Iudicum 20
1 Egressi itaque sunt omnes filii Israel, et pariter congregati, quasi vir unus, de Dan, usque Bersabee, et Terra Galaad ad Dominum in Maspha:
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was assembled as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, to the LORD at Mizpah.
2 Omnesque anguli populorum, et cunctæ tribus Israel in ecclesiam populi Dei convenerunt quadringenta millia peditum pugnatorum.
The chiefs 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 who drew sword.
3 (Nec latuit filios Beniamin quod ascendissent filii Israel in Maspha.) Interrogatusque Levita, maritus mulieris interfectæ, quomodo tantum scelus perpetratum esset,
(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel had gone up to Mizpah.) The children of Israel said, “Tell us, how did this wickedness happen?”
4 respondit: Veni in Gabaa Beniamin cum uxore mea, illucque diverti:
The Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered, “I came into Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night.
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.
The men of Gibeah rose against me, and surrounded the house by night. They intended to kill me and they raped my concubine, and she is dead.
6 Quam arreptam, in frustra concidi, misique partes in omnes terminos possessionis vestræ: quia numquam tantum nefas, et tam grande piaculum factum est in Israel.
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.
7 Adestis omnes filii Israel, decernite quid facere debeatis.
Behold, you children of Israel, all of you, give here your advice and counsel.”
8 Stansque omnis populus, quasi unius hominis sermone respondit: Non recedemus in tabernacula nostra, nec suam quisquam intrabit domum:
All the people arose as one man, saying, “None of us will go to his tent, neither will any of us turn to his house.
9 sed hoc contra Gabaa in commune faciamus.
But now this is the thing which we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against it by lot;
10 Decem viri eligantur e centum ex omnibus tribubus Israel, et centum de mille, et mille de decem millibus, ut comportent exercitui cibaria, et possimus pugnare contra Gabaa Beniamin, et reddere ei pro scelere, quod meretur.
and we will take ten men of one hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand to get food for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that the men of Gibeah have done in Israel.”
11 Convenitque universus Israel ad civitatem, quasi homo unus eadem mente, unoque consilio.
So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.
12 Et miserunt nuncios ad omnem tribum Beniamin, qui dicerent: Cur tantum nefas in vobis repertum est?
The tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What wickedness is this that has happened amongst you?
13 Tradite homines de Gabaa, qui hoc flagitium perpetrarunt, ut moriantur, et auferatur malum de Israel. Qui noluerunt fratrum suorum filiorum Israel audire mandatum:
Now therefore deliver up the men, the wicked fellows who are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel.” But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the children of Israel.
14 sed ex cunctis urbibus, quæ sortis suæ erant, convenerunt in Gabaa, ut illis ferrent auxilium, et contra universum populum Israel dimicarent.
The children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.
15 Inventique sunt viginti quinque millia de Beniamin educentium gladium, præter habitatores Gabaa,
The children of Benjamin were counted on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew the sword, in addition to the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred chosen men.
16 qui septingenti erant viri fortissimi, ita sinistra ut dextra prœliantes: et sic fundis lapides ad certum iacientes, ut capillum quoque possent percutere, et nequaquam in alteram partem ictus lapidis deferretur.
Amongst all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
17 Virorum quoque Israel, absque filiis Beniamin, inventa sunt quadringenta millia educentium gladium, et paratorum ad pugnam.
The men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were counted four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war.
18 Qui surgentes venerunt in domum Dei, hoc est, in Silo: consulueruntque Deum, atque dixerunt: Quis erit in exercitu nostro princeps certaminis contra filios Beniamin? Quibus respondit Dominus: Iudas sit dux vester.
The children of Israel arose, went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. They asked, “Who shall go up for us first to battle against the children of Benjamin?” The LORD said, “Judah first.”
19 Statimque filii Israel surgentes mane, castrametati sunt iuxta Gabaa:
The children of Israel rose up in the morning and encamped against Gibeah.
20 et inde procedentes ad pugnam contra Beniamin, urbem oppugnare cœperunt.
The men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel set the battle in array against them at Gibeah.
21 Egressique filii Beniamin de Gabaa, occiderunt de filiis Israel die illo viginti duo millia virorum.
The children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and on that day destroyed twenty-two thousand of the Israelite men down to the ground.
22 Rursum filii Israel et fortitudine et numero confidentes, in eodem loco, in quo prius certaverant, aciem direxerunt:
The people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves, and set the battle again in array in the place where they set themselves in array the first day.
23 ita tamen ut prius ascenderent et flerent coram Domino usque ad noctem: consulerentque eum, et dicerent: Debeo ultra procedere ad dimicandum contra filios Beniamin fratres meos, an non? Quibus ille respondit: Ascendite ad eos, et inite certamen.
The children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until evening; and they asked of the LORD, saying, “Shall I again draw near to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother?” The LORD said, “Go up against him.”
24 Cumque filii Israel altera die contra filios Beniamin ad prœlium processissent,
The children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day.
25 eruperunt filii Beniamin de portis Gabaa: et occurrentes eis tanta in illos cæde bacchati sunt, ut decem et octo millia virorum educentium gladium prosternerent.
