* upon Upon this the people were greatly disturb- || having justly † deserved to die for what they ed at what they saw and heard, as never had done. But the inhabitants of Gibeah having had the experience of such a thing would not deliver up the young men, and before. So they gathered themselves to Shi-thought it too reproachful for them, out of fear loh, out of a just anger; and assembling in a of war, to submit to other men's demands great congregation before the tabernacle, they them; vaunting themselves to be no way infeimmediately resolved to take arms, and to rior to any in war; neither in their number, treat the inhabitants of Gibeah as enemies. nor in courage. The rest of their tribe also But the senate restrained them from doing so, made great preparation for war; for they were and persuaded them, that they ought not so so insolently mad also, as to resolve to repel. hastily to make war upon people of the same force by force. nation with them, before they discoursed them by words, concerning the accusation laid against them. It being part of their law, that they should not bring an army against foreigners themselves, when they appear to have been injurious, without sending an ambassage first, and trying thereby whether they will repent or not; and accordingly they exhorted them to do what they ought, in obedience to their laws: that is, to send to the inhabitants of Gibeah, to know whether they would deliver up the.offenders to them: and if they should deliver them up, to rest satisfied with the punishment of those offenders; but if they despised the message that was sent them, to punish them, by taking up arms against them. Accordingly they sent to the inhabitants of Gibeah, and accused the young men of the crimes committed in the affair of the Levite's wife; and required of them those that had done what was contrary to the law, that they might be punished; as fered by a private person, those only who voluntarily took a piece of the sacrifice entered into a strict engage. ment to espouse his interest. Connections of this kind derived their force from the deities in honour of which the sacrifice was offered: from the true God when made by the Jews; from idols when made by the Gentiles. The Jews were content to invoke and take the Lord to witness; whereas the pagans never failed to place upon an altar of green turf the deities which presided over their Covenant. These deities were called common, because they were the common deities of all who were thus united, and received in common the honors which they thought proper to pay them. A direct proof of these facts is recorded in 1 Sam. xi. 7. And Saul took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. Another proof is drawn from the customs observed by the Scythians and Molos$ians, Lucian thus speaks of what passed between these When it was related to the Israelites what the inhabitants of Gibeah had resolved upon, they took an oath that no one of them would give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite: but that they would make war with greater fury against them than their forefathers had made war against the Canaanites. Accordingly they sent out an army of four hundred thousand against them; while the Benjamites' army was twenty-five thousand and six hundred; five hundred of whom were excellent at slinging stones with their left hands. When the battle was joined at Gibeah, the Benjamites beat the Israelites, and of them there fell twenty-two thousand men: and probably more had been destroyed had not the night come on and broken off the fight. So the Benjamites returned to the city with joy; and the Israelites returned to their camp in great affliction at what had happened. On the next day, when they fought again, the Benjamites beat them, and eighteen people upon urgent occasions. "When any one had received an injury, and had not the means of avenging himself, he sacrificed an ox, and cut it into pieces, which he caused to be dressed and publicly exposed; then he spread out the skin of the victim, and sat upon it with his hands tied behind him. All who chose to take part in the injury which had been done took up a piece of the ox, and swore to supply and maintain for him, one, five horses, another ten, others still more; some infantry, each according to his strength and ability. They who had only their person, engaged to march themselves. Now an army composed of such soldiers, far from retreating or disbanding, was invincible, as it was engaged by oath." thousand of the Israelites were slain, and the rest deserted their camp out of fear of a greater slaughter. So they came to Bethel, a city that was near the camp, and † fasted on the next day, and besought God by Phineas, the high-priest, that his wrath against them might cease; and that he would be satisfied with these two defeats, and give them the victory over their enemies. Accordingly God promised them so to do by the prophesying of Phineas. did not join with them in fighting against the Benjamites. Accordingly those that were sent slew the men of war, with their children and wives, excepting four hundred virgins. To such a degree had they proceeded in their anger, because they not only had the suffering of the Levite's wife to avenge, but the slaugh||ter of their own soldiers. that had befallen the Benjamites, but