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armies of the enemy were destroyed, and about thirty-one of their kings were killed. But he said that the cities still remaining would require a long 1.65 siege because of their fortifications, and he thought it right to now release to their own homes those from beyond the Jordan who had marched out with them. And having summoned those from the two and a half tribes, being fifty thousand men, he permitted them to depart to their own allotted lands. And having crossed the Jordan, they set up an altar on the bank. which created a disturbance among the multitude of the Israelites. Therefore they send to them ten of the honored men and Phinehas, accusing them concerning the altar. But they said they had not erected the altar for innovation, but as a testimony to those who come after of their kinship with you; for they know one God, the one common to all the Hebrews. When they said these things, Phinehas and those with him returned to Joshua. And Joshua, having allotted the lands to the multitude, dwelt in Shechem. And having become very old and being now about to die, he made an exhortation to the multitude, and he died, having lived one hundred and ten years, of which he spent forty with Moses, and after his death, leading for twenty-five. And the high priest Eleazar also died, leaving the high priesthood to his son Phinehas. And after these things, the Canaanites, hoping to overcome the race of the Hebrews now that Joshua was dead, marched against them, entrusting the command to king Adonibezek. and the name means Lord of Bezek; for adoni in Hebrew means lord. And the two tribes, that of Judah and that of Simeon, having engaged the Canaanites in battle, put them to flight and capture Adonibezek and mutilate him. And they took many cities and the lower city of Jerusalem, and they killed the inhabitants; but the siege of the upper 1.66 city was difficult, both by the nature of the place and by the strength of the walls. And having also taken Hebron, they killed them all, and they gave it to Caleb as an inheritance, as Moses had commanded. And to the descendants of Jethro, being relatives of Moses, they allotted land, because having left their homeland, they had followed the people of the Hebrews in the desert. And the tribes of Judah and Simeon, having prospered greatly, laid down their arms. And while besieging Bethel, the tribe of Ephraim accomplished nothing. But having captured one of the men of the city, they gave him assurances that if he delivered up his country, they would save both him and his kinsmen. And so he who betrayed it is saved with his household, and they, having killed the inhabitants, held the city. But the Benjamites, the city of Jerusalem having fallen to them by lot, imposed tribute on the inhabitants, having allowed them to live contrary to the divine commands. And the other tribes also did likewise. And now that the people of Israel were prospering, luxury corrupted them, and they transgressed the divine laws and were disinclined to labor, and the aristocracy ceased, and the council of elders was not appointed. From which a terrible sedition came upon them from such a cause. A Levite man, bringing his wife who was from Bethlehem, was going home. and it being now evening, he is received as a guest by a certain old man in Gibeah, a city of the tribe of Benjamin. But certain young men of Gibeah, having seen the woman, came demanding her; and when the old man would not give her up, they threatened to kill him. But he offered his own daughter to them, so that those who were his guests 1.67 might not suffer any violence. But they seized the woman and departed, and through the whole night having had their fill of her, they released her at the beginning of the day. But she, being overcome by the nighttime hardship and by the shame before her husband and by the grief, expired. And her husband, cutting the dead woman into twelve pieces, sent a piece to each tribe, both teaching them the outrage and who were responsible for the disaster. Therefore they send to Gibeah, demanding the lawless men; but they did not give them up. And the tribes marched against them, and having engaged in battle twice, the Israelites are defeated. Then through Phinehas the high priest they beseech God, and so engaging the Benjamites in battle, they prevailed so that all except

