen to the command of their brothers, the sons of Israel¹⁴Instead, out of all the cities that were their lot, they convened at Gibeah, so that they might bring them assistance, and so that they might contend against the entire people of Israel¹⁵And there were found from Benjamin twenty-five thousand who drew the sword, aside from the inhabitants of Gibeah¹⁶who were seven hundred very strong men, fighting with the left hand as well as with the right hand, and casting stones from a sling so accurately that they were able to strike even a hair, and the path of the stone would by no means miss to either side¹⁷Then too, among the men of Israel apart from the sons of Benjamin, there were found four hundred thousand who drew the sword and who were prepared for battle¹⁸And they rose up and went to the house of God, that is, to Shiloh. And they consulted God, and they said, "Who shall be, in our army, the first to contend against the sons of Benjamin?" And the Lord responded to them, "Let Judah be your leader.¹⁹And immediately the sons of Israel, rising up in the morning, made camp near Gibeah²⁰And setting out from there to fight against Benjamin, they began to assault the city²¹And the sons of Benjamin, departing from Gibeah, slew twenty-two thousand men from the sons of Israel, on that day²²Again the sons of Israel, trusting in both strength and number, set their troops in order, in the same place where they had contended before²³But first they also went up and wept before the Lord, even until night. And they consulted him and said, "Should I continue to go forth, so as to contend against the sons of Benjamin, my brothers, or not?" And he responded to them, "Ascend against them, and undertake the struggle.²⁴And when the sons of Israel had continued to do battle against the sons of Benjamin on the next day²⁵the sons of Benjamin burst forth from the gates of Gibeah. And meeting them, they made such a frenzied slaughter against them that they struck down eighteen thousand men who drew the sword²⁶As a result, all the sons of Israel went to the house of God, and sitting down, they wept before the Lord. And they fasted that day until evening, and they offered to him holocausts and victims of peace offerings²⁷And they inquired about their state. At that time, the ark of the covenant of the Lord was in that place²⁸And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was the first ruler of the house. And so, they consulted the Lord, and they said, "Should we continue to go forth in battle against the sons of Benjamin, our brothers, or should we cease?" And the Lord said to them: "Ascend. For tomorrow, I will deliver them into your hands.²⁹And the sons of Israel stationed ambushes around the city of Gibeah³⁰And they brought out their army against Benjamin a third time, just as they had done on the first and second times³¹But the sons of Benjamin again burst forth boldly from the city. And since their enemies were fleeing, they pursued them a long way, so that they might wound or kill some of them, just as they had done on the first and second days. And they turned their backs along two paths, one bringing them toward Bethel, and the other toward Gibeah. And they struck down about thirty men³²For they thought that they were falling back as they had done before. But instead, skillfully feigning flight, they undertook a plan to draw them away from the city, and by seeming to flee, to lead them along the above stated paths³³And so all the sons of Israel, rising up from their positions, set their troops in order, in the place which is called Baaltamar. Likewise, the ambushes that encircled the city began, little by little, to reveal themselves³⁴and to advance upon the western part of the city. Moreover, another ten thousand men from all of Israel were provoking a conflict with the inhabitants of the city. And the war grew heavy against the sons of Benjamin. And they did not realize that, on all sides of them, death was imminent³⁵And the Lord struck them down in the sight of the sons of Israel, and they put to death, on that day, twenty-five thousand of them, along with one hundred men, all warriors and those who drew the sword³⁶But the sons of Benjamin, when they had seen themselves to be the weaker, began to flee. And the sons of Israel discerning this, gave them room to flee, so that they might arrive at the ambushes that were prepared, which they had positioned near the city³⁷And after they had risen up suddenly from hiding, and those of Benjamin had turned their backs to those who cut them down, they entered the city, and they struck it with the edge of the sword³⁸Now the sons of Israel had given a sign to those whom they had stationed in ambushes, so that, after they had seized the city, they would light a fire, and by the smoke ascending on high, they would show that the city was captured³⁹And then, the sons of Israel discerned this sign during the battle (for the sons of Benjamin had thought that they fled, and they pursued them forcefully, cutting down thirty men from their army)⁴⁰And they saw something like a pillar of smoke ascending from the city. Likewise, Benjamin, looking back, discerned that the city was captured, for the flames were being carried on high⁴¹And those who before had pretended to flee, turning their faces, withstood them more strongly. And when the sons of Benjamin had seen this, they turned their backs in flight⁴²and they began to go toward the way of the desert, with the adversary