Joshua 9

1 There were several kings [who ruled in lands that are] on the west side of the Jordan River. They were the kings of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group. They lived in the hilly area, in the foothills further west, and [on the plains] along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They heard [about what happened at Ai].

Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ko e ngaahi tuʻi ʻaia naʻe ʻi he potu mai ni ʻo Sioatani, ʻi he ngaahi moʻunga, mo e ngaahi teleʻa, pea ʻi he ngaahi potu kotoa pē ʻoe tahi lahi ʻoku hangatonu atu ki Lepanoni, ko e kau Heti, mo e kau ʻAmoli, mo e kau Kēnani, mo e kau Pelesi, mo e kau Hevi, mo e kau Sepusi, ʻi heʻenau fanongo ai;

2 So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.

Naʻa nau fakakātoa fakataha ʻakinautolu, kenau tauʻi loto taha pē ʻa Siosiua, mo ʻIsileli.

3 When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,

Pea ʻi he fanongo ʻae kakai ʻo Kipione ki he meʻa kuo fai ʻe Siosiua ki Seliko, pea mo ʻAi,

4 they decided to trick the Israelis. They gathered some old sacks and some old leather wine bags that had been mended after they were cracked, and they put these on the backs of their donkeys.

Naʻa nau fai fakakākā, ʻonau ʻalu ʻo fai ʻo hangē ko ha kau tangata talafekau ʻakinautolu, ʻo ʻai ʻae ngaahi kato motuʻa ki heʻenau fanga ʻasi, mo e ngaahi hina uaine, kuo motuʻa, mo mahae, kuo nonoʻo ʻo ʻoposi:

5 They put on old sandals that had been patched, and wore old ragged clothes. And they took along bread that was dry and moldy.

Mo e ngaahi topuvaʻe motuʻa kuo monomono ki honau vaʻe, pea ʻai mo e ngaahi kofu motuʻa kiate kinautolu: pea ko e ma kotoa pē ʻo honau ʻoho naʻe mōmoa mo tuʻungafulufulua.

6 They traveled to where Joshua [and the other Israelis] had set up their tents near Gilgal. They said to Joshua and the other Israeli leaders, “We have traveled from a distant land. We want you to make a peace agreement with us.”

Pea naʻa nau ʻalu kia Siosiua ʻi he ʻapitanga ʻi Kilikali, ʻonau pehē kiate ia, pea ki he kau tangata ʻo ʻIsileli, “Kuo mau haʻu mei he fonua mamaʻo: pea ko eni te tau alea mo kimoutolu.”

7 The Israeli leaders said to those men from [Gilead who were from] the Hiv people-group, “[We do not know if you truly live far from us]. If you live near us, we cannot [RHQ] make a peace agreement with you, [because God has commanded us to get rid of the people that are living near us].”

Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he kau tangata ʻIsileli ki he kau Hevi, “Naʻa ko e kakai ʻoku tau nonofo ni ʻakimoutolu; pea ʻe fēfē ʻemau lea ke lelei mo kimoutolu?”

8 They replied to Joshua, “[If you make a peace agreement with us], we will be your servants.” But Joshua answered, “What people-group are you? Where do you come from?”

Pea naʻa nau tala kia Siosiua, “Ko hoʻo kau tamaioʻeiki ʻakimautolu. Pea pehē ʻe Siosiua kiate kinautolu, “Ko hai ʻakimoutolu? Pea kuo mou haʻu mei fē?”

9 The men from Gibeon answered, “[We want to be] your [. We] have come here from a distant land, because we have heard about the great things that your god has done. We have heard about everything that he did in Egypt [to help you].

Pea naʻa nau pehē kiate ia, “Kuo haʻu hoʻo kau tamaioʻeiki mei he fonua mamaʻo, ko e meʻa ʻi he huafa ʻo Sihova ko ho ʻOtua: he kuo mau fanongo ki hono ongoongo, mo ia kotoa pē naʻa ne fai ʻi ʻIsipite.

