Judges - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 274
The History of the People of Israel
preached the Benjaminites on the second day, and Benjamin came out to meet them, from Gibeah, and they destroyed of the Children of Israel on the field eighteen thousand men, all of whom were trained soldiers. So all the Israelites therefore went
up, and all the army came to Bethel, and they wept and sat there before
27 the Evzmz-uv1Ne. The Children of Israel also enquired of the EvER— Lxv1NG, and placed the Ark of the
28 Covenant of GOD at their right hand, and Phinehas, a descendant of Aliazer- ben-Aaron stood, before it on the right Continue still to go to war with the Benjaminites your countrymen, until defeated. The EVER-LIVING also says, ‘G0 up! for to-morrow I will give them into your power} But Israel must place ambushes around Gibeahf So the Children of Israel advanced
against the Benjaminites for the third time, and they approached to Gibeah step by step, and the Benjaminites came out to meet the force, which drew off from the town, and waited for the attack from the victorious army step by step to the highway which leads to the ascent of Bethel, and adjoins to the field of Gibeah, losing about thirty men of Israel.
We are driving them before us as formerlyf We will retreat and draw them from the
33 town to_ the highway, then let all the 34 35 army of Israel arise from their place, and advance from Bal·'1`hamar, and the ambush of Israel, placed at the locality of the hill—moorland, must advance from the south to Gibeah with twelve thousand men, the bravest of all Israel, and fight boldly and they will not know that the stroke of their crime is upon them} So the EvE1z·1.1v1NG discomfnted the
Benjaminites before Israel, and the Israelites disabled on that day twenty- iive thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all disciplined soldiers, for 36 the Benjaminites fancied that they retreated, and that the Israelites gave way to the Benjaminites; but those relied upon the ambush which they had placed on the hill, for the ambus- cade kept quiet and lay down upon the hill until they rushed and attacked the whole town with the sword; and it had been arranged with the men of Israel by the Commander of Israel, if the ambush succeeded, to send up a cloud of smoke from the town. Con- sequently the Israelites retreated to the camp, and the Benjaminites, who were encouraged to the attack, wounded about thirty of the Israelites, they certainly Hy beforeus, as in the former battles,' so they continued their retreat until the ascent from the town of the pillar of smoke. Then Benjamin faced round, and saw it ascending to the sky from all the town. The Com- mander of Israel also turned front, and the Benjaminites were terrified, 37 39 for they saw the punishment of their crime was upon them, and turned 42 from the face of the Israelites to the way of the desert, and were defeated in the battle, and those who were in the town were destroyed in the midst of it. But the Benjaminites turned their 43 flight from the level way to the refuge of the hills on the west, and there fell 44 of Benjamin eighteen thousand men, all of them brave fellows. Thence 45 they turned and fled towards the desert, to the cliffs of Rimon, and five thousand men went up to the cliffs. But they were followed to Gidim, and two thousand of them slain. Thus all of Benjamin who 46 fell on that day were twenty·iive thousand men, disciplined soldiers, all of them strong men. But there 47 turned and fled to the desert, to the cliff of Rimon, six hundred men, and they held the cliff of Rimon four months. Then the Israelites turned upon 48 the Benjaminites and they struck with the sword thoroughly from man to beast, and every town they captured they set on fire. _ Then all Israel swore in Mitzphah 21 his daughter as a wife to Benjamin. Afterwards all the people came to 2 Bethel, and sat there before the EVER- L1v1NG until the evening, and lifted up their voice and wept a great weeping, 274