pursuing them to that place also. Moreover, those who had set fire to the city also met them⁴³And so it happened that they were cut down on both sides by the enemies, nor was there any respite for the dying. They were killed and struck down on the eastern side of the city of Gibeah⁴⁴Now those who were put to death in the same place were eighteen thousand men, all very robust fighters⁴⁵And when those who remained of Benjamin had seen this, they fled into the wilderness. And they were traveling toward the rock which is called Rimmon. In that flight also, among those who were scattering in different directions, they slew five thousand men. And though they scattered all the more, they continued to pursue them, and then they put to death another two thousand⁴⁶And so it happened that all of those who were slain from Benjamin, in various places, were twenty-five thousand fighters, very willing to go to war⁴⁷And so there remained from the entire number of Benjamin six hundred men who were able to escape and to flee into the wilderness. And they settled at the rock of Rimmon, for four months⁴⁸But the sons of Israel, returning, had struck with the sword all that remained in the city, from men even to cattle. And all the cities and villages of Benjamin were consumed with devouring flames

Chapter 21

¹The sons of Israel had also taken an oath at Mizpah, and they said, "None of us shall give his daughters as a wife to the sons of Benjamin.²And they all went to the house of God at Shiloh. And sitting in his sight until evening, they lifted up their voice, and they began to weep, with a great wailing, saying³"Why, O Lord, God of Israel, has this evil happened among your people, so that this day one tribe would be taken away from us?⁴Then, rising at first light on the next day, they built an altar. And they offered holocausts and victims of peace offerings there, and they said⁵"Who, out of all the tribes of Israel, did not ascend with the army of the Lord?" For they had bound themselves with a great oath, when they were at Mizpah, that whoever was not present would be slain⁶And the sons of Israel, having been led to repentance over their brother Benjamin, began to say: "One tribe has been taken away from Israel⁷From where shall they receive wives? For we have all sworn in common that we will not give our daughters to them.⁸For this reason, they said, "Who is there, out of all the tribes of Israel, that did not ascend to the Lord at Mizpah?" And behold, the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead were found not to have been among that army⁹(Likewise, in the time when they had been at Shiloh, not one of them was found to be there.¹⁰And so they sent ten thousand very robust men, and they instructed them, saying, "Go and strike down the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead with the edge of the sword, including their wives and little ones.¹¹And this shall be what you ought to do: "Everyone of the male gender, as well as all the women who have known men, shall be put to death. But the virgins you shall reserve.¹²And four hundred virgins, who had not known the bed of a man, were found from Jabesh-Gilead. And they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, in the land of Canaan¹³And they sent messengers to the sons of Benjamin, who were at the rock of Rimmon, and they instructed them, so that they would receive them in peace¹⁴And the sons of Benjamin went, at that time, and wives were given to them from the daughters of Jabesh-Gilead. But others were not found, whom they might give in a similar manner¹⁵And all of Israel was very saddened, and they did penance for destroying one tribe out of Israel¹⁶And those greater by birth said: "What shall we do with the remainder, those who have not received wives? For all the females of Benjamin have been cut down¹⁷and we must take great care, and make provision with a very great diligence, so that one tribe may not be wiped away from Israel¹⁸As for our own daughters, we are not able to give them, being bound by an oath and a curse, when we said, ‘Accursed is he who will give any of his daughters to Benjamin as a wife.’ ¹⁹And they took counsel, and they said, "Behold, there is a yearly solemnity of the Lord at Shiloh, which is situated to the north of the city of Bethel, and on the eastern side of the way that one takes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of the town of Lebonah.²⁰And they instructed the sons of Benjamin, and they said: "Go, and hide in the vineyards²¹And when you will have seen daughters of Shiloh being led out to dance, according to custom, go forth suddenly from the vineyards, and let each one seize one wife from among them, and travel into the land of Benjamin²²And when their fathers and brothers arrive, and they begin to complain against you and to argue, we will say to them: ‘Take pity on them. For they have not seized them by right of war or conquest. Instead, begging to receive them, you did not give them, and so the sin was on your part.’ ²³And so the sons of Benjamin did just as they had been ordered. And according to their number, they seized for themselves one wife each, out of those who were led out dancing. And they went into their own possession, and they built up their cities, and they lived in them²⁴The sons of Israel also returned, according to their tribes and families, to their tents.²⁵In those days, there was no king in Israel. Instead, each one did what seemed right to himself.