graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

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The Outrage at Gibeah (Judg. xix.). And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem-judah. And his concubine played the whore against him,' and went away from him unto her father's house to Beth-lehem-judah, and was there four whole months. And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father's house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. And his father in law, the damsel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days so they did eat and drink, and lodged there. And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart and the damsel's father said unto his son in law: "Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way." And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel's father had said unto the man: "Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry." And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again. And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel's father said: "Comfort thine heart, I pray thee." And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them. And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him: "Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to-morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home." But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled; his concubine also was with him.

And when they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master: "Come, I pray thee, and let

1 played... against him. The older Greek version reads: 'became angered with him,' which suits the context better.

us turn in into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it." And his master said unto him: "We will not turn aside hither into the city of a stranger, that is not of the children of Israel; we will pass over to Gibeah." And he said unto his servant : "Come, and let us draw near to one of these places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah." And they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down upon them when they were by Gibeah, which belongeth to Benjamin.

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And they turned aside thither, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah and when he went in, he sat him down in a street of the city for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging. And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of the hill country of Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man, in the street of the city: and the old man said: "Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?" And he said unto him: "We are passing from Beth-lehem-judah unto the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim; from thence am I and I went to Beth-lehem-judah, but I am now going to my home; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing." And the old man said:

"Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street." So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink.

Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial,' beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying: "Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him." And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them: "Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly." But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew

1 Belial, worthlessness,' is not a proper noun in Hebrew. It was not until later times used as a name for Satan.

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her, and abused her all the night until the morning and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, till it was light. And her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way: and behold, the woman' his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. And he said unto her, "Up, and let us be going." But none answered. Then the man took her up upon an ass, and the man rose up, and gat him unto his place. And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coasts of Israel. And he commanded the men whom he sent out: Thus shall ye say to all the men of Israel: "Did ever such a thing happen from the day that the Israelites came up out of Egypt to this day? Consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds." And it was so, that all that saw it said: "There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day."

Punishment of the Benjamites (Judg. xx. 1-8, 14, 19, 29, 31, 36-47; xxi. 15-23). Then all the children of Israel went out unto the Lord in Mizpeh. Then said the children of Israel: "Tell us, how was this wickedness?"

And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said: "I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. And 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. Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give here your advice and counsel."

And all the people arose as one man, saying: "We will not any of us go to his tent, neither will we any of us turn into his house [until we have avenged this deed]."

Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh; but the children of Benjamin

gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel. And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah. And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah. And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; for the men of Israel gave place to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah. And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah. Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city. And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said: "Surely they are smitten down before us." But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven. And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them. Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and they which came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst thereof. Thus they cut the Benjamites to pieces over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months.

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying: "There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife." And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel; for the women had been destroyed out of Benjamin. And they said: "There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin." Then they said: "Behold, there is a feast of the Lord yearly in Shiloh, which is on the north side of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah." Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: "Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance

in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say: Grant them unto them, for ye did not give them unto them; else would ye now be guilty." And the children of Benjamin did so, and took them wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.

Ruth the Moabitess (Ruth i.-iv.). Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

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And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law: "Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband." Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept. And they said unto her: "Surely we will return with thee unto thy people."

And Naomi said: "Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they 1 Ephrathah was perhaps the name for the district of Bethlehem.