the morning, and pitched before Gibeah.

And every man of Israel went out to fight with Benjamin, and sent to fight against Gibeah.

And the children of Benjamin came out of Gibeah, and smote twenty and two thousand of Israel that day.

But the people, the men of Israel, arose, and prepared themselves to fight still more in the same place where they had prepared themselves the day before.

And the children of Israel went up, and wept before the LORD until the even: and they asked the LORD, saying, Shall we come near more to fight with the children of Benjamin our brethren? And the LORD said, Go up unto them.

And it came to pass, when the children of Israel were come unto the children of Benjamin the second day,

And the Benjamites came out of Gibeah against them that day, and smote of the children of Israel eighteen thousand more to the ground, all of them with the sword.

And all the children of Israel went up, and all the people, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and tarried there before the LORD, and fasted all the day until the even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

And the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, There was the ark of the covenant of God there at that time,

And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, Aaron’s son, stood before him at that time, and said, Shall we go forth more to fight with the children of Benjamin our brethren, or shall I desist? And the LORD said, Go up; to morrow I will deliver them into your hand.

And the children of Israel set an ambush upon Gibeah round about.

And the children of Israel went up the third day unto the children of Benjamin, and pitched at Gibeah, as twice before.

And the children of Benjamin came out to meet the people, and tore themselves out of the city, and began to smite and to wound of the people, as they had done twice before, in the field, in two highways, the one to Bethel, and the other to Gibeah, about thirty men of Israel.

And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten before us, as before. But the children of Israel said: Let us flee, that we may pluck them out of the city into the street.

And all the men of Israel arose out of their place, and prepared themselves for Baal-thamar.
And the ambush of Israel sprang up in his place from the cave of Gaba.

And there came to Gibeah ten thousand men chosen out of all Israel, and the battle was sore: but they knew not that evil should befall them.

So the LORD smote Benjamin before the children of Israel, and the children of Israel destroyed that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men in Benjamin, all of them with the sword.

For when the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, the men of Israel gave them place: for they relied upon the ambush which they had set at Gibeah.

And the ambush also hasted, and came forth to Gibeah, and went up, and smote the whole city with the edge of the sword.

And they had a charge together, the men of Israel and the ambush, to fall upon them with the sword, when the smoke was lifted up from the city.

And when the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite, and wounded in Israel about thirty men, and thought that they were smitten before us, as in the former battle,

And there began to rise up a smoke from the city straight above. And Benjamin turned behind him, and, behold, the city ascended up to heaven.

And the men of Israel also turned, and affrighted the men of Benjamin: for they saw that evil was about to befall them;

And they turned before the men of Israel toward the wilderness. And the battle followed them, and they that came in from the cities destroyed them within.

And they compassed Benjamin, and pursued after him unto Menuah, and trampled them before Gibeah, toward the rising of the sun.

And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men, all of them valiant men.

And they turned, and fled to the wilderness, unto the rock Rimmon: and in the same way they slew five thousand men; and they followed them in the rear unto Gideom, and slew two thousand of them.

And there fell that day of Benjamin twenty and five thousand men that wielded the sword, all of them men of valour.

Only six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon: and they dwelt in the rock Rimmon four moons.

And the men of Israel came again unto the children of Benjamin, and smote with the edge of the sword them that were in the city, both men and cattle, and all that was found: and all the cities that were found were burnt with fire.
(Judges)
Chapter 21
How the tribe of Benjamin was rebuilt.

And the men of Israel had sworn at Mizpah, saying, No man shall give his daughter to the Benjamites to wife.

And the people came unto the house of God, and tarried there until the even before God: and they lifted up their voice, and wept greatly.

And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that this day there is less of a tribe of Israel?

And the next morning the people rose up early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

And the children of Israel said: Who is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For there was a great oath made, that whosoever came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh should surely surely die.

And the children of Israel repented them of Benjamin their brethren, and said: This day is a tribe broken off from Israel.

How shall we do unto them, that the rest may have wives? For we have sworn by the LORD, that we will not give them wives of our daughters.

And they said: Who is there of the tribes of Israel that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh?
And, behold, there was none in the camp of the congregation of Jabesh in Gilead.

For they numbered the people, and, behold, there was not a citizen of Jabesh in Gilead.

And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of valiant valour, and commanded them, saying: Go and smite with the edge of the sword the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead, and their wives and children.

But thus shall ye do: All things that are male, and all women that lie with man, banish them.

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead four hundred damsels, virgins, which were not with any man. And they brought them into the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

And all the congregation sent, and spake unto the children of Benjamin that were in the rock Rimmon, and called unto them peaceably.

So the children of Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them the wives which they had received of the women of Jabesh in Gilead: and they found none more so.

And the people repented against Benjamin, because the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

And the elders of the congregation said: What shall we do, that the rest of them may have wives also? For the women of Benjamin are destroyed.

And they said: The remnant of Benjamin must keep their inheritance, lest one tribe be cut off from Israel.

And we cannot give them our daughters to wife: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed be he that giveth a wife to the Benjamites.

And they said, Behold, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is on the north side toward Bethel, toward the rising of the sun, in the way that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem; and on the south side toward Libona.

And they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying: Go and lie in wait in the vineyards.

And it shall come to pass, when ye see the daughters of Shiloh come out with dancing, that ye shall go forth out of the vineyards, and take every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go into the land of Benjamin.

And when their fathers or their brethren come to make terms with us, we will say unto them, Be merciful unto them: for we took them not with strife, but ye would not give them; the iniquity is now yours.

And the children of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number of the flocks which they had spoiled, and went and dwelt in their inheritance, and built cities, and dwelt therein.

And the children of Israel departed from thence at that time, every man to his tribe, and every man to his family, and departed every man to his inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which seemed right unto him.
Text of the unrevised Luther Bible 1545:
DeepL English Translation
[Processed by BackToLuther. German text published here.]
The Book of Ruth ^
Chapter 1
Ruth travels with Naemi to Bethlehem

In the days of the judges there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went into the country of Moab, with his wife and two sons.

And his name was Elimelech, and Naomi his wife, and Mahlon and Chilion his two sons, Ephrathites, of Bethlehemjudah. And when they were come into the land of Moab, they abode there.

And Elimelech Naomi’s husband died, and she was left with her two sons.

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