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ἐναντίων διεφθάρησαν στρατιαί, καὶ ὡς τριάκοντα πρὸς ἑνὶ βασιλεῖ αὐτῶν ἀπεκτάνθησαν. τὰς δὲ περιλειφθείσας ετι πόλεις πολυχρονίου δεῖσθαι 1.65 πολιορκίας δι' ὀχυρότητα ελεγε, καὶ ἠξίου τοὺς ἐκ τῆς περαίας τοῦ ̓Ιορδάνου συνεξορμήσαντας αὐτοῖς ἀπολύειν ηδη πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα. καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἐκ τῶν δύο φυλῶν καὶ τῆς ἡμισείας, πεντακισμυρίους οντας, πρὸς τὰς κληρουχίας αὐτῶν ἐπέτρεπεν ἀπελθεῖν. οἱ δὲ διαβάντες τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην βωμὸν ἐπὶ τῇ οχθῃ ἱδρύονται. ο θόρυβον καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν ἐνεποίησε. πέμπουσιν ουν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς δέκα τῶν ἐντίμων καὶ Φινεές, αἰτιώμενοι περὶ τοῦ βωμοῦ. οἱ δὲ μὴ κατὰ νεωτερισμὸν ἀναστῆσαι τὸν βωμὸν ελεγον, εἰς δὲ τεκμήριον τοῖς ἑξῆς τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς οἰκειότητος· ενα γὰρ θεὸν γινώσκειν τὸν σύμπασι τοῖς ̔Εβραίοις κοινόν. ταῦτα εἰπόντων Φινεὲς καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν ̓Ιησοῦν ὑπενόστησαν. ̓Ιησοῦς δὲ κληροδοτήσας τῷ πλήθει τὰς χώρας ἐν Σικίμοις διῆγεν. ὑπέργηρως δὲ γεγονὼς καὶ θνήσκειν ηδη μέλλων παραίνεσιν ἐποιήσατο πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ ἐτελεύτησε βιοὺς ετη ἑκατὸν δέκα, ων σὺν Μωυσεῖ διέτριψε τεσσαράκοντα, μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν στρατηγῶν πέντε καὶ εικοσι. θνήσκει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ̓Ελεάζαρ, Φινεὲς τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην τῷ υἱῷ λιπών. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Χαναναῖοι ἐλπίσαντες περιγενέσθαι τοῦ τῶν ̔Εβραίων γένους θανόντος ̓Ιησοῦ, κατ' αὐτῶν ἐπεστράτευσαν, τῷ βασιλεῖ ̓Αδωνιβεζὲκ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν πιστεύσαντες. δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ ονομα κύριος Βεζέκ· ἀδωνὶ γὰρ ἑβραϊστὶ κύριος λέγεται. συμμίξασαι δὲ τοῖς Χαναναίοις αἱ δύο φυλαί, ἡ τοῦ ̓Ιούδα καὶ ἡ τοῦ Συμεών, τρέπονται αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν ̓Αδωνιβεζὲκ αἱροῦσι καὶ ἀκρωτηριάζουσιν. ειλον δὲ καὶ πόλεις πολλὰς καὶ τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων τὴν κάτω πόλιν, καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἀπέκτειναν· τῆς δ' ανω δυσχε1.66 ρὴς ην ἡ πολιορκία φύσει τε τοῦ χωρίου καὶ τειχῶν ὀχυρότητι. ἑλόντες δὲ καὶ τὴν Χεβρὼν απαντας διεχειρίσαντο, καὶ εδωκαν αὐτὴν τῷ Χάλεβ εἰς κλῆρον, καθὼς Μωυσῆς ἐνετείλατο. καὶ τοῖς τοῦ ̓Ιοθὸρ ἀπογόνοις ἀγχιστεῦσιν ουσι Μωυσέως γῆν προσεκλήρωσαν, οτι τὴν πατρίδα καταλιπόντες συνείποντο ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῷ τῶν ̔Εβραίων λαῷ. αἱ δὲ ἐξ ̓Ιούδα καὶ Συμεὼν φυλαὶ μεγάλως εὐδαιμονήσασαι τὰ οπλα κατέθεντο. τὰ Βαίθηλα δὲ πολιορκοῦσα ἡ φυλὴ τοῦ ̓Εφραῒμ οὐδὲν ηνυε. συλλαβόντες δέ τινα τῶν τῆς πόλεως πίστεις παρέσχον αὐτῷ παραδόντι τὴν πατρίδα σώσειν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς. καὶ ὁ μὲν ουτως προδοὺς σώζεται μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων, οἱ δὲ κτείναντες τοὺς οἰκοῦντας ειχον τὴν πόλιν. Βενιαμῖται δέ, τῆς ̔Ιεροσολύμων πόλεως λαχούσης αὐτοῖς, φόρους τοῖς κατοίκοις ἐπέθεντο, ζῆν συγχωρήσαντες παρὰ τὰς θείας διαταγάς. ὁμοίως δ' ἐποίουν καὶ αἱ αλλαι φυλαί. Ηδη δ' εὐθηνουμένους τοὺς ἐξ ̓Ισραὴλ διέφθειρεν ἡ τρυφή, καὶ τοὺς θείους παρέβαινον νόμους καὶ πρὸς τὸ πονεῖν διέκειντο ἀηδῶς, καὶ ἡ ἀριστοκρατία ἐξέλιπε, καὶ ἡ γερουσία οὐκ ἀπεδείκνυτο. οθεν στάσις αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνει δεινὴ ἐξ αἰτίας τοιαύτης. ἀνὴρ Λευίτης τὴν σύζυγον ἐπαγόμενος ἐκ Βηθλεὲμ ουσαν οικαδε ἀπῄει. ηδη δ' ὀψίας ουσης ἐπιξενοῦται παρὰ πρεσβύτῃ τινὶ ἐν Γαβαὼ πόλει φυλῆς τῆς Βενιαμίτιδος. νεανίαι δὲ Γαβαωνῖταί τινες τὸ γύναιον θεασάμενοι ηκον ἀπαιτοῦντες αὐτό· τοῦ δὲ πρεσβύτου μὴ διδόντος ἀποκτείνειν ἠπείλουν. ὁ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρὸς παρεχώρει αὐτοῖς, ινα μή τι 1.67 βίαιον ὑποσταῖεν οἱ ἐπιξενωθέντες αὐτῷ. ἁρπάσαντες δ' ἐκεῖνοι τὸ γύναιον ἀπηλλάγησαν, καὶ δι' ολης τῆς νυκτὸς ἐμφορηθέντες αὐτῆς ἀφῆκαν ἀρχομένης ἡμέρας. ἡ δὲ τῇ τε νυκτερινῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ανδρα αἰσχύνῃ καὶ τῇ λύπῃ καταβληθεῖσα διαπεφώνηκε. καὶ ὁ ταύτης ἀνὴρ εἰς μέρη δώδεκα διελὼν τὴν θανοῦσαν διέπεμψε μέρος εἰς ἑκάστην φυλήν, τό τε πάθος διδάσκων αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς συμφορᾶς. πέμπουσιν ουν πρὸς τὴν Γαβαὼ τοὺς παρανομήσαντας ἐξαιτούμενοι· οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐξέδωκαν. αἱ φυλαὶ δ' ἐπεστράτευον ἐπ' αὐτούς, καὶ δὶς συμβαλόντες ἡττῶνται οἱ ̓Ισραηλῖται. ειτα διὰ Φινεὲς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως δέονται τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ουτω συμβαλόντες τοῖς Βενιαμίταις ἐκράτησαν ὡς πάντας πλὴν