o Ge. 18.4.

Jno. 13.514. 1Ti.5.10.

22 Now as they were making their hearts p merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons q of Belial, beset r the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, p ver.6,9. the old man, saying, Bring forth s the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

23 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.t

ch. 16.25.

q De. 13. 13. 2 Sa.23.6,7.

r ch.20.5. Ge. 19.4,&c.

Hos.9.9.

10.9.

s Ro.1.26,27.

t2Sa.13.12.

24 Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble uu Ge.34.2. ye them, and do with them what De.21.14. seemeth good unto you: but unto 11 the matter

this man do not 11 so vile a thing. 25 But the men would not hearken to him so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

26 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. 27 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.

28 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.

29 And when he was come into his house, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided v her, together with her bones, into twelve pieces, and sent her into all the coast of Israel. 30 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: consider w of it, take advice, z and speak your minds.

CHAPTER XX. The war between the Benjamites and the Israelites.

THEN a all the children of Is

of this folly

v ch.20.5,7. ISa, 11.7. w ch.20.7. x Pr.11.14 24.6.

(CHAP. 20.)

a ver.11.

ch.21.5.
Jos.22.12.
1Sa.11.7.

b 1Sa.3.20.

25a.3.10.
24.2.

c ch.11.11.

1Sam.7.5. 10.17.

d ch.8.10.

e ch.19.22-27. the man the Levite. fch. 19.15,&c. 2 humbled.

g

ch. 19.29. h Jos.7.15.

i ch. 19.30.

3 fellows. De. 13. 14.

Jos.22.13,

&c.

rael went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from b Dan even to Beer-1 ch.19.22. sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the LORD in Mizpeh.c

2 And the chief of all the people,

m De. 17.12.

The Levite's complaint.

even of all the tribes of Israel, preseuted themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that d drew sword.

3 (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell us, how was this e wickedness?

4 And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came f into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge.

5 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 2 forced, that she is dead.

cut her in pieces, and sent her 6 And g I took my concubine, and throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly h in Israel.

7 Behold, ye are all children of Israel; give i here your advice and counsel.

8 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.

9 But now this shall be the thing which we will do to Gibeah, we will go up by lot against it;

10 And we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch victual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, according to all the folly that they have wrought in Israel.

11 So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, 3 knit together as one man.

12 T And the tribes of Israel sent k men through all the tribe of Benjamin, saying, What wickedness is 13 Now therefore deliver us the this that is done among you? men, the children of Belial, which are in Gibeah,that we may put them to death, and put away m evil from Israel. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Israel:

14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the cities unto Gibeah, to go out to battle against the children of Israel.

15 And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand

Israel warreth

n ch.3.15.

1Ch.12.2.

o ver.23,26. Joel.1.14.

17 And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four pch.1.1. hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.

Nu.27.21.

18 And the children of Israel q Ge.49.27. arose, and went o up to the house Hos. 10.9. of God, and asked p counsel of God," and said, Which of us shall go up r ver.26.27. first to the battle against the children of Benjamin? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up first.

19 And the children of Israel rose up in the morning, and encamped against Gibeah.

20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah.

21 And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed q down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men.

22 And the people, the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day.

23 (And r the children of Israel

Ps.78.34. Hos.5.15.

s ver.21.

t ver. 18,23. u Joel.2.1218.

v Jos. 18.1. 1Sa.4.3,4. w Nu.25.7

13. Jos.24.33.

x Deut. 10.8.

18.5.

z Jos.8.4. 2Sa.5.23.

with Benjamin.

the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for y to morrowi will deliver them into thine hand. 29 And Israel set liers z in wait round about Gibeah.

30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benja min on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.

31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, 4 and kill, as at other times, in the high-ways, of which one goeth up to 5 the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

32 And the children of Benjamin said, 'They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city unto the high-ways.

33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar:

and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.

34 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but a they knew not that evil was near them.

35 And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of

that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.

wounded.

5 or, Beth-el.

a Jos.8.14. Ec.9.12. Is.47.11. 1Th.5.3.

25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed s down to the ground! of the children of Israel again eigh-b teen thousand men; all these drew the sword.

6

Jos.8.15,&c.

or, made a long sound with the trumpets, Jos.6.5.

26 T Then t all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, u and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day untilor, time. even,and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for v the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

28 And Phinehas, w the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood r before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against

8 with.

9 elevation. 10 the wounded.

