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| Chapter XIX. The crime committed by the inhabitants of Gibeah against the wife of a certain Levite is related, and from the vengeance taken it is inferred how the idea of virtue must have filled the heart of those people of old.
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Chapter XIX.
The crime committed by the inhabitants of Gibeah against
the wife of a certain Levite is related, and from the vengeance taken
it is inferred how the idea of virtue must have filled the heart of
those people of old.
110. What regard
for virtue our forefathers had to avenge by a war the wrongs of one
woman which had been brought on her by her violation at the hands of
profligate men! Nay, when the people were conquered, they vowed
that they would not give their daughters in marriage to the tribe of
Benjamin! That tribe had remained without hope of posterity, had
they not received leave of necessity to use deceit. And this
permission does not seem to fail in giving fitting punishment for
violation, since they were only allowed to enter on a union by a rape,
and not through the sacrament of marriage. And indeed it was
right that they who had broken another’s intercourse should
themselves lose their marriage rites.
111. How full of pitiful traits is this
story! A man, it says,734
a Levite, had
taken to himself a wife, who I suppose was called a concubine from the
word “concubitus.” She some time afterwards, as is
wont to happen, offended at certain things, betook herself to her
father, and was with him four months. Then her husband arose and
went to the house of his father-in-law, to reconcile himself with his
wife, to win her back and take her home again. The woman ran to
meet him and brought her husband into her father’s
house.
112. The maiden’s735
father rejoiced and went to meet him, and
the man stayed with him three days, and they ate and rested. On
the next day the Levite arose at daybreak, but was detained by his
father-in-law, that he might not so quickly lose the pleasure of his
company. Again on the next and the third day the maiden’s
father did not suffer his son-in-law to start, until their joy and
mutual regard was complete. But on the seventh day, when it was
already drawing to a close, after a pleasant meal, having urged the
approach of the coming night, so as to make him think he ought to sleep
amongst friends rather than strangers, he
was unable to keep him, and so let him go
together with his daughter.
113. When some little progress736
was made, though night was threatening
to come on, and they were close by the town of the Jebusites, on the
slave’s request that his lord should turn aside there, he
refused, because it was not a city of the children of Israel. He
meant to get as far as Gibeah, which was inhabited by the people of the
tribe of Benjamin. But when they arrived there was no one to
receive them with hospitality, except a stranger of advanced
age—When he had looked upon them he asked the Levite:
Whither goest thou and whence dost thou come? On his answering
that he was travelling and was making for Mount Ephraim and that there
was no one to take him in, the old man offered him hospitality and
prepared a meal.
114. And when they were satisfied737
and the tables were removed, vile men
rushed up and surrounded the house. Then the old man offered
these wicked men his daughter, a virgin, and the concubine with whom
she shared her bed, only that violence might not be inflicted on his
guest. But when reason did no good and violence prevailed, the
Levite parted from his wife, and they knew her and abused her all that
night. Overcome by this cruelty or by grief at her wrong, she
fell at the door of their host where her husband had entered, and gave
up the ghost, with the last effort of her life guarding the feelings of
a good wife so as to preserve for her husband at least her mortal
remains.
115. When this became known738
(to be brief) almost all the people of
Israel broke out into war. The war remained doubtful with an
uncertain issue, but in the third engagement the people of Benjamin
were delivered to the people of Israel,739
and being condemned by the divine judgment paid the penalty for their
profligacy. The sentence, further,740
was
that none of the people of the fathers should give his daughter in
marriage to them. This was confirmed by a solemn oath. But
relenting at having laid so hard a sentence on their brethren, they
moderated their severity so as to give them in marriage those maidens
that had lost their parents, whose fathers had been slain for their
sins, or to give them the means of finding a wife by a raid.
Because of the villainy of so foul a deed, they who have violated
another’s marriage rights were shown to be unworthy to ask for
marriage. But for fear that one tribe might perish from the
people, they connived at the deceit.
116. What great regard our forefathers had for
virtue is shown by the fact that forty thousand men drew the sword
against their brethren of the tribe of Benjamin in their desire to
avenge the wrong done to modesty, for they would not endure the
violation of chastity. And so in that war on both sides there
fell sixty-five thousand warriors, whilst their cities were
burnt. And when at first the people of Israel were defeated, yet
unmoved by fear at the reverses of the war, they disregarded the sorrow
the avenging of chastity cost them. They rushed into the battle
ready to wash out with their own blood the stains of the crime that had
been committed. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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