themselves also, by this destruction of their kindred; and persuaded them to take it patiently, and to come and unite with them; and not, so far as in them lay, to give their suffrage to the utter destruction of the tribe of Benjamin; and However, they afterward were sorry for the calamity they had brought upon the Benjamites, and appointed a fast upon that acWhen therefore they had divided the army count; although they supposed those men had into two parts, they laid the one half of them in suffered justly for their offence against the laws. ambush about the city Gibeah by night, while So they recalled by their ambassadors those the other half attacked the Benjamites: these six hundred which had escaped. These had retiring upon the assault, the Benjamites pur-seated themselves on a certain rock called sued them; while the Hebrews retired by Rimmon, which was in the wilderness. So the slow degrees, as desirous to draw them entire-ambassadors lamented not only the disaster ly from the city, and the other followed them as they retired, till both the old and young men that were left in the city, as too weak to fight, came running out together, as willing to bring their enemies under. However, when they were a great way from the city, the Hebrews turned back to fight them, and gave the pre-said to them, "We give you leave to take the concerted signal to those that lay in ambush ; whole land of Benjamin to yourselves; and as who rose up, and with a great noise fell upon much prey as you are able to carry away with the enemy. Now, as soon as they perceived you." So these men with sorrow confessed, themselves to be deceived, they knew not what that what had been done was according to the to do; and when they were driven into a cer- decree of God, and had happened for their own tain hollow place, which was in a valley, they wickedness; and assented to those that invited were shot at by those that encompassed them, them, and came down to their own tribe. The till they were all destroyed, excepting six Israelites also gave them the four hundred virhundred; which formed themselves into a close gins of Jabesh Gilead, for wives. But as to body of men, and forced their passage through the remaining two hundred, they deliberated the midst of their enemies, and fled to the how they might obtain wives for them. And neighboring mountains: but the rest, being whereas they had before the war taken an oath, about twenty-five thousand, were slain. Then that no one would give his daughter to wife did the Israelites burn Gibeah, and slew the to any Benjamite ; some advised them to have women, and the males that were under age; no regard to what they had sworn, because they did the same also to the other cities of the oath had not been taken advisedly and juthe Benjamites. And indeed they were en-diciously, but in a passion; and thought that raged to that degree, that they sent twelve thousand men out of the army, and gave them orders to destroy Jabesh Gilead; because they Josephus seems here to have made a small mistake, when he took the Hebrew word Beth-El, which denotes the house of God, or the tabernacle, Judg. xx. 18, for the proper name of a place, Bethel. It no way appearing that the tabernacle was ever at Bethel. Only so far it is true, that Shiloh, the place of the tabernacle in the days of the Judges, was not far from Bethel. they should do nothing against God, if they were able to save a whole tribe, which was in danger of perishing; and that perjury was See this account in Josephus remarked as one of the most necessary and important emendations his temple copy affords us, different from all our other copies. Liter. Accompl. of Proph. Supplement, pag. 75, 76, 77. Judg. xxi. 14. CHAP. III. THEIR INDOLENCE AND REMISSNESS; THEIR OPPRESSION ; only a sad dangerous thing, not when it is accordingly it flourished, and soon increased committed out of necessity, but with a wicked to be a multitude, and came to enjoy all other intention. But when the senate were affright- degrees of happiness. And such was the coned at the very name of perjury, a certain per- clusion of this war. son told them, that he could shew them a way whereby they might procure wives for the Benjamites, and yet keep their oath. And on their asking what his proposal was? he said, OF THE MISFORTUNES BROUGHT UPON THE ISRAELITES BY "Three times in a year, when we meet in Shiloh, our wives and our daughters accompany us. Let then the Benjamites be allowed to steal away and marry such women as they can catch; while we will neither incite nor forbid them. And when their parents take it ill, and desire us to inflict punishment upon them, we will tell them that they were themselves the cause of what had happened, by neglecting to guard their daughters; and that they ought not to be over angry at the Benjamites, since that anger had been permitted to rise up too high already." So the Israelites were persuaded to follow this advice; and decreed, that the Benjamites should be allowed thus to steal themselves wives. So when the festival was coming on, these two hundred Benjamites lay in ambush before the city, by two or three together; and waited for the coming of the virgins in the vineyards, and other places where they could lie concealed. Accordingly the virgins came along, playing; and suspected nothing