gibeon

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.

Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,

And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her suburbs, Geba with her suburbs,

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

So Joab, and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.

And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.

And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name was Maachah:

And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon; whose wife’s name was Maachah:

And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife’s name was Maachah:

And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife’s name was Maachah:

David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.

And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,

For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.

So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel.

And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.

The children of Gibeon, ninety and five.

For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.

Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:

THAT WE OUGHT TO REST ON THE SABBATH DAYS AND HEARKEN TO THE WORDS OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES THAT WE MAY DO HIS WILL, AND REMEMBER THE SUFFERINGS WHICH GOD THE WORD ENDURED FOR OUR SAKES. [vii., 36.] O Lord Almighty, who didst create the world by Jesus Christ our Saviour, and didst appoint the Sabbath, and rest thereon from all Thy work, and hast commanded us to rest (on it) from all the work of our hands, and to be ready to serve and do Thy commandments; and hast given us feast days (for) the joy of our souls; and that we should remember the skill of Thy wisdom, that God the word was pleased to be born of a woman for our sakes, and appeared manifestly in this world (); and was baptized as man, though He was God, and endured patiently the sufferings of the Cross, died and rose from the dead in great might. Wherefore we keep as a feast the holy day of His resurrection, and honour the first day of the week, and give glory, and sing praise to Him who conquer death and cave light to the whole world, and hath bestowed on us incorruptible honour and glory, and hath gathered the scattered people, and made them to be one pure flock, and hath blessed them, even as He blessed Israel. (It was) Thou, O Lord, who broughtest our fathers from the land of Egypt, and didst deliver them from bitter bondage, and didst save them from the sea, and from the labour of the brick-kiln, and didst bring them forth from the power of Pharaoh and his hosts; and leddest them through the sea on dry ground, and didst sustain them with all good things in the wilderness, and appoint for them the law of the ten words which Thou didst utter with Thy voice, and didst write with Thy hands, and didst command them to rest on the Sabbath day, that they might give Thee humble thanks, and be safe from all evil; and didst bind them with words of admonition, and gather them and bring them into the house of Thy sanctuary. Wherefore He hath commanded us to rest on every Sabbath day, because on the Sabbath day our Lord rested from all His work. Let us, then, seek after all His law, and give thanks to Him, and bless God for all the good things that He hath bestowed on us, the sons of men. And greater than all these is (the day of) His holy resurrection which our Lord and Saviour and Creator, God the Word, hath taught us (to observe), He who was begotten before the world was created, the Son of the Father, and (was born) of the Virgin Mary without human father: He suffered and was crucified and died in the days of Pontius Pilate; and rose from the dead on the day of the Christian Sabbath. Remember, O Lord, that which we offer to Thee on this day, the sacrifice, and the oblation, and the eucharist of Thy holy peace, this great portion which Thou hast given unto us, that we may offer () that which is good unto the greatness of Thy power. (vii., 37.] And Thou hast fulfilled the prophecy, and hast shown mercy unto Zion, and hast had compassion on Jerusalem, and hast exalted the throne of David thy servant amongst us by the birth of Christ, who was born of a virgin of his seed according to the flesh. Do Thou, O Lord, receive the prayer and supplication of Thy people who call upon Thee in truth, even as Thou didst receive the sacrifices of the righteous each in its own time: first of Abel, whose sacrifice Thou didst respect and receive; of Noah when he was going forth from the Ark; of Abraham when he was going forth from the land of the Chaldees; of Isaac when he was going forth from the Well of the Oath; of Jacob in Bethlehem; and of Moses in the mount; and of Aaron in the wilderness; and of Joshua the son of Nun in Gilgal; and of Gideon on the rock; and of Manoah and his wife in the plain; and of Samson when he was athirst before he transgressed; and of Jephthah in war; and of Barak and Deborah over Sisera; and of Samuel in Mizpeh; and of David in the field of Ornan the Jebusite; and of Solomon in Gibeon and in Jerusalem; and of Elijah on Mount Carmel; and of Elisha at the fountains; and of Jehoshaphat in battle; and of Hezekiah in his sickness and concerning Sennacherib; and of Manasseh in the mount of the Chaldees after he had transgressed; and of Josiah in Pasa; and of Ezra when he was returning; and of Daniel in the den of lions; and of Jonah in the belly of the whale; and of the Three Children in the furnace of fire; and of Hannah in the tabernacle of testimony by the ark; and of Nehemiah when he was building the wall with Zerubbabel; and of Mattathias and his sons on the hilltop (); and of Joel in the blessing; now also in like manner receive the prayer and supplication of those who offer to Thee with knowledge through Jesus Christ.: [vii., 38.] We give thanks to Thee for all things. Thou takest not from us Thy compassion and Thy mercy, for Thou art merciful and full of compassion in all generations, Who didst receive Enosh, and Enoch, and Noah, (and didst help) in the days of Moses and Joshua, (and) the Judges, and in the days of Samuel and Elijah and the other prophets, and in the days - of David and the other kings, and in the days of Esther and Mordecai, and in the days of Judith, and in the days of Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren: receive us also in like manner in our days through Thy Son Jesus Christ the Great High-priest, who hath saved us from the sword and famine, and hath fed us and satisfied us, and healed us from (our) sickness, and protected us from evil tongues. To Thee we give thanks at all times through Jesus Christ, who hath bestowed on us a sweet and articulate voice, and a tongue fair as the sound of an instrument, and hath made us to discern between sweet and bitter, (and given us) eyes to see, and ears to hear, and noses to smell, and hands to handle with, and feet to walk; and these Thou hast created from a tiny drop that is gathered in the womb; and Thou didst bestow (on man therewith) a soul that shall not die, and make him a rational being. And Thou didst instruct him by Thy law and adorn him by Thy commandments; and after a while Thou didst make him mortal and didst. grant him a resurrection. How then shall man repay Thee for all this that Thou hast done for him? Now also we must needs give Thee thanks and glorify Thee according to the measure of our power. Receive (us) that (our service) may be acceptable before Thee; and save us from the apostasy of the wicked whose gods are many, and deliver us from those who contend against Christ, and free us from the error of Satan, for Thou didst send Christ Thy beloved Son to become man, though He is God, and didst cause the Paraclete to dwell in us, and didst set the angels to bless us, and didst put Satan to shame. Since Thou hast created us and granted us life, preserve us, and give us sustenance, and turn us to repentance; for Thou art worthy of glory and worship for all that Thou hast done for us through Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen. Follow after this at all times, brethren; the Lord be with you on earth and in heaven and in the Kingdom of His Father, who sent Him to free us from deeds of sin, and the service of Satan, and (who) hath given life to the sons of men, even to those that believe in the Lord God, the Creator, that those who believe in Christ may live. [vii., 39.] What thanks is it fitting that we should offer to God the Father through Jesus Christ? Behold we have told you before, and have taught you. Observe all this that ye may find life eternal. Amen.

