Study Desk

and take ten men of an hundreth, and an hundreth of a thousande, and a thousande of ten thousande, out of all ye trybes of Israel, yt they maie take fode for ye people, to come & do with Gibea BenIamin, acordynge to their folye which they haue done in Israel.

And the children of Israel arose, and wente vp to the house of God (in Silo) and axed at God, and sayde: Who shall go vp for vs to beginne the battayll with ye children of BenIamin? The LORDE saide: Iuda shall begynne.

For whan the childre of BenIamin sawe that they were smitten, the men of Israel gaue them rowme (to flye). For they trusted to the watch, which they had sett by Gibea.

And the men of Israel turned them, and were fearce vpon ye men of BenIamin: for they sawe that the euell wolde happen vnto them.

And the children of Israel sayde: Where is there eny ma of the trybes of Israel, that is not come vp with the congregacion vnto the LORDE? For there was a greate ooth made, that who so came not vp to Mispa vnto the LORDE, shulde dye the deeth.

And the children of Israel were sory for BenIamin their brother, and sayde: This daye is there one trybe lesse in Israel.

How wyll we do that the remnaunt maye haue wyues? For we haue sworne by the LORDE, that we wyl not geue the wyues of oure doughters.

Then were the people sory for BenIamin, that ye LORDE had made a gappe in the trybes of Israel.

And the Elders of the congregacio sayde: What wil we do, that the remnaunt maye haue wyues also? for the weme in Ben Iamin are destroied,

& we cannot geue them oure doughters to wiues. For the children of Israel haue sworne and sayde: Cursed be he that geueth a wyfe to the BenIamites.

As for their fathers and brethren, whan they come to lawe with vs, we wyll saye vnto them: Be fauourable to them, for they haue not taken the in battaill: but ye gaue the not vnto them by time, and it is youre faute.

Then gat she her vp wt both hir sonnes wyues, & wente agayne out of the lode of ye Moabites (for she had herde in the londe of the Moabites, yt the LORDE had visited his people & geuen them bred)

Turne agayne my doughters, and go youre waye, for I am now to olde to take an hußbande. And though I shulde saye: I hope this night to take an hußbande & to brynge forth children,

yet coulde ye not tary tlll they were growne vp: for ye shulde be to olde, so that ye coulde haue no hußbandes. No my doughters, therfore am I sory for you, for ye hade of the LORDE is gone forth ouer me.

Neuerthelesse she sayde vnto them: call me not Naemi, but Mara: for the Allmightie hath made me very sory.

and loke where they reape in ye felde, go thou after them: for I haue comaunded my seruauntes that no man touch the. And yf thou be a thyrst, go thy waye to the vessell & drynke, where my seruauntes drawe.

She sayde: let me fynde fauoure (syr) before thyne eyes, for thou hast comforted me, and spoken frendly vnto thy handmayde, where as I am not yet like one of yi handmaydes.

and cast of the sheues vnto her, and let it lye that she maye gather it vp, and se that noman reproue her for it.

Naemi sayde vnto hir doughter in lawe: The blessynge of the LORDE haue he, for he hath not lefte of to be mercifull vnto the lyuynge and to the deed. And Naemi sayde vnto her: The same man belongeth vnto vs, and is oure nye kynsman.

And Naemi hir mother in lawe sayde vnto her: My doughter, I wyll prouyde rest for the, that thou maiest prospere.