10 We have heard that he [enabled you to] defeat [the armies of] two kings of the Amor people-group, on the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon, the king who ruled in Heshbon [city], and Og, the king who ruled in Ashtaroth in the Bashan [area].

Mo ia kotoa pē naʻa ne fai ki he ongo tuʻi ʻoe kau ʻAmoli, ʻakinaua naʻe ʻi he kauvai ʻe taha ʻo Sioatani, kia Sihoni ko e tuʻi ʻa Hesiponi, pea kia Oki ko e tuʻi ʻo Pesani, ʻaia naʻe ʻi ʻAsitelote.

11 So our leaders and the rest of our people said to us, ‘Take some food and go to talk with the Israelis. Tell them, “We want to be your servants. So make a peace agreement with us.”’

Ko ia naʻe lea ai ʻemau kau mātuʻa mo e kakai kotoa pē ʻo homau fonua, ʻo pehē, Toʻo ʻae meʻakai ki homou fononga, pea ʻalu ʻo fakafetaulaki kiate kinautolu, pea mou pehē kiate kinautolu, Ko hoʻomou kau tamaioʻeiki ʻakimautolu: ko ia fokotuʻu hoʻomou fekau kiate kimautolu.

12 Look at our bread. It was fresh and warm [from having been baked] on the day that we left our area, but now it is dry and moldy.

Ko ʻemau ma ni naʻa mau toʻo mafana pe mei homau ngaahi fale ko homau ʻoho ʻi he ʻaho naʻa mau haʻu ai he mau hoko kiate kimoutolu; ka ko eni, vakai, kuo mōmoa ia, pea kuo tuʻungafulufulua.

13 Look at our leather wine bags. They were new when we filled them with wine [before we left], but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and our sandals are worn out from traveling [on the long road] to come here.”

Pea ko e ngaahi hina ni ʻoe uaine, ʻaia naʻa mau fakafonu, ʻoku foʻou; pea vakai, kuo nau mahae: pea ko ʻemau ngaahi kofu ni, mo e ngaahi topuvaʻe kuo hoko ʻo motuʻa ko e mae ʻi he fononga lōloa ʻaupito.”

14 The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.

Pea naʻa nau toʻo ʻenau meʻakai, pea naʻe ʻikai tenau fehuʻi ʻi he fofonga ʻo Sihova.

15 So Joshua agreed to make a peace agreement with the men from Gibeon to not kill them. All the Israeli leaders vowed to do what Joshua said in the agreement. [Then the men from Gibeon returned home].

Pea naʻe fai ʻae fakalelei ʻe Siosiua mo kinautolu, ʻo alea mo kinautolu, koeʻuhi ke tuku kenau moʻui: pea naʻe fuakava kiate kinautolu ʻae houʻeiki ʻoe fakataha.

16 Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.

Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi heʻene ʻosi mai ʻae ʻaho ʻe tolu, hili ʻenau fai ʻae lea mo kinautolu, naʻa nau fanongo, tā ko e vāofi pe ʻakinautolu, pea ʻoku nau nofo ofi kiate kinautolu.

17 So they went to where the men from Gibeon lived. After traveling [only] three days, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim.

Pea naʻe fononga ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ʻo hoko atu ki honau kolo ʻi hono tolu ʻoe ʻaho. Pea ko ʻenau ngaahi kolo, ko Kipione, mo Kifila, mo Piheloti, mo Kesa-Sialimi.

18 But the Israelis did not attack the people of those cities, because they had promised [to live peacefully with them], and Yahweh had heard them promise [to do that]. All the Israeli people grumbled against their leaders [for doing that].

Pea naʻe ʻikai teʻia ʻakinautolu ʻe he fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, ko e meʻa ʻi he houʻeiki ʻoe kakai naʻa nau fuakava kiate kinautolu ʻia Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli. Pea naʻe lāunga ʻae kakai kotoa pē koeʻuhi ko e houʻeiki.