of what was coming upon them, and walked after an unguarded manner. So those that lay scattered in the road rose up, and caught hold of them. By this means these Benjamites got them wives, and applied themselves to agriculture, and took good care to recover their former happy state. And thus was this tribe, after they had been in danger of entirely perishing, saved by the wisdom of the Israelites. And * All the three great festivals were to be observed in the place where God settled his habitation, which was now at Shiloh; and therefore some are of opinion that the feast here mentioned was one of these; particularly, they think it was the feast of tabernacles, because this was a season of great joy, for having newly gathered their vintage, and the only season wherein the Jewish virgins were allowed to dance. At this time they dwelt in booths too, behind which the Benjamites (as they fancy) might very conveniently conceal themselves, and so watch an opportunity of carrying away the virgins. But what seems to make against this opinion is, that at any of these public festivals the concourse of people would have been NOW it happened † that the tribe of Dan suffered in the like manner with the tribe of Benjamin, and on the following occasion. When the Israelites had already left off the exercise of their arms of war, and were intent upon their husbandry, the Canaanites despised them, and brought together an army. Not because they expected to suffer from them but because they had a mind to have a sure prospect of treating the Hebrews ill when they pleased: and might thereby for the time to come dwell in their own cities more securely. They prepared therefore their chariots, and gathered their soldiers together. Their cities also combined, and drew over to them Askelon and Ekron, which were within the tribe of Judah, and many more of those that lay in the plain. They also forced the Danites to fly into the mountainous country, and left them not the least portion of the plain country to set their foot on. Since then these Danites were not able to fight them, and had not land enough for their own support; they sent five of their men into the midland country, to see for a land to which they might remove their habitation. So these men went as far as the neighborhood of mount Libanus, and the fountains of the lesser Jordan, at the great plain of Sidon, a day's journey from the city. too great for a design of this nature to be put into execu- And when they had taken a view of the land, and found it to be exceeding fruitful, they acquainted their tribe with it. Whereupon they made an expedition with an army; and built there the city of Dan, of the same name of their own tribe. * The Israelites now grew so indolent, that misfortunes came heavier upon them; which also proceeded in part from their contempt of the divine worship. For when they had once fallen off from the regularity of their political government, they indulged themselves farther in living according to their own will; till they were full of the evil doings that were common among the Canaanites. God therefore was angry with them, and they forfeited, by their luxury, that happy state, which they had obtained by innumerable labors. by innumerable labors. For when Chushan, king of the Assyrians, had made war against them, they lost many of their soldiers in the battle: and when they were besieged, they were taken by force. Nay, there were some who, out of fear, voluntarily submitted to him; and, though the tribute laid upon them was more than they could bear, yet did they pay it; and underwent all sort of oppression † for eight years. After which time they were delivered in the following manner : There was one whose name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, of the tribe of Judah, an active man, and of great courage. He had an admonition from God not to overlook the Israelites in such a distress as they were now in; but to endeavor boldly to regain their liberty. So when he had procured some to assist him in this dangerous undertaking, (and few they were who, either out of shame at their present circumstances, or out of a desire of changing them, could be prevailed on to assist him,) he first of all destroyed that garrison which Chushan had set over them. And when it was perceived that he had not failed in his first attempt, more of the people came to his assistance; so they joined battle with the Assyrians, and drove them entirely before them, and compelled them to pass over the Euphrates. Hereupon Othniel, who had given such proof of his valor, received from the multitude authority to judge the people. And when he had ruled over them & forty years, he died. CHAP. IV. OF THE SUBJUGATION OF THE HEBREWS BY THE MOABITES; AND OF THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM SLAVERY BY EHUD, WHO RETAINED THE DOMINION EIGHTY YEARS. W WH THEN Othniel was dead, the affairs of the Israelites fell again into disorder; and while they never paid to God the honor due to him, nor were obedient to the laws, their afflictions increased; till Eglon || king of the Moabites, taking advantage of the disorders of their political government, made war upon them, and overcame them in several battles, and made the most courageous to submit; and entirely subdued their army, and ordered them to pay him