The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XX.

[verse 1] And the sones of Yrael wenten out, and to gidre gedreden as o man, fro Dan vnto Bersabee, and fro the loond of Ga|laad [verse 2] to the hows of Maspha; and alle the corneres of puplis, and alle the ly|nages of Yrael camen to gidre into the chirche of the puple of God, foure hun|dryd thowsandis [thousend C passim.] of foot men fiȝters. [verse 3] And it was not vnknowun to the sones of Beniamyn, that the sones of Yrael hadden stied vp into Maspha. And a Leuyte, the housboond of the slayn wom|man, askid, what maner wyse so myche [verse 4] hidows gilt were doon, he answerde, I

cam into Gabaa of Beniamyn with my wijf, and thidre I turnede. [verse 5] And loo! the men of that cytee enuyrounden at nyȝt the hows, in the [Om. C.] which Y dwelte, will|ynge to slee me, and my wijf traueyl|ynge with vntrowable woodnes of lust, and therfor she is deed. [verse 6] The which taken Y hewȝ into gobetis, and I sente partis into alle the teermys of ȝoure pos|sessioun; for neuer so myche felony and so myche [grete BCEFH.] trespas worthi to be punysshid is doon in Irael. [verse 7] Ȝe ben nyȝ to alle the sones of Yrael; demeth, what ȝe owen to doon. [verse 8] And stondynge al the puple as with word of o man answerd, We shulen not goon aȝen into oure tabernaclis, ne [verse 9] eny man shal goo into his hows; but this aȝens Gabaa in comoun we shulen doo. [verse 10] Ten men ben chosun of an hundrid, of alle the lynagis of Yrael, and an hun|drid of a thowsand, and a thousand of ten thowsandis, that thei beren to the oost metis, and we fiȝtynge mowen aȝens Gabaa of Beniamyn ȝeelden to hym for the hidows gilt, that he deserueth. [verse 11] And al Yrael cam to gidre to the citee, as o [oon BEFH.] man, in the same thouȝt and with o [oon E.] counseil. [verse 12] And thei senten messageris to al the linage of Beniamyn, `the whiche [that C.] shulden seye, Whi so myche felonye is foundun in ȝou? [verse 13] Takith the men of Ga|baa, that this trespasse han doo, that thei dyen, and yuel be doo awey fro Yrael. The whiche wolden not here the mawnde|ment of the sones of Yrael, her britheren, [verse 14] but of alle the cytees, that weren of her lot, camen togidre in Gabaa, that to hem thei myȝten bere helpe, and aȝens al the puple of Yrael fiȝten. [verse 15] And there ben founden fyue and twenti thowsandis of Beniamyn, of men drawynge out swerd,

[verse 16] biside the dwellers of Gabaa, that weren seuen hundryd moost myȝti men, so with the lift as with the riȝt fiȝtynge, and so with slyngis stones at certeyn throw|ynge, that an heer forsothe thei myȝten smyte, and in to noon other partie the strook of the stoon shulde be born a weye. [verse 17] Forsothe of the men of Yrael, with outen the sones of Beniamyn, ben foundun foure hundrid thowsandis of men drawynge out the swerd and redi to the [Om. F.] fiȝt. [verse 18] The whiche rysynge camen into the hows of God, that is in Silo; and thei counseyl|den hym, and seiden, Who shal be in oure oost prince of the strijf aȝens Ben|iamyn? To whom the Lord answerde, Judas be he ȝoure duyk. [verse 19] And anoon the sones of Yrael rysynge eerly setten tentis aȝens Gabaa. [verse 20] And thens goynge forth to the fiȝt aȝens Beniamyn, thei bigunnen to fiȝt aȝens the cytee. [verse 21] And the sones of Beniamyn goon out fro [of BH.] Gabaa, slowen of the sones of Irael that day two and twenti thowsandis of men. [verse 22] And eft the sones of Yrael and in strength and in noumbre trustynge, in the same place in which rather thei stryuen, thei dresseden [verse 23] the sheltroun [schetrome E.] ; so neuerthelater that be|fore thei stieden, and wepten before the Lord vnto the nyȝt, and counseilden hym, and seiden, Shal I more goon forth to fiȝten aȝens the sones of Beniamyn, my bretheren, or nay? To whom he an|swerde, Stieth vp to hem, and goth into the strijf. [verse 24] And whanne the sones of Yrael the tother day aȝens Beniamyn to [verse 25] the batayl weren goon, the sones of Ben|iamyn breken out fro the ȝatis of Ga|baa, and aȝen comynge to hem, so mych slauȝter thei mich wexen wood in hem, that eiȝt and twenti thousandis of men