19 But the leaders answered, “We promised to [live peacefully with them], and Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], heard us promise [to do that]. So now we cannot attack [EUP] them.

Ka naʻe lea ʻae houʻeiki kotoa pē ki he kakai, “Kuo ʻosi ʻemau fuakava kiate kinautolu ʻia Sihova ko e ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli: ko ia ʻoku ʻikai totonu ke mau ala kiate kinautolu.

20 This is what we will do: We will not kill them. If we kill them, God will be very angry with us [and punish us] because of not doing what we promised to do.

Te tau fai ʻae meʻa ni kiate kinautolu; tuku pe kenau moʻui, telia naʻa ʻiate kitautolu ʻae houhau, ko e meʻa ʻi he fuakava ʻaia kuo tau fai kiate kinautolu.

21 So we must allow them to live. But they will cut wood for us, and they will carry water for us.” So the Israeli leaders did what they had promised.

Pea naʻe tala ʻe he houʻeiki kiate kinautolu, Tuku kenau moʻui; kae hoko ʻakinautolu ko e kau tā fefie mo e kau ʻutu vai ki he kakai kotoa pē,” ʻo hangē ko e lea ʻae houʻeiki kiate kinautolu.

22 Then Joshua summoned the men from Gibeon and asked them, “Why did you lie to us? Your land was near to where we had set up our tents, but you told us that you were from a distant land!

Pea naʻe fekau ʻe Siosiua kenau haʻu, pea naʻe lea ia kiate kinautolu, ʻo pehē, “Ko e hā kuo mou kākā ai kiate kimautolu, ʻo pehē, ʻOku mau mamaʻo, ʻaupito meiate kimoutolu; kae tā ʻoku tau nonofo mo kimoutolu?

23 So now you will become our slaves. You will always be forced to cut wood and carry water for [us Israeli people who worship in] the temple of our God.”

Pea ko eni, ʻoku malaʻia ʻakimoutolu, pea ʻe ʻikai fakatauʻatāina hamou tokotaha mei he pōpula, ka ko e kau tā fefie mo e kau ʻutu vai ʻakimoutolu ki he fale ʻo hoku ʻOtua.”

24 The men from Gibeon replied, “We lied to you because we were afraid that you would kill us. We heard that Yahweh, your God, declared to his servant Moses that he would enable you to conquer all the people in this land and to kill all the people who lived in it.

Pea naʻa nau lea kia Siosiua ʻo pehē, “Ko e meʻa ʻi he fakahā ki hoʻo kau tamaioʻeiki, ʻae fekau ʻe Sihova ko ho ʻOtua kia Mōsese ke foaki kiate kimoutolu ʻae fonua kotoa pē, pea ke mou fakaʻauha ʻae kakai kotoa pē ʻoe fonua mei homou ʻao, ko ia naʻa mau manavahē lahi ai koeʻuhi ko ʻemau moʻui koeʻuhi ko kimoutolu, pea ko ia kuo mau fai ai ʻae meʻa ni.

25 So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”

Pea ko eni, vakai, ʻoku mau ʻi ho nima: ke ke fai kiate kimautolu ʻaia ʻoku matamatalelei mo totonu kiate koe.”

26 So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.

Pea naʻa ne fai ia kiate kinautolu, ʻo fakahaofi ʻakinautolu mei he nima ʻae fānau ʻa ʻIsileli, pea naʻe ʻikai te ne tāmateʻi ʻakinautolu.

27 Instead, he forced them to become the Israelis’ slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelis. They also brought the wood and water [that was needed for] the sacred altar of Yahweh, to whatever place Yahweh decided that they should build one. And the people of Gibeon are still doing that.

Pea naʻe ngaohi ʻakinautolu ʻe Siosiua ʻi he ʻaho ko ia ko e kau tā fefie, mo e kau ʻutu vai ki he kakai ʻoe fakataha, pea ki he feilaulauʻanga ʻo Sihova, ʻio, ʻo aʻu mai ki he ʻaho ni, ʻi he potu ko ia te ne fili.