You who has fulfilled Your promises made by the prophets, and has had mercy on Zion, and compassion on Jerusalem, by exalting the throne of David, Your servant, in the midst of her, by the birth of Christ, who was born of his seed according to the flesh, of a virgin alone; do You now, O Lord God, accept the prayers which proceed from the lips of Your people which are of the Gentiles, which call upon You in truth, as You accepted of the gifts of the righteous in their generations. In the first place You respected the sacrifice of Abel, and accept it as You accepted of the sacrifice of Noah when he went out of the ark; of Abraham, when he went out of the land of the Chaldeans; of Isaac at the Well of the Oath; of Jacob in Bethel; of Moses in the desert; of Aaron between the dead and the living; of Joshua the Son of Nun in Gilgal; of Gideon at the rock, and the fleeces, before his sin; of Manoah and his wife in the field; of Samson in his thirst before the transgression; of Jephtha in the war before his rash vow; of Barak and Deborah in the days of Sisera; of Samuel in Mizpeh; of David in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite; of Solomon in Gibeon and in Jerusalem: of Elijah in Mount Carmel; of Elisha at the barren fountain; of Jehoshaphat in war; of Hezekiah in his sickness, and concerning Sennacherib; of Manasseh in the land of the Chaldeans, after his transgression; of Josiah in Phassa; of Ezra at the return; of Daniel in the den of lions; of Jonah in the whale's belly; of the three children in the fiery furnace; of Hannah in the tabernacle before the ark; of Nehemiah at the rebuilding of the walls; of Zerubbabel; of Mattathias and his sons in their zeal; of Jael in blessings. Now also do You receive the prayers of Your people which are offered to You with knowledge, through Christ in the Spirit.

Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, delivered to us the great mystery of godliness, and called both Jews and Gentiles to the acknowledgment of the one and only true God His Father, as Himself somewhere says, when He was giving thanks for the salvation of those that had believed, I have manifested Your name to men, I have finished the work You gave me; and said concerning us to His Father, Holy Father, although the world has not known You, yet have I known You; and these have known You. With good reason did He say to all of us together, when we were perfected concerning those gifts which were given from Him by the Spirit: Now these signs shall follow them that have believed in my name: they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall by no means hurt them: they shall lay their hands on the sick, and they shall recover. These gifts were first bestowed on us the apostles when we were about to preach the Gospel to every creature, and afterwards were of necessity afforded to those who had by our means believed; not for the advantage of those who perform them, but for the conviction of the unbelievers, that those whom the word did not persuade, the power of signs might put to shame: for signs are not for us who believe, but for the unbelievers, both for the Jews and Gentiles. For neither is it any profit to us to cast out demons, but to those who are so cleansed by the power of the Lord; as the Lord Himself somewhere instructs us, and shows, saying: Rejoice not because the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Since the former is done by His power, but this by our good disposition and diligence, yet (it is manifest) by His assistance. It is not therefore necessary that every one of the faithful should cast out demons, or raise the dead, or speak with tongues; but such a one only who is vouchsafed this gift, for some cause which may be advantage to the salvation of the unbelievers, who are often put to shame, not with the demonstration of the world, but by the power of the signs; that is, such as are worthy of salvation: for all the ungodly are not affected by wonders; and hereof God Himself is a witness, as when He says in the law: With other tongues will I speak to this people, and with other lips, and yet will they by no means believe. For neither did the Egyptians believe in God, when Moses had done so many signs and wonders; nor did the multitude of the Jews believe in Christ, as they believed Moses, who yet had healed every sickness and every disease among them. Nor were the former shamed by the rod which was turned into a living serpent, nor by the hand which was made white with leprosy, nor by the river Nile turned into blood; nor the latter by the blind who recovered their sight, nor by the lame who walked, nor by the dead who were raised. The one was resisted by Jannes and Jambres, the other by Annas and Caiaphas. Thus signs do not shame all into belief, but only those of a good disposition; for whose sake also it is that God is pleased, as a wise steward of a family, to appoint miracles to be wrought, not by the power of men, but by His own will. Now we say these things, that those who have received such gifts may not exalt themselves against those who have not received them; such gifts, we mean, as are for the working of miracles. For otherwise there is no man who has believed in God through Christ, that has not received some spiritual gift: for this very thing, having been delivered from the impiety of polytheism, and having believed in God the Father through Christ, this is a gift of God. And the having cast off the veil of Judaism, and having believed that, by the good pleasure of God, His only begotten Son, who was before all ages, was in the last time born of a virgin, without the company of a man, and that He lived as a man, yet without sin, and fulfilled all that righteousness which is of the law; and that, by the permission of God, He who was God the Word endured the cross, and despised the shame; and that He died, and was buried, and rose within three days; and that after His resurrection, having continued forty days with His apostles, and completed His whole constitutions, He was taken up in their sight to His God and Father, who sent Him: he who has believed these things, not at random and irrationally, but with judgment and full assurance, has received the gift of God. So also has He who is delivered from every heresy. Let not, therefore, any one that works signs and wonders judge any one of the faithful who is not vouchsafed the same: for the gifts of God which are bestowed by Him through Christ are various; and one man receives one gift, and another another. For perhaps one has the word of wisdom, and another the word of knowledge; another, discerning of spirits; another, foreknowledge of things to come; another, the word of teaching; another, long-suffering; another, continence according to the law: for even Moses, the man of God, when he wrought signs in Egypt, did not exalt himself against his equals: and when he was called a god, he did not arrogantly despise his own prophet Aaron. Nor did Joshua the Son of Nun, who was the leader of the people after him, though in the war with the Jebusites he had made the sun stand still over against Gibeon, and the moon over against the valley of Ajalon, because the day was not long enough for their victory, insult over Phineas or Caleb. Nor did Samuel, who had done so many surprising things, disregard David the beloved of God: yet they were both prophets, and the one was high priest, and the other was king. And when there were only seven thousand holy men in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal, Elijah alone among them, and his disciple Elisha, were workers of miracles. Yet neither did Elijah despise Obadiah the steward, who feared God, but wrought no signs; nor did Elisha despise his own disciple when he trembled at the enemies. Moreover, neither did the wise Daniel who was twice delivered from the mouths of the lions, nor the three children who were delivered from the furnace of fire, despise the rest of their fellow Israelites: for they knew that they had not escaped these terrible miseries by their own might; but by the power of God did they both work miracles, and were delivered from miseries. Wherefore let none of you exalt himself against his brother, though he be a prophet, or though he be a worker of miracles: for if it happens that there be no longer an unbeliever, all the power of signs will thenceforwards be superfluous. For to be pious is from any one's good disposition; but to work wonders is from the power of Him that works them by us: the first of which respects ourselves; but the second respects God that works them, for the reasons which we have already mentioned. Wherefore neither let a king despise his officers that are under him, nor the rulers those who are subject. For where there are none to be ruled over, rulers are superfluous; and where there are no officers, the kingdom will not stand. Moreover, let not a bishop be exalted against his deacons and presbyters, nor the presbyters against the people: for the subsistence of the congregation depends on each other. For the bishops and the presbyters are the priests with relation to the people; and the laity are the laity with relation to the clergy. And to be a Christian is in our own power; but to be an apostle, or a bishop, or in any other such office, is not in our own power, but at the disposal of God, who bestows the gifts. And thus much concerning those who are vouchsafed gifts and dignities.

