Joshua 9

¹ Hearing these things, al the kings on this side of the Jordan, in the highlands and in the lowlands, allalong the coast of the Great Sea towards the Lebanon, Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites andJebusites, with one consent

² formed a fighting al iance against Joshua and Israel.

³ When the inhabitants of Gibeon learned how Joshua had treated Jericho and Ai, for their part,

⁴ they had recourse to a ruse. They provided themselves with supplies, and loaded their donkeys with oldsacks and with old wineskins which had burst and been sewn up again.

⁵ They put on patched old sandals and worn-out clothes. The only bread they took with them to eat wasdried up and crumbling.

⁶ They came to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, and to him and the men of Israel they said, 'We come froma distant country, so make a treaty with us.'

⁷ The Israelites answered these Hivites, 'For all we know, you may live right among us. How then couldwe make a treaty with you?'

⁸ They said to Joshua, 'We are your servants.' 'But who are you?' Joshua asked them, 'and where do youcome from?'

⁹ They said, 'Your servants have come from a country very far away, because of the fame of Yahwehyour God; for we have heard of him and of al that he did in Egypt,

¹⁰ and of al that he did to the two Amorite kings who used to live on the other side of the Jordan: Sihonking of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who used to live at Ashtaroth.

¹¹ Because of which, our elders and al the people of our country said to us, "Take provisions with you forthe journey; go and meet them and say to them: We are your servants; so make a treaty with us."

¹² Here is our bread; it was warm when we took it from home to provide for our journey the day we setout to come to you, and now, you can see, it is dried up and crumbling.

¹³ These wineskins were new when we filled them; you can see, they have burst; and these clothes andsandals of ours are worn out from travelling such a long way.'

¹⁴ The leaders sampled some of the food they offered, but they did not ask Yahweh's orders.

¹⁵ Joshua made peace with them, and struck a treaty with them guaranteeing their lives, and the leadersof the community ratified it by oath.

¹⁶ Now it so happened that three days after the treaty had been made, it became known that they were aneighbouring people, living in Israel's region.

¹⁷ The Israelites set out from camp, arriving in their towns three days later. Their towns were Gibeon,Chephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-Jearim.

¹⁸ The Israelites did not attack them, since the leaders of the community had sworn to them by Yahweh,God of Israel, but the whole community muttered against the leaders.

¹⁹ The leaders, however, al said to the whole community, 'Since we have sworn an oath to them byYahweh, God of Israel, we cannot touch them now.

²⁰ This is what we shal do with them: let them live, rather than bring retribution down on ourselves onaccount of the oath which we have sworn to them.'

²¹ And the leaders went on, 'Let them live, but let them be wood-cutters and water-carriers for the wholecommunity.' Thus spoke the leaders.

²² Joshua sent for the Gibeonites and asked them, 'Why did you deceive us by saying, "We live very faraway," when in fact you live right among us?

²³ From now on, you are accursed and wil for ever be serfs, as wood-cutters and water-carriers in thehouse of my God.'

²⁴ Their answer to Joshua was, 'We did it because your servants had been rightly told that Yahweh yourGod had ordered his servant Moses to give you the whole of this country and destroy al its inhabitants beforeyou; also because, as you advanced on us, we feared very greatly for our lives. That was why we did this.

²⁵ Now, as you see, we are at your mercy; do to us whatever you think good and right.'

²⁶ What he did with them was this: he saved them from the hand of the Israelites, who did not kil them.

²⁷ But that very day Joshua made them wood-cutters and water-carriers for the community and for thealtar of Yahweh, at the place which he would eventual y choose; and so they are today.