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six hundred to fall, who fled to the nearby mountains. And the Israelites burned Gibeah and killed the women and the children, and they did similar things to their other cities. And of Jabesh, a city of Gilead, because it did not fight with them, they kill the inhabitants with women and children except for four hundred virgins, whom they gave to the survivors of the Benjamites, so that they might have them as wives, taking pity on them for their misfortune. And they considered how the remaining two hundred might also obtain wives; for they had previously made an oath because of the outrage that no one would give a daughter in marriage to a Benjamite. And upon consideration it seemed good to them not to give them because of the oath, but for the Benjamites to be permitted to seize virgins and marry them, with them neither preventing nor encouraging them. And so it seemed good to them concerning these things, and the Benjamites put into effect what had been decided. 1.68 And when the Israelites had ceased from fighting for a long time, the Canaanites despised them, and took cities from them. And those of the tribe of Dan fled to the mountain and from there migrated to the inland region. And the divine being became angry with the Israelites for having adopted the customs of the Canaanites and despising their own constitution. Therefore, the king of the Assyrians, Chusarsathaim, marched against them and imposed heavy tributes on them, by which they were oppressed for eight years. Then a certain active man from the tribe of Judah, called Othniel, having gathered a few men, according to a divine oracle destroyed the Assyrian garrison among them. And after this, when more had gathered, he defeated the Assyrians in battle and drove them away, and for this reason he was chosen to rule the multitude and to judge the people. He, having held the rule for fifty years, passed from this life. And the Israelites, being without a ruler and despising the divine, were subjected to annual tributes by Eglom, king of the Moabites, who had subdued them. He, having built a palace in Jericho, afflicted them in many ways for eighteen years. And a certain young Benjamite, Ehud by name, but Josephus says he was called Judas, a daring and strong man, became an acquaintance of Eglom, and constantly visited him, flattering and deceiving the man. He, once bringing gifts to Eglom with two servants, carried a small sword secretly. And when the day was already at its midpoint and the guards had gone off by themselves, finding him alone, he enters as an acquaintance, and taking him aside alone, as if to say something more secret to him, 1.69 he strikes him a fatal blow with the small sword and kills him. And going away to the men of Jericho, he persuades them to lay claim to their freedom. And they armed themselves, but those around Eglom, finding him dead, turned to flight and being pursued were destroyed. And thus the Hebrews were freed from the slavery of the Moabites, and the rule of the multitude was entrusted to Ehud. He, having led the people for eighty years, ended his life. And after him, Shamgar the son of Anath, having ruled, died in the first year of his rule, having smitten many of the foreigners. And God was angry with the people of the Hebrews for transgressing the divine laws. And Sisera, the commander of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, came upon them and afflicted them severely and subjected them to tribute; and they were in this state for twenty years. And a certain prophetess, Deborah, and the name means bee, supplicated God on behalf of the people. And God consented, and commanded that Barak be chosen as general; and this means lightning in the Hebrew dialect. And the man was from the tribe of Naphtali. And Deborah urged Barak to go against the enemy with ten thousand young men, as God commanded this. But he demanded that she also go with him as general. The woman was persuaded, and when battle was joined by them with the ten thousand against Sisera, much rain poured down and hail broke forth, and these things were driven by the wind against the faces of the enemy, and they darkened their sight, and from there they turned to