And on that day, being the seventh day, Japhia king of Hebron sent secretly to the king of Ai, and to the king of Gibeon, and to the king of Shalem, and to the king of Adulam, and to the king of Lachish, and to the king of Chazar, and to all the Canaanitish kings who were under their subjection, saying,

Only the inhabitants of Gibeon were greatly afraid of fighting against the Israelites lest they should perish, so they acted cunningly, and they came to Joshua and to all Israel, and said unto them, We have come from a distant land, now therefore make a covenant with us.

And the inhabitants of Gibeon over-reached the children of Israel, and the children of Israel made a covenant with them, and they made peace with them, and the princes of the congregation swore unto them, but afterward the children of Israel knew that they were neighbors to them and were dwelling amongst them.

Come up to me and help me, that we may smite the children of Israel and the inhabitants of Gibeon who have made peace with the children of Israel.

And all these kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come up quickly to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to fight against us.

And all these kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come up quickly to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to fight against us.

And all these kings came and encamped before Gibeon, and they began to fight against the inhabitants of Gibeon, and all the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua, saying, Come up quickly to us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites have gathered together to fight against us.

And the Lord confounded them before the children at Israel, who smote them with a terrible slaughter in Gibeon, and pursued them along the way that goes up to Beth Horon unto Makkedah, and they fled from before the children of Israel.

And when they were smiting, the day was declining toward evening, and Joshua said in the sight of all the people, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon, until the nation shall have revenged itself upon its enemies.