36 So the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten: for the men of Israel gave place b to the Benjamites, because they trusted unto the liers in wait which they had set beside Gibeah.

37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait 6 drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

38 Now there was an appointed 7 sign between the men of Israel 8 and the liers in wait, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city. 39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite 10 and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.

40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of c smoke, the Benjamites look

Benjamites destroyed.

ed behind them, and behold, the B. C. 1406. 11 flame of the city ascended up to heaven.

11 whole con

sumption.

d Is.13.8.

33.14.

e Lam. 1.3.

41 And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed:d for they saw that evil 12 was come upon them. 42 Therefore they turned their 12 touched. backs before the men of Israel unto) the way of the wilderness; but the battle e overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. 43 Thus they enclosed the Benjanites round about, and chased them, and trode them down 13 with ease 14 over against Gibeah toward the sun-rising.

13 or, from Menuchah.

14 unto over against.

f Jos. 15.02. ICh.6.77. Zec. 14.10.

44 And there fell of Benjamin eigh-g ch.21.13. teen thousand men; all these were 15 was men of valour.

45 And they turned, and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock off Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the high-ways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five! thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valour. 47 But g six hundred men turned d Ge.27.38. and fled to the wilderness unto. the rock Rimmon, and abode in the e 253.24.25. rock Rimmon four months.

ISa. 0.4.

4 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early,m ver.6. ande built there an altar, and of-n 1Ch. 13.11. fered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

5 And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the Congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to

15.13. Is.30.13. 58.12.

o ver. 1.

from year to year.

6 And the children of Israel ƒ repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said. There is one tribe cut oil from Israel this day.

7 How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

8 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead g to the assembly.

9 For the people were numbered, and, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there. 10 And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Goh and smite the inedge of the sword, with the women habitants of Jabesh-gilead with the and the children.

11 And this is the thing that ye shall do, Ye i shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that 1 hath lain by man.

12 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young 2 virgins that had known no man by lying with any male; and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, k which is in the land of Canaan.

13 And the whole congregation sent some 3 to speak to the children of Benjamin that I were in the rock Rimmon, and to 4 call peaceably unto them.

14 And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead: and yet so they sufficed them not.

15 And the people repented m them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach n in the tribes of Israel.

gregation said, How shall we do

16 T Then the elders of the con

for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

17 And they said. There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel.

18 Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for o the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to Benjamin.

19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the LORD in Shiloh 5 yearly, in a place which is on the

Orpah leaveth Naomi.

14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruthi clave i unto her.

15 And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: k return / thou after thy sister-in-law. 16 And Ruth said, 6 Entreat me not to leave m thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thon goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy n people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the o LORD do so to me, and more also, if aught but p death part thee and

me.

18 When q she saw that she 7 was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19 So they two went until they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Beth-lehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this r Naomi ?

20 And she said unto them, Call me not 8 Naomi, call me 9 Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

RUTH, II.
B. C. 1322.

Pr. 17. 17.

k Ju.11.24.

Jos.24.15.

6 Be not

against me.

m 2K1.2.2.6. Lu.24.28,

29.

n ch.2.11, 12. o 1Sa.3.17. p Ac.20.24. 9 Ac.21.14. strengthened herself.

r Is.23.7. Lam.2.15.

8 that is,
pleasant.

9 that is,
bitter.
s Job 1.21.

(CHAP. 2.)
a ch.3.2,12.
1 called

Booz,
Mat. 1.5.

b Lev. 19.9.
De.24.19.

2 happened. e Ps. 129.7,8. Luke 1.28. 2Th.3.16.

21 I went out full, and the LORD S hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me. 22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth d 1Ti.6.2. the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley-harvest.

CHAPTER II

e Cant. 1.7,8. f Ge.20.6.

Pr.6.29.

Ruth gleaneth in the fields of Boaz. g 1Sa.25.23.

Ruth in the field of Boaz. that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?

6 And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:

7 And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.

8 Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither e go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:

9 Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them have I not charged the young men that they shall not touchf thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.

10 Then she fell g on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed meh all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

12 The LORD recompense i thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou k art come to trust.

13 Then she said, 3 Let me find m

her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elime-i lech; and his name was 1 Boaz.

Sa.24.19.

Pr.11.18.

thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken 4 friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

14 And Boaz said unto her, At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left.n

15 And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and 5 reproach o her not.

16 And let fall also some of the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not.