drawynge out swerdis thei threwen doun. [verse 26] For what thing alle the sones of Yrael camen into the hows of God, and sit|tynge thei wepten before the Lord, and thei fastiden that day vnto euen [the euen CE.] ; and thei offreden to him [hem A.] brent sacrifices and [verse 27] pesible sleyn sacrificis, and vpon her staat thei askiden. That tyme was there the arke of the boond of pees of God in [verse 28] Sylo; and Phynees, the sone of Eliazar, sone [the sone E pr. m. F.] of Aaron, was prouost of the hows. `Thanne thei [Thei A pr. m.] counseilden the Lord, and seiden, Shulen we more goon out to the fiȝt aȝens the sones of Beniamyn oure bretheren, othir resten? To whom seith [seyde H.] the Lord, Stieth vp, forsothe to morwe I shal taak hem into ȝoure hoondis. [verse 29] And the sones of Yrael putten busshementis bi the [Om. C.] enuyroun of the cytee of Gabaa; [verse 30] and the thridde sithe as oons and twyes aȝens Beniamyn the oost brouȝte forth. [verse 31] But and the sones of Beniamyn hardili breken out of the cytee, and the aduer|saryes fleynge lenger thei pursueden, so that thei woundiden of hem, as the first day and the secounde, and slowen bi two pathis the turninge backis; of the whiche oon beer into Bethel, and the tothir into Gabaa. And thei threwen doun aboute [verse 32] thretti men; forsothe thei wenden in the wont maner to sleen hem; the whiche feynynge fliȝt at the bigynnynge, wenten in counseil for to drawe hem a wey fro the cytee, and as fleynge to bryngen to the forseide pathis. [verse 33] And so alle the sones of Yrael rysynge fro her seetis tiȝten shil|tron in the place that is clepid Baaltha|mar. Forsothe the busshementis, that [that weren A.] about the cytee weren, `litil melome [a litil and a litil H.] hem [verse 34] seluen bigunnen to opne, and fro the

west parti of the citee to goon forth. But and othere ten thousandis of men of Yrael [al Yrael CE.] dwellers of the cytee terreden to stryues; and the bateil is agreggid aȝens the sones of Beniamyn, and thei vndurstoden not, that on alle sidis to hem stood yn deeth. [verse 35] And the Lord smoot hem in the siȝt of the sones of Yrael, and thei slowen of hem in that day fyue and twenti thowsandis and an hun|drid men, alle fiȝters and drawinge out swerd. [verse 36] Forsothe the sones of Beniamyn, whanne thei hadden seen hem self to be the nethermore, thei bigunne to flee. The which thing biholdynge the sones of Yrael, ȝeuen to hem place to flee, that thei miȝten come to the maad redi busshementis, `the whiche [that C.] bisyde the cytee thei setten. [verse 37] The whiche whanne hadden [thei hadden E pr. m.] ryse sodeynly fro the hidilis, and Beniamyn ȝaf backis to the sleers, thei wenten into the cytee, and smyten it in mouth of swerd. [verse 38] Forsothe the sones of Yrael hadden ȝeuen a tokne to hem that weren sett in busshementis, that after that thei hadden take the cytee, fier thei shulden teend, and the smook stiynge vp into heiȝt, thei shulden shewe the cytee takun. [verse 39] The which thing whanne the sones of Yrael put in that strijf shulden biholde; forsothe the sones of Beniamyn wenden hem to fleen, and more bisily folweden, sleyn of the oost [verse 40] of hem thretti men; and thei seen as a piler of smook fro the citee to stien vp; forsothe Beniamyn biholdynge bihynde, whanne he sawȝ the cytee takun, and the [verse 41] flawmis to be born into heiȝt, the whiche beforehond feyneden fliȝt, turnede the face strongly [strengereli CEFH.] withstoden. The which thing whanne the sones of Beniamyn

hadden seen, thei ben turned in [into C.] fliȝt, [verse 42] and to the weye of deseert thei bigunne to goon; forsothe thider hem aduersaryes pursuynge, but and thes, that setten the toun on fier, aȝen comynge [camen C. comyn E.] to hem. [verse 43] And so it is doon, that on either parti thei ben slayn of enemyes, ne there was eny reste of men dyynge; and thei fellen, and ben throwen down at the eest coost of the cytee of Gabaa. [verse 44] Forsothe there weren, that in the same place ben slayn, eiȝteen thousandis of men, al moost stronge fiȝters. [verse 45] The which thing whanne hadden seen that leften of Beniamyn, thei flowen into wildirnes, and wenten to the stoon, whos name is Remmon. Forsothe in that fliȝt opynli hidir and thider rennynge and into dyuerse placis goynge thei slowen fyue thowsandis of men; and whanne ferther thei wenten, thei pur|sueden hem, and slewen also othere two thowsandis. [verse 46] And so is doo, that alle that fellen of Beniamyn in dyuerse placis, weren fyue and twenti thowsandis, fiȝters at batayls moost redy. [verse 47] And so there laften of al the noumbre of Beniamyn, that myȝten scape [ascapyn EFH.] , and fleen into wilder|nesse, sixe hundred men; and thei setten in the stoon of Remmon foure monethis. [verse 48] Forsothe the sones of Yrael goon out, smyten with swerd al the relif of the cyte, fro man [men C.] vnto beest [bestus C.] ; and alle the citees and lytil touns of Beniamyn de|uowrynge flawm waastide.