Gibeah

His lord responded to him: “I will not enter into the town of a foreign people, who are not of the sons of Israel. Instead, I will cross over as far as Gibeah.

And when I will have arrived there, we will lodge in that place, or at least in the city of Ramah.”

Therefore, they passed by Jebus, and continuing on, they undertook the journey. But the sun went down on them when they were near Gibeah, which is of the tribe of Benjamin.

And so they diverted to it, so that they might lodge there. And when they had entered, they were sitting in the street of the city. For no one was willing to give them hospitality.

And behold, they saw an old man, returning from the field and from his work in the evening, and he was also from mount Ephraim, and he was living as a stranger in Gibeah. For the men of that region were of the sons of Benjamin.

responded: “I went to Gibeah of Benjamin, with my wife, and I diverted to that place.

And behold, the men of that city, at night, surrounded the house in which I was staying, intending to kill me. And they abused my wife with such an incredible fury of lust that in the end she died.

But this we shall do in common against Gibeah:

We shall select ten men out of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred out of one thousand, and one thousand out of ten thousand, so that they may transport supplies for the army, and so that we will be able to fight against Gibeah of Benjamin, and to repay it for its crime as it deserves.”

Deliver the men of Gibeah, who have perpetrated this deplorable act, so that they may die, and so that the evil may be taken away from Israel.” And they were not willing to listen to the command of their brothers, the sons of Israel.

Instead, out of all the cities that were their lot, they convened at Gibeah, so that they might bring them assistance, and so that they might contend against the entire people of Israel.

And there were found from Benjamin twenty-five thousand who drew the sword, aside from the inhabitants of Gibeah,

And immediately the sons of Israel, rising up in the morning, made camp near Gibeah.

And setting out from there to fight against Benjamin, they began to assault the city.

And the sons of Benjamin, departing from Gibeah, slew twenty-two thousand men from the sons of Israel, on that day.

the sons of Benjamin burst forth from the gates of Gibeah. And meeting them, they made such a frenzied slaughter against them that they struck down eighteen thousand men who drew the sword.

And the sons of Israel stationed ambushes around the city of Gibeah.

And they brought out their army against Benjamin a third time, just as they had done on the first and second times.

But the sons of Benjamin again burst forth boldly from the city. And since their enemies were fleeing, they pursued them a long way, so that they might wound or kill some of them, just as they had done on the first and second days. And they turned their backs along two paths, one bringing them toward Bethel, and the other toward Gibeah. And they struck down about thirty men.

and to advance upon the western part of the city. Moreover, another ten thousand men from all of Israel were provoking a conflict with the inhabitants of the city. And the war grew heavy against the sons of Benjamin. And they did not realize that, on all sides of them, death was imminent.

But the sons of Benjamin, when they had seen themselves to be the weaker, began to flee. And the sons of Israel discerning this, gave them room to flee, so that they might arrive at the ambushes that were prepared, which they had positioned near the city.

And after they had risen up suddenly from hiding, and those of Benjamin had turned their backs to those who cut them down, they entered the city, and they struck it with the edge of the sword.

And so it happened that they were cut down on both sides by the enemies, nor was there any respite for the dying. They were killed and struck down on the eastern side of the city of Gibeah.

Then the men of Kiriath-jearim arrived, and they led away the ark of the Lord. And they brought it into the house of Abinadab, in Gibeah. Then they sanctified Eleazar, his son, so that he might care for the ark of the Lord.

And they arrived at the above-stated hill, and behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of the Lord leapt up within him, and he prophesied in their midst.

And then Saul went away to his own house at Gibeah. And a portion of the army, whose hearts had been touched by God, went away with him.

Therefore, the messengers arrived at Gibeah of Saul. And they spoke these words in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voice and wept.

And Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. And two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and at mount Bethel. Then one thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But the remainder of the people, he sent back, each one to his own tent.

Then Samuel rose up and ascended from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And the remainder of the people ascended after Saul, to meet the people who were fighting against them, going from Gilgal into Gibeah, to the hill of Benjamin. And Saul took a census of the people, who had been found to be with him, about six hundred men.

Moreover, Saul was staying in the furthermost part of Gibeah, below the pomegranate tree that was at Migron. And the people with him were about six hundred men.

And the watchmen of Saul, who were at Gibeah of Benjamin, looked out, and behold, a multitude was thrown down and dispersed, this way and that.

Then Samuel went away to Ramah. But Saul ascended to his house at Gibeah.

And Saul heard that David, and the men who were with him, had been seen. Now while Saul was staying in Gibeah, and while he was in the forest that is in Ramah, holding a spear in his hand, with all his servants standing around him,

Then the Ziphites ascended to Saul at Gibeah, saying: “Behold, is not David hidden with us in very secure places in the woods on the hill of Hachilah, which is to the right of the desert?

And the Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah, saying: “Behold, David is hidden on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite the wilderness.”

And they placed the ark of God on a new cart. And they took it from the house of Abinadab, who was in Gibeon. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

And when they had taken it from the house of Abinadab, who was in Gibeon, Ahio preceded the ark as the keeper of the ark of God.

Let seven men from his sons be given to us, so that we may crucify them to the Lord in Gibeon of Saul, formerly the chosen place of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

Heleb, the son of Baanah, also himself a Netophathite, Ittai, the son of Ribai, from Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin,

Ithai, the son of Ribai, from Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin; Benaiah, a Pirathonite;

the leader was Ahiezer, with Joash, sons of Shemaah from Gibeah, and Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah and Jehu, from Anathoth.

They have passed through in haste; Geba is our seat; Ramah was stupefied; Gibeah of Saul fled.

Sound the bugle in Gibeah, the trumpet in Ramah. Shout in Bethaven, behind your back, O Benjamin.

They have sinned profoundly, just as in the days of Gibeah. He will remember their iniquity, and he will repay their sin.

From the days of Gibeah, Israel has sinned; in this, they remained firm. The battle in Gibeah against the sons of iniquity will not take hold of them.