Judges 20 — Church Fathers

Douay-Rheims

Josue

Chapter 19

Chapter 21

Ruth

Chapter 20

Judges 20:1-11

ISRAEL GATHERS AGAINST GIBEAHTHE BENJAMINITES PREPARE TO FIGHT

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1 Therefore all the children of Israel went forth, and were gathered together, as it were one man, from Dan to Bersabee, and the Land of Galaad, to our Lord in Maspha: 1 note

2 and all the corners of the people, and all the tribes of Israel assembled into the Church of the people of God four hundred thousand footmen warriors. 1 note

3 (Neither were the children of Benjamin ignorant that the children of Israel were come up into Maspha.) And the Levite the husband of the woman that was killed being asked, how so great wickedness had been committed, 1 note

4 answered: I came into Gabaa of Benjamin with my wife, & there I took my lodging: 1 note

5 & behold the men of that city by night beset the house wherein I tarried, meaning to kill me, and vexing my wife with incredible fury of lust, finally she died. 1 note

6 Whom being taken I did cut into pieces, and sent the parts into all the borders of your possession: because never was there so heinous an offence, and so great an abomination done in Israel. 1 note

7 You are all present the children of Israel, determine what you ought to do. 1 note

8 And all the people standing, answered as it were by the word of one man: we will not depart into our tabernacles, neither shall any man enter into his house: 1 note

9 but this will we do in common against Gabaa. 1 note

10 Let ten men be chosen of an hundred out of all the tribes of Israel, and an hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring victuals for the army, and that we may fight against Gabaa of Benjamin, and render to it for the wicked fact, which it deserved. 1 note

11 And all Israel assembled to the city, as it were one man with one mind, and one counsel: 1 note

12 and they sent messengers to all the tribe of Benjamin, which should say: Why is there so great abomination found in you?

13 Deliver the men of Gabaa, that have committed this heinous fact, that they may die, and the evil may be taken away out of Israel. Who would not hear the commandment of their brethren the children of Israel:

14 but out of all cities, which were of their lot, they assembled into Gabaa, to aid them, and to fight against all the people of Israel.

15 And there were found five and twenty thousand of Benjamin of them that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gabaa,

16 which were seven hundred most valiant men, so fighting with the left hand as with the right: and so directly casting stones with slings, that they could strike a hair also, and the stroke of the stone should not be carried awry on either part.

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

18 Who rising came into the house of God, that is, into Silo: and they consulted God, and said: Who shall be in our army General of the battle against the children of Benjamin? To whom our Lord answered: Let Judas be your captain.

Judges 20:19-28

ISRAEL ATTACKS THE BENJAMINITESISRAEL AMBUSHES THE BENJAMINITES

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19 And forthwith the children of Israel arising in the morning camped beside Gabaa: 1 note

20 and thence proceeding to fight against Benjamin, began to assault the city. 1 note

21 And the children of Benjamin issuing out of Gabaa, slew of the children of Israel that day two and twenty thousand men. 1 note

22 Again Israel having confidence in their strength and number, set the army in array in the same place, wherein they had fought before: 1 note

23 yet so that they did first go up and weep before our Lord until night: and consulted him, and said: Shall I proceed any more to fight against the children of Benjamin my brethren, or not? To whom he answered: Go up to them, and enter battle. 1 note

24 And when the children of Israel the next day had proceeded against the children of Benjamin to battle, 1 note

25 the children of Benjamin brake forth out of the gates of Gabaa: and meeting them they raged with so great a slaughter against them, that they overthrew eighteen thousand men that drew sword. 1 note

26 For the which thing all the children of Israel came into the house of God, and sitting wept before our Lord: and they fasted that day until evening, and offered to him holocausts, and pacific victims, 1 note

27 and asked him concerning their state. At that time the ark of the covenant of our Lord was there, 1 note

28 and Phinees the son of Eleazarus the son of Aaron provost of the house. They therefore consulted our Lord, and said: shall we go forth any more to fight against the children of Benjamin our brethren, or rest? To whom our Lord said: Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hands. 1 note

29 And the children of Israel set ambushments round about the city of Gabaa:

30 & the third time, as once & twice, they brought forth their army against Benjamin.

31 But the children of Benjamin also issued forth boldly out of the city, & pursued a long way the adversaries flying, so that they wounded of them, as the first day & the second, & slew them turning their backs by two ways, whereof the one went into Bethel, & the other into Gabaa, and overthrew about thirty men:

32 for they thought to kill them after their accustomed manner. Who feigning artificially as though they fled, took advise to draw them away from the city, & as it were flying to bring them to the paths aforesaid.

33 Therefore all the children of Israel rising out of their seats, set their army in battle array, in the place which is called Baalthamar. The ambushments also, which were about the city, began by little & little to open themselves,

34 & to proceed from the West part of the city. Yea and other ten thousand men of all Israel provoked the inhabitants of the city to skirmishes. And the battle grew sore against the children of Benjamin: & they understood not that on every side destruction hang over them.

35 And our Lord struck them in the sight of the children of Israel, & they slew of them in that day five and twenty thousand, and an hundred men, all warriors and that drew sword.

36 But the children of Benjamin when they saw themselves to be inferior, began to fly. Which the children of Israel seeing, gave them place to fly, that they might come to the ambushments prepared, which they had set near the city.