tribute. And when he had built him a royal palace at ¶ Jericho, he omitted no method whereby he might distress them; and indeed he reduced them to poverty for ** eighteen years. But when God had once taken pity on the Israelites, on account of their afflictions, and was moved to compassion by their supplications, he freed them from the hard usage they had met with under the Moabites. And this liberty he procured for them in the following manner: There was a young man of the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Ehud, the son of Gera; a man of very great courage in bold undertakings; and of a very strong body, fit for hard labor, but best skilled in using his left hand, †† in which was his whole strength; and he also dwelt at Jericho. Now this man became familiar with Eglon, and that by means of presents, with which he obtained his favor, and insinuated himself into his good opi or rather in that fine country of palm-trees, upon or near the same spot of ground on which Jericho had formerly stood, and on which it was afterward rebuilt by Hiel, 1 Kings xvi. 34. Our other copies, that avoid its proper name Jericho, and call it the city of palm-trees only, speak here more accurately than Josephus. ** From An. 1401 to 1383. ++ Judg. iii. 15. The nion, whereby he was also beloved of those || were put to flight, and ran away towards the that were about the king. Now when, on a country of Moab, in order to save themselves. time, he was bringing presents to the king, Their number was above ten thousand. and had two servants with him, he put a dag- Israelites seized upon the ford of Jordan, and ger on his right thigh secretly, and went in pursued them, and slew them; and many they to him. It was then summer time, and the killed at the ford; nor did one of them escape middle of the day, when the guards were not out of their hands. And by this means it strictly on their watch: both because of the was that the Hebrews freed themselves from heat, and because they were gone to dinner. slavery under the Moabites. Ehud also was So the young man, when he had offered his on this account dignified with the government presents to the king, who then resided in a over all the multitude, and died after he had small parlour, that stood conveniently to avoid held the government † eighty years. He was the heat, fell into discourse with him: for a man worthy of commendation, even besides they were now alone, the king having bid his what he deserved for the aforementioned act attendants leave him, because he had a mind of his. After him Shamgar, the son of Anath, to talk with Ehud. He was now sitting on was elected for their governor; but died in his throne; and fear seized upon Ehud, lest the first year of his government. he should miss his stroke, and not give him a deadly wound. So he raised himself up, and said, he had a dream to impart to him, by the CHAP. V. DURING TWENTY YEARS; AND THEIR EMANCIPATION BY command of God. Upon this, the king leap- oF THE OPPRESSION OF THE HEBREWS BY THE CANAANITES ed out of his throne for joy of the dream; so Ehud smote him to the heart; and leaving his dagger in his body, he went out, and shut the door after him. Now the king's servants ND now it that the Israelites were very still, as supposing that the king had A taking no warning by their former lites composed himself to sleep. * Hereupon Ehud informed the people of Jericho privately what he had done; and exhorted them to recover their liberty. They heard him gladly, and went to their armis, and sent messengers all over the country, that should sound trumpets of rams' horns; for it was the custom to call the people together by them. Now the attendants of Eglon were ignorant of what misfortune had befallen him for a great while. But towards evening, fearing some uncommon accident had happened, they entered into his parlour; and when they found him dead, they were in great disorder, and knew not what to do. And before the guards could be got together, the multitude of the Israelites came upon them, so that some of them were slain immediately, and some Judg. iii. 27. + These 80 years for the government of Ehud are necessary to Josephus's usual large numbers, between the Exodus, and the building of the temple, of 592 or 612 years; but not to the smallest number of 450 years, 1 Kings vi. 1. which lesser number Josephus seems sometimes to have followed. And since in the beginning of the next chapter it is said by Josephus, that there was fortunes to amend their manners, aud neither worshipping God, nor submitting to the laws, were brought under slavery again by Jabin, king of the Canaanites; and that before they had a short breathing-time after the slavery under the Moabites. For this Jabin came out of Hazor, a city that was situate over the lake Semechonitis; and had in pay three hundred thousand armed footmen, and ten thousand horsemen; with no fewer than three thousand chariots. Sisera was the commander of all this army, and was the principal person in the king's favor. He so sorely beat the Israelites when they fought with him, that he compelled them to pay tribute. So they continued to undergo that hardship for twenty years, as not good enough of themselves to grow wise by their misfortunes. God hardly a breathing for the Israelites before Jabin came Judg. iii. 31. was |