Joshua 9
1 All the kings west of the Jordan heard about this—in the hill country, the foothills, and along the whole coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon: the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
2 They joined forces to fight against Joshua and Israel, united in purpose.
3 But the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai.
4 They too acted cunningly. They set out posing as messengers and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and old wineskins, cracked and patched.
5 They wore worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and old clothes, and all the bread they had brought for the journey was dry and crumbling.
6 They went to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Now make a treaty with us.”
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua asked them, “Who are you, and where have you come from?”
9 They answered him, “Your servants have come from a very distant land because of the name of the LORD your God. We have heard of his fame and all that he did in Egypt,
10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
11 Our elders and all the people of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for the journey, go meet them, and say to them: “We are your servants. Now make a treaty with us.”’
12 This bread of ours was still warm when we packed it from our homes as provisions on the day we set out to come to you. But now, look, it is dry and crumbling.
13 These wineskins were new when we filled them, but look, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours have worn out from the very long journey.”
14 The men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not seek the LORD’s counsel.
15 Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them, letting them live. The community’s leaders swore an oath to them.
16 Three days after they had made the treaty with them, the Israelites learned that they were neighbors and lived among them.
17 The Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
18 The Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. But the whole community grumbled against the leaders.
19 All the leaders said to the whole community, “We swore an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Now we cannot touch them.
20 This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.”
21 The leaders also said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had said concerning them.
22 Joshua summoned them and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live very far from you,’ when you live among us?
23 Now you are cursed: you will never cease to provide slaves, woodcutters, and water carriers for the house of my God.”
24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all its inhabitants before you. So we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and we did this.
25 Now we are in your hands. Do with us whatever seems good and right in your eyes.”
26 So Joshua dealt with them in this way: he rescued them from the Israelites, and they were not killed.
27 That day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the LORD’s altar, to this day, at the place he would choose.
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