Douay Rheims Original ↷
Judges 20 📜 📕 ↷
Decree of the Assembly
1 THEREFORE all the children of Israel went forth, and were gathered together, as it were one man, from Dan to Bersabee, and the Land of Galaad, to our Lord in Maspha:📜💬📚
2 and all the corners of the people, and all the tribes of Israel assembled into the Church of the people of God four hundred thousand footmen warriors.📜💬📚
3 (Neither were the children of Benjamin ignorant that the children of Israel were come up into Maspha.) And the Levite the husband of the woman that was killed being asked, how so great wickedness had been committed,📜💬📚
4 answered: I came into Gabaa of Benjamin with my wife, & there I took my lodging:📜💬📚
5 & behold the men of that city by night beset the house wherein I tarried, meaning to kill me, and vexing my wife with incredible fury of lust, finally she died.📜💬📚
6 Whom being taken I did cut into pieces, and sent the parts into all the borders of your possession: because never was there so heinous an offense, and so great an abomination done in Israel.📜💬📚
7 You are all present the children of Israel, determine what you ought to do.📜💬📚
8 And all the people standing, answered as it were by the word of one man: we will not depart into our tabernacles, neither shall any man enter into his house:📜💬📚
9 but this will we do in common against Gabaa.📜💬📚
10 Let ten men be chosen of an hundred out of all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring victuals for the army, and that we may fight against Gabaa of Benjamin, and render to it for the wicked fact, which it deserved.📜💬📚
11 And all Israel assembled to the city, as it were one man with one mind, and one counsel:📜💬📚
12 and they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin, which should say: Why is there so great abomination found in you?📜💬📚
13 Deliver the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous fact, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. Who would not hear the commandment of their brethren the children of Israel:📜💬📚
14 but out of all cities, which were of their lot, they assembled into Gabaa, to aid them, and to fight against all the people of Israel.📜💬📚
15 And there were found five and twenty thousand of Benjamin of them that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gabaa,📜💬📚
16 which were seven hundred most valiant men, so fighting with the left hand as with the right: and so directly casting stones with slings, that they could strike a hair also, and the stroke of the stone should not be carried awry on either part.📜💬📚
17 Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand of them that drew swords, and were prepared to fight.📜💬📚
Civil War against Benjamin
18 Who rising came into the house of God, that is, into Silo: and they consulted God, and said: Who shall be in our army General of the battle against the children of Benjamin? To whom our Lord answered: Let Judas be your captain.📜💬📚
19 And forthwith the children of Israel arising in the morning camped beside Gabaa:📜💬📚
20 and thence proceeding to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city.📜💬📚
21 And the children of Benjamin issuing out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men.📜💬📚
22 Again Israel having confidence in their strength and number, set the army in array in the same place, wherein they had fought before:📜💬📚
23 yet so that they did first go up and weep before our Lord until night: and consulted him, and said: Shall I proceed any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren, or not? To whom he answered: Go up to them, and enter battle.📜💬📚
24 And when the children of Israel the next day had proceeded against the children of Benjamin to battle,📜💬📚
25 the children of Benjamin brake forth out of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them they raged with so great a slaughter against them, that they overthrew eighteen thousand men that drew sword.📜💬📚
26 For the which thing all the children of Israel came into the house of God, and sitting wept before our Lord: and they fasted that day until evening, and offered to him holocausts, and pacific victims,📜💬📚
27 and asked him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of our Lord was there,📜💬📚
28 and Phinees the son of Eleazarus the son of Aaron provost of the house. They therefore consulted our Lord, and said: shall we go forth any more to fight against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or rest? To whom our Lord said: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into your hands.📜💬📚
29 And the children of Israel set ambushments round about the city of Gabaa:📜💬📚
30 & the third time, as once & twice, they brought forth their army against Benjamin.📜💬📚
31 But the children of Benjamin also issued forth boldly out of the city, & pursued a long way the adversaries flying, so that they wounded of them, as the first day & the second, & slew them turning their backs by two ways, whereof the one went into Bethel, & the other into Gabaa, and overthrew about thirty men:📜💬📚
32 for they thought to kill them after their accustomed manner. Who feigning artificially as though they fled, took advise to draw them away from the city, & as it were flying to bring them to the paths aforesaid.📜💬📚
33 Therefore all the children of Israel rising out of their seats, set their army in battle array, in the place which is called Baalthamar. The ambushments also, which were about the city, began by little & little to open themselves,📜💬📚
34 & to proceed from the West part of the city. Yea and other ten thousand men of all Israel provoked the inhabitants of the city to skirmishes. And the battle grew sore against the children of Benjamin: & they understood not that on every side destruction hang over them.📜💬📚
35 And our Lord struck them in the sight of the children of Israel, & they slew of them in that day five and twenty thousand, and an hundred men, all warriors and that drew sword.📜💬📚
36 But the children of Benjamin when they saw themselves to be inferior, began to fly. Which the children of Israel seeing, gave them place to fly, that they might come to the ambushments prepared, which they had set near the city.📜💬📚
37 Who when they had suddenly risen out of their dens, and Benjamin turned their backs to the slayers, they entered the city, and struck it in the edge of the sword.📜💬📚
38 And the children of Israel had given a sign to them, whom they had laid in the ambushments, that after they had taken the city, they should kindle a fire: that the smoke ascending on high, they might shew that the city was taken.📜💬📚
39 Which when the children of Israel saw being in the very fight (for the children of Benjamin thought that they fled, and pursued more instantly, having slain thirty men of their army)📜💬📚
40 and they saw as it were a pillar of smoke to rise up from the city: Benjamin also looking back, when he saw the city taken, and the flames carried on high:📜💬📚
41 they that before had feigned as if they fled, turning their face resisted more manfully. Which when the children of Benjamin had seen, they were turned into flight,📜💬📚
42 and began to go the way of the desert, the adversaries pursuing them thither also. But they also that had fired the city, met them.📜💬📚
43 And so it came to pass, that on both sides they were slain of the enemies, neither was there any rest of men dying. They fell, & were overthrown on the east side of the city of Gabaa.📜💬📚
44 And there were that were slain in the same place, eighteen thousand men all most valiant warriors.📜💬📚
45 Which when they had seen, that were remaining of Benjamin, they fled into the wilderness, and went on to the rock, the name whereof is Remmon. In that flight also straggling, and going diverse ways, they slew five thousand men. And whereas they went farther, they pursued him, and slew also other two thousand.📜💬📚
46 And so it came to pass, that all which were slain of Benjamin in diverse places, were five and twenty thousand one hundred fighting men, most prompt to wars.📜💬📚
47 There remained therefore of all the number of Benjamin that could escape, and fly into the wilderness, six hundred men: and they abode in the Rock Remmon four months.📜💬📚
48 But the children of Israel retiring, struck all the remains of the city with the sword, from men even to beasts, and all the cities and villages of Benjamin the devouring flame did consume.📜💬📚
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