< Joshua 9 >

1 Now on hearing the news of these things, all the kings on the west side of Jordan, in the hill-country and the lowlands and by the Great Sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
And when the kings of the Amorites on the other side of Jordan, who were in the mountain country, and in the plain, and in all the coast of the great sea, and those who were near Antilibanus, and the Chettites, and the Chananites, and the Pherezites, and the Evites, and the Amorites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites, heard [of it],
2 Came together with one purpose, to make war against Joshua and Israel.
they came all together at the same time to make war against Joshua and Israel.
3 And the men of Gibeon, hearing what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
And the inhabitants of Gabaon heard of all that the Lord did to Jericho and Gai.
4 Acting with deceit, got food together as if for a long journey; and took old food-bags for their asses, and old and cracked wine-skins kept together with cord;
And they also wrought craftily, and they went and made provision and prepared themselves; and having taken old sacks on their shoulders, and old and rent and patched bottles of wine,
5 And put old stitched-up shoes on their feet, and old clothing on their backs; and all the food they had with them was dry and broken up.
and the upper part of their shoes and their sandals old and clouted on their feet, and their garments old upon them—and the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy and corrupt.
6 And they came to Joshua to the tent-circle at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, We have come from a far country: so now make an agreement with us.
And they came to Joshua into the camp of Israel to Galgala, and said to Joshua and Israel, We are come from a far land: now then make a covenant with us.
7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, It may be that you are living among us; how then may we make an agreement with you?
And the children of Israel said to the Chorrhaean, Peradventure thou dwellest amongst us; and how should I make a covenant with thee?
8 And they said to Joshua, We are your servants. Then Joshua said to them, Who are you and where do you come from?
And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants: and Joshua said to them, Whence are ye, and whence have ye come?
9 And they said to him, Your servants have come from a very far country, because of the name of the Lord your God: for the story of his great name, and of all he did in Egypt has come to our ears,
And they said, Thy servants are come from a very far country in the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard his name, and all that he did in Egypt,
10 And what he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of Jordan, to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og, king of Bashan, at Ashtaroth.
and all that he did to the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Basan, who dwelt in Astaroth and in Edrain.
11 So the responsible men and all the people of our country said to us, Take food with you for the journey and go to them, and say to them, We are your servants: so now make an agreement with us.
And our elders and all that inhabit our land when they heard spoke to us, saying, Take to yourselves provision for the way, and go to meet them; and ye shall say to them, We are thy servants, and now make a covenant with us.
12 This bread which we have with us for our food, we took warm and new from our houses when starting on our journey to you; but now see, it has become dry and broken up.
These [are] the loaves—we took them hot for our journey on the day on which we came out to come to you; and now they are dried and become mouldy.
13 And these wine-skins were new when we put the wine in them, and now they are cracked as you see; and our clothing and our shoes have become old because of our very long journey here.
And these [are] the skins of wine which we filled when new, and they are rent; and our garments and our shoes are worn out because of the very long journey.
14 And the men took some of their food, without requesting directions from the Lord.
And the chiefs took of their provision, and asked not [counsel of] the Lord.
15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made an agreement with them that they were not to be put to death: and the chiefs of the people took an oath to them.
And Joshua made peace with them, and they made a covenant with them to preserve them; and the princes of the congregation sware to them.
16 Now three days after, when they had made this agreement with them, they had word that these men were their neighbours, living near them.
And it came to pass three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were near neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the children of Israel went forward on their journey, and on the third day came to their towns. Now their towns were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.
And the children of Israel departed and came to their cities; and their cities [were] Gabaon, and Kephira, and Berot, and the cities of Jarin.
18 And the children of Israel did not put them to death, because the chiefs of the people had taken an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. And all the people made an outcry against the chiefs.
Land the children of Israel fought not with them, because all the princes sware to them by the Lord God of Israel; and all the congregation murmured at the princes.
19 But all the chiefs said to the people, We have taken an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and so we may not put our hands on them.
And the princes said to all the congregation: We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel, and now we shall not be able to touch them.
20 This is what we will do to them: we will not put them to death, for fear that wrath may come on us because of our oath to them.
This we will do; take them alive, and we will preserve them: so there shall not be wrath against us by reason of the oath which we swore to them.
21 Keep them living, and let them be servants, cutting wood and getting water for all the people. And all the people did as the chiefs had said to them.
They shall live, and shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation, as the princes said to them.
22 Then Joshua sent for them, and said to them, Why have you been false to us, saying, We are very far from you, when you are living among us?
And Joshua called them together and said to them, Why have ye deceived me, saying, We live very far from you; whereas ye are fellow-countrymen of those who dwell among us?
23 Now because of this you are cursed, and you will for ever be our servants, cutting wood and getting water for the house of my God.
And now ye are cursed: there shall not fail of you a slave, or a hewer of wood, or a drawer of water to me and my God.
24 And, answering Joshua, they said, Because it came to the ears of your servants that the Lord your God had given orders to his servant Moses to give you all this land, and to send destruction on all the people living in it, because of you; so, fearing greatly for our lives because of you, we have done this.
And they answered Joshua, saying, It was reported to us what the Lord thy God charged his servant Moses, to give you this land, and to destroy us and all that dwelt on it from before you; and we feared very much for our lives because of you, and [therefore] we did this thing.
25 And now we are in your hands: do to us whatever seems good and right to you.
And now, behold, we [are] in your power; do to us as it is pleasing to you, and as it seems [good] to you.
26 So he kept them safe from the children of Israel, and did not let them be put to death.
And they did so to them; and Joshua rescued them in that day out of the hands of the children of Israel, and they did not slay them.
27 And that day Joshua made them servants, cutting wood and getting water for the people and for the altar of the Lord, in the place marked out by him, to this day.
And Joshua made them in that day hewers of wood and drawers of water to the whole congregation, and for the altar of God: therefore the inhabitants of Gabaon became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the altar of God until this day, even for the place which the Lord should choose.

< Joshua 9 >