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ἑξακοσίων πεσεῖν, οι πρὸς τὰ πλησίον ορη κατέφυγον. οἱ δὲ ̓Ισραηλῖται ἐνέπρησάν τε τὴν Γαβαὼ καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς παῖδας διεχειρίσαντο, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς αλλαις δὲ πόλεσιν αὐτῶν δρῶσι τὰ ομοια. καὶ ̓Ιαβεὶς δὲ Γαλααδίτιδος πόλεως, οτι μὴ συνεμάχησεν αὐτοῖς, φονεύουσι τοὺς κατοίκους σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶ πλὴν τετρακοσίων παρθένων, ας τοῖς περισωθεῖσι τῶν Βενιαμιτῶν παρέσχον, ινα συνεύνους σχοῖεν αὐτάς, τῆς συμφορᾶς αὐτοὺς κατοικτείραντες. ἐσκόπουν δ' οπως καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ διακόσιοι γυναικῶν εὐπορήσωσιν· ορκους γὰρ εθεντο πρῴην διὰ τὸ τόλμημα μηδένα δώσειν θυγατέρα πρὸς γάμον Βενιαμίτῃ. καὶ σκοποῦσιν εδοξεν αὐτοὺς μὲν μὴ διδόναι διὰ τὸν ορκον, τοῖς δὲ Βενιαμίταις ἐξεῖναι παρθένους ἁρπάζουσι συνοικίζειν ἑαυτοῖς, αὐτῶν μήτε κωλυόντων μήτε προτρεπομένων. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ουτως εδοξε περὶ τούτων, οἱ δὲ Βενιαμῖται εἰς εργον τὰ δόξαντα ηγαγον. 1.68 Ηδη δὲ πρὸ μακροῦ τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν παυσαμένων τοῦ μάχεσθαι, κατεφρόνησαν οἱ Χαναναῖοι αὐτῶν, καὶ πόλεις ἀφείλοντο ἐξ αὐτῶν. οἱ δὲ τῆς τοῦ ∆ὰν φυλῆς εἰς τὸ ορος κατέφυγον κἀκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν μεσόγειον μετῳκήκασι. τοὺς δ' ̓Ισραηλίτας μεταλαβόντας τῶν παρὰ τοῖς Χαναναίοις ἐθῶν καὶ τῆς σφετέρας πολιτείας καταφρονήσαντας δι' ὀργῆς τὸ θεῖον πεποίητο. στρατεύει τοίνυν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὁ τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων βασιλεὺς Χουσαρσαθαῒμ καὶ φόρους βαρεῖς ἐπιτάσσει αὐτοῖς, οις ἐπὶ ὀκτὼ ἐνιαυτοῖς ἐπιέζοντο. ειτα δραστήριός τις ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιούδα φυλῆς, Γοθονιὴλ κεκλημένος, βραχεῖς τινας προσεταιρισάμενος, κατὰ θεῖον χρησμὸν τὴν παρ' αὐτοῖς τῶν ̓Ασσυρίων διαφθείρει φρουράν. συνηγμένων δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα πλειόνων, μάχῃ τοὺς ̓Ασσυρίους νικήσας ἀπώσατο, καὶ αρχειν ᾑρέθη διὰ τοῦτο τοῦ πλήθους κρίνειν τε τὸν λαόν. ος ἐπὶ πεντήκοντα ετη τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνύσας μετήλλαξε τὴν ζωήν. αναρχοι δὲ οντες οἱ ̓Ισραηλῖται καὶ τοῦ θείου καταφρονοῦντες παρὰ τοῦ τῶν Μωαβιτῶν βασιλέως Αἰγλὼμ αὐτοὺς ὑποτάξαντος ἐτησίας εἰσφορὰς ἐπετάχθησαν. ος ἐν ̔Ιεριχοῦντι βασίλεια δομησάμενος ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς ὀκτωκαίδεκα πολυειδῶς ἐκάκου αὐτούς. νεανίας δέ τις Βενιαμίτης ̓Αὼθ τουνομα, ̓Ιώσηπος δὲ ̓Ιούδαν τοῦτον λέγει καλεῖσθαι, τολμητίας καὶ ῥωμαλέος, συνήθης γίνεται τῷ Αἰγλώμ, καὶ συνεχῶς παρ' αὐτὸν ἐφοίτα θωπεύων τὸν ανδρα καὶ ὑπερχόμενος. ουτος σὺν δυσὶν οἰκέταις ποτὲ δῶρα κομίζων τῷ Αἰγλὼμ ξιφίδιον εφερεν ἀφανῶς. καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ηδη μεσούσης καὶ τῶν φυλάκων πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπεληλυθότων μεμονωμένον εὑρὼν αὐτόν, εισεισιν ὡς συνήθης, καὶ μόνον ἀπολαβών, ὡς δή τι μυστικώτερον προσομιλήσων αὐτῷ, 1.69 πλήττει καιρίως τῷ ξιφιδίῳ καὶ ἀναιρεῖ. ἀπελθὼν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ̔Ιεριχουντίους πείθει τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντιποιεῖσθαι. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡπλίζοντο, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Αἰγλὼμ νεκρὸν αὐτὸν εὑρόντες εἰς φυγὴν τρέπονται καὶ διωκόμενοι διαφθείρονται. καὶ ουτως ̔Εβραῖοι τῆς τῶν Μωαβιτῶν δουλείας ἐλευθεροῦνται, τῷ δὲ ̓Αὼθ ἡ τοῦ πλήθους ἀρχὴ ἐγκεχείριστο. ος ἐπ' ετεσιν ὀγδοήκοντα τοῦ λαοῦ ἡγησάμενος τὸν βίον κατέλυσε. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Μεγὰρ ὁ υἱὸς ∆ινὰχ αρξας ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐνιαυτῷ τετελεύτηκε, πατάξας τῶν ἀλλοφύλων πολλούς. Τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ τῶν ̔Εβραίων τοὺς θείους παραβαίνοντος νόμους ὠργίζετο ὁ θεός. καὶ Σισάρας ὁ τοῦ ̓Ιαβὶν βασιλέως τῆς Χαναὰν ἀρχιστράτηγος ἐπελθὼν αὐτοῖς ἐκάκωσέ τε σφόδρα καὶ φόροις ὑπέβαλε· καὶ ειχον ουτως ἐπὶ ἐνιαυτοὺς εικοσι. ∆εβώρα δέ τις προφῆτις, δηλοῖ δὲ τὸ ονομα μέλισσαν, ἱκέτευσεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λαοῦ τὸν θεόν. καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπένευσε, καὶ στρατηγὸν αἱρεῖσθαι κελεύει Βαράκ· ἀστραπὴν δὲ τοῦτο σημαίνει κατὰ τὴν ̔Εβραίων διάλεκτον. ην δ' ἐκ τῆς Νεφθαλίδος φυλῆς ὁ ἀνήρ. καὶ ἡ ∆εβώρα τὸν Βαρὰκ προετρέπετο κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἰέναι μετὰ νέων μυρίων, τοῦτο κελεύοντος τοῦ θεοῦ. ὁ δὲ κἀκείνην ἀπῄτει συστρατηγεῖν. πείθεται ἡ γυνή, καὶ μάχης σὺν τοῖς μυρίοις συρραγείσης αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸν Σισάραν ομβρος καταχεῖται πολὺς καὶ χάλαζα καταρρήγνυται, ταῦτα δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν πολεμίων ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνέμου ἠλαύνετο, καὶ ταῖς οψεσιν ἐπεσκότουν αὐτῶν, κἀντεῦθεν ἐνέκλιναν εἰς