The Judges & Ruth

And I took her and cut her in pieces, and sent the parts into all the borders of your possession: because there never was so heinous a crime, and so great an abomination committed in Israel.

You are all here, O children of Israel, determine what you ought to do.

And all the people standing, answered as by the voice of one man: We will not return to our tents, neither shall any one of us go into his own house:

But this we will do in common against Gabaa:

We will take ten men of a hundred out of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred out of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to bring victuals for the army, that we may fight against Gabaa of Benjamin, and render to it for its wickedness, what it deserveth.

And all Israel were gathered together against the city, as one man, with one mind, and one counsel:

And they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin, to say to them: Why hath so great an abomination been found among you?

Deliver up the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous crime, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. But they would not hearken to the proposition of their brethren the children of Israel:

But out of all the cities which were of their lot, they gathered themselves together into Gabaa, to aid them, and to fight against the whole people of Israel.

And there were found of Benjamin five and twenty thousand men that drew the sword, besides the inhabitants of Gabaa,

Who were seven hundred most valiant men, fighting with the left hand as well as with the right: and slinging stones so sure that they could hit even a hair, and not miss by the stone's going on either side.

Of the men of Israel also, beside the children of Benjamin, were found four hundred thousand that drew swords and were prepared to fight.

And they arose and came to the house of God, that is, to Silo: and they consulted God, and said: Who shall be in our army the first to go to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the Lord answered them: Let Juda be your leader.

And forthwith the children of Israel rising in the morning, camped by Gabaa:

And going out from thence to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city.

And the children of Benjamin coming out of Gabaa slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men.

Again Israel, trusting in their strength and their number, set their army in array in the same place, where they had fought before:

Yet so that they first went up and wept before the Lord until night: and consulted him and said: Shall I go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren or not? And he answered them: Go up against them, and join battle.

And when the children of Israel went out the next day to fight against the children of Benjamin,

The children of Benjamin sallied forth out of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them, made so great a slaughter of them, as to kill eighteen thousand men that drew the sword.

Wherefore all the children of Israel came to the house of God, and sat and wept before the Lord: and they fasted that day till the evening, and offered to him holocausts, and victims of peace offerings,

And inquired of him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of the Lord was there,

And Phinees, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was over the house. So they consulted the Lord, and said: Shall we go out any more to fight against the children of Benjamin, our brethren, or shall we cease? And the Lord said to them: Go up, for to morrow I will deliver them into your hands.

And the children of Israel set ambushes round about the city of Gabaa:

And they drew up their army against Benjamin the third time, as they had done the first and second.