Benjamin went out 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 Quam ob rem omnes filii Israel venerunt in domum Dei, et sedentes flebant coram Domino: ieiunaveruntque die illo usque ad vesperam, et obtulerunt ei holocausta, atque pacificas victimas,
Then all the children of Israel and all the people went up, and came to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until evening; then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27 et super statu suo interrogaverunt. Eo tempore ibi erat arca fœderis Dei,
The children of Israel asked the LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 et Phinees filius Eleazari filii Aaron præpositus domus. Consuluerunt igitur Dominum, atque dixerunt: Exire ultra debemus ad pugnam contra filios Beniamin fratres nostros, an quiescere? Quibus ait Dominus: Ascendite, cras enim tradam eos in manus vestras.
and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” The LORD said, “Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand.”
29 Posueruntque filii Israel insidias per circuitum urbis Gabaa:
Israel set ambushes all around Gibeah.
30 et tertia vice, sicut semel et bis, contra Beniamin exercitum produxerunt.
The children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and set themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
31 Sed et filii Beniamin 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:
The children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to strike and kill of the people as at other times, in the highways, of which one goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
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.
The children of Benjamin said, “They are struck down before us, as at the first.” But the children of Israel said, “Let’s flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.”
33 Omnes itaque filii Israel surgentes de sedibus suis, tetenderunt aciem in loco, qui vocatur Baalthamar. Insidiæ quoque, quæ circa urbem erant, paulatim se aperire cœperunt,
All the men of Israel rose up out of their place and set themselves in array at Baal Tamar. Then the ambushers of Israel broke out of their place, even out of Maareh Geba.
34 et ab Occidentali urbis parte procedere. Sed et alia decem millia virorum de universo Israel, habitatores urbis ad certamina provocabant. Ingravatumque est bellum contra filios Beniamin: et non intellexerunt quod ex omni parte illis instaret interitus.
Ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel came over against Gibeah, and the battle was severe; but they didn’t know that disaster was close to them.
35 Percussitque eos Dominus in conspectu filiorum Israel, et interfecerunt ex eis in illo die viginti quinque millia, et centum viros, omnes bellatores et educentes gladium.
The LORD struck Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of Benjamin that day twenty-five thousand and one hundred men. All these drew the sword.
36 Filii autem Beniamin cum se inferiores esse vidissent, cœperunt fugere. Quod cernentes filii Israel, dederunt eis ad fugiendum locum, ut ad præparatas insidias devenirent, quas iuxta urbem posuerant.
So the children of Benjamin saw that they were struck, for the men of Israel yielded to Benjamin because they trusted the ambushers whom they had set against Gibeah.
37 Qui cum repente de latibulis surrexissent, et Beniamin terga cædentibus daret, ingressi sunt civitatem, et percusserunt eam in ore gladii.
The ambushers hurried, and rushed on Gibeah; then the ambushers spread out, and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.
38 Signum autem dederant filii Israel his, quos in insidiis collocaverant, ut postquam urbem cepissent, ignem accenderent: ut ascendente in altum fumo, captam urbem demonstrarent.
Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambushers was that they should make a great cloud of smoke rise up out of the city.
39 Quod cum cernerent filii Israel in ipso certamine positi (putaverunt enim filii Beniamin eos fugere, et instantius persequebantur, cæsis de exercitu eorum triginta viris)
The men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons; for they said, “Surely they are struck down before us, as in the first battle.”
40 et viderent quasi columnam fumi de civitate conscendere. Beniamin quoque aspiciens retro, cum captam cerneret civitatem, et flammas in sublime ferri:
But when the cloud began to arise up out of the city in a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them; and behold, the whole city went up in smoke to the sky.
41 qui prius simulaverant fugam, versa facie fortius resistebant. Quod cum vidissent filii Beniamin, in fugam versi sunt,
The men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed; for they saw that disaster had come on them.
42 et ad viam deserti ire cœperunt, illuc quoque eos adversariis persequentibus. Sed et hi, qui urbem succenderant, occurrerunt eis.
Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle followed hard after them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the middle of it.
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.
They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them, and trod them down at their resting place, as far as near Gibeah towards the sunrise.
44 Fuerunt autem qui in eodem loco interfecti sunt, decem et octo millia virorum, omnes robustissimi pugnatores.
Eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all these were men of valour.
45 Quod cum vidissent, qui remanserant de Beniamin, fugerunt in solitudinem: et pergebant ad Petram, cuius 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.
They turned and fled towards the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. They gleaned five thousand men of them in the highways, and followed hard after them to Gidom, and struck two thousand men of them.
46 Et sic factum est, ut omnes qui ceciderant de Beniamin in diversis locis essent viginti quinque millia, pugnatores ad bella promptissimi.
So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword. All these were men of valour.
47 Remanserunt itaque de omni numero Beniamin, qui evadere, et fugere in solitudinem potuerunt, sexcenti viri: sederuntque in Petra Remmon mensibus quattuor.
But six hundred men turned and fled towards the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and stayed in the rock of Rimmon four months.
48 Regressi autem filii Israel, omnes reliquias civitatis a viris usque ad iumenta gladio percusserunt, cunctasque urbes et viculos Beniamin vorax flamma consumpsit.
The men of Israel turned again on the children of Benjamin, and struck them with the edge of the sword—including the entire city, the livestock, and all that they found. Moreover they set all the cities which they found on fire.