37 Who when they had suddenly risen out of their dens, and Benjamin turned their backs to the slayers, they entered the city, and struck it in the edge of the sword.

38 And the children of Israel had given a sign to them, whom they had laid in the ambushments, that after they had taken the city, they should kindle a fire: that the smoke ascending on high, they might shew that the city was taken.

39 Which when the children of Israel saw being in the very fight (for the children of Benjamin thought that they fled, and pursued more instantly, having slain thirty men of their army.)

40 and they saw as it were a pillar of smoke to rise up from the city: Benjamin also looking back, when he saw the city taken, and the flames carried on high:

41 they that before had feigned as if they fled, turning their face resisted more manfully. Which when the children of Benjamin had seen, they were turned into flight,

42 and began to go the way of the desert, the adversaries pursuing them thither also. But they also that had fired the city, met them.

43 And so it came to pass, that on both sides they were slain of the enemies, neither was there any rest of men dying. They fell, & were overthrown on the east side of the city of Gabaa.

44 And there were that were slain in the same place, eighteen thousand men all most valiant warriors.

45 Which when they had seen, that were remaining of Benjamin, they fled into the wilderness, and went on to the rock, the name whereof is Remmon. In that flight also straggling, and going diverse ways, they slew five thousand men. And whereas they went farther, they pursued them, and slew also other two thousand.

46 And so it came to pass, that all which were slain of Benjamin in diverse places, were five and twenty thousand fighting men, most prompt to wars.

47 There remained therefore of all the number of Benjamin that could escape, and fly into the wilderness, six hundred men: and they abode in the Rock Remmon four months.

48 But the children of Israel retiring, struck all the remains of the city with the sword, from men even to beasts, and all the cities and villages of Benjamin the devouring flame did consume.

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Judges 20:1-11 1 entry

ISRAEL GATHERS AGAINST GIBEAHTHE BENJAMINITES PREPARE TO FIGHT

THE GUILTY ARE SOUGHT.

St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 333–397)

When he realized that she was dead, he lifted her onto the mule and brought her home; then, dividing her limbs into twelve parts, he sent one to each of the tribes of Israel. In great distress over this, all the people met at Mizpah, and there, learning of the abominable deed from the Levite, desired to go to war, deciding that it was unlawful for anyone to go to his tent until vengeance was taken on the authors of this deed. With courage they rushed into battle, but the advice of wiser men changed their purpose as they decided not to engage the citizens in war but to put the charge to the test first with words and to determine the conditions for the guilty. Nor did it seem fair that the cost of a few men’s crimes should fall on all and that the private sins of young men should make the safety of the citizenry fall. So they sent men to demand that the Gabanites^[1] [Gibeonites] give up those guilty of this crime, and, if they did not do so, let them know that to have defended such a crime was not less than to have committed it.

Letter 33

Judges 20:19-28 1 entry

ISRAEL ATTACKS THE BENJAMINITESISRAEL AMBUSHES THE BENJAMINITES

THE VIOLATION OF CHASTITY AVENGED.

St. Ambrose of Milan (c. 333–397)

When this [what had happened to the concubine] became known, (to be brief) almost all the people of Israel broke out into war. The war remained doubtful with an uncertain issue, but in the third engagement the people of Benjamin were delivered to the people of Israel, and being condemned by the divine judgment [they] paid the penalty for their widely immoral behavior. . . .

And when at first the people of Israel were defeated, yet unmoved by fear at the reverses of the war, they disregarded the sorrow the avenging of chastity cost them. They rushed into the battle ready to wash out with their own blood the stains of the crime that had been committed. DUTIES OF THE CLERGY 3.19.115-16.^[1]

Our ancestors did not think chastity so to be despised; rather, they showed it such reverence that they would wage war on violators of modesty. In fact, so great was their desire for revenge that all the tribe of Benjamin would have been destroyed unless the six hundred who remained out of the war had been protected by a natural hill. This is the expression found in the account of the sacred lesson whose meaning it is profitable to consider. LETTER 33.^[2]

Superior in cause and number they yet fell back defeated in the battle’s outcome, and, feeling that God was offended, they tried with fasting and much weeping to gain a reconciliation of heaven’s favor. Begging the Lord’s peace, they returned more boldly to war, and they to whom prayer had given courage and who had entertained much hope were now able to do what they planned. On a pretext of withdrawing their front lines, setting ambushes at night in the rear of the city, where a segment of the enemy was located, they followed as some retired and thus were provided with an opportunity for invading the unprotected city. Fires were quickly set and flared up while raging flames and waves of heat revealed the sight of the taken city. Their spirits broken, they faced the enemy. The men of Benjamin who thought they were shut in and surrounded, even before they were invaded from the rear, began scattering and fleeing to the desert, while Israel pressed after with doubled force and pursued them as they wandered in rout.

About twenty-five thousand were slain, therefore, that is, almost all the men of Benjamin except six hundred who seized a fortification on a rough cliff and by virtue of its situation and with the help of nature and partly through fear were a terror to their victors. Success advises caution; in adversity, revenge is esteemed rather than victory. Not even a minority of the women stayed clear of that struggle, but all the women of the tribe of Benjamin, along with boys and girls of every age, were wiped out by sword or fire, and an oath was taken that no one would give his daughter to a man of that tribe in marriage, so that all chance of repairing the name was abolished.

Letter 33