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The Gibeonites deceive Joshua

9 All the kings who lived west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened at Ai. They were the kings who ruled in the hill country, in the low hills in the west, and all the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, as far as Lebanon. They were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ² They joined together to fight against Joshua and the Israelites.

³ Some Hivite people who lived in Gibeon heard how Joshua had won against Jericho and Ai. ⁴ So they had a clever idea. Some men took old bags of food and broken bags of wine that had holes in them. They put these things on their donkeys. ⁵ They wore old shoes on their feet, and they dressed themselves in old clothes. They took some bread that was old and dry. ⁶ They arrived at the tents of the Israelites in Gilgal. They said to Joshua and to the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a land that is very far away. Please let us make an agreement that we will not fight each other.’

⁷ But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, ‘Perhaps you live near to us. So we could not make a promise not to fight against you.’

⁸ The Hivites said to Joshua, ‘If you agree, we will become your servants.’

Joshua asked them, ‘Who are you? Where do you come from?’

⁹ They answered, ‘We, your servants, have come from a country that is very far away. We heard about the Lord , who is your God. We have heard about all the things that he did in Egypt. ¹⁰ We also heard what he did to the two kings of the Amorites. They ruled cities east of the Jordan: Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ Our leaders and all our people told us to come to meet you. Our leaders said, “Take food and drink for your journey. Go to meet them, and say to them, ‘We want to be your servants. Please promise not to fight against us.’ ” ¹² We have come a very long way. This bread was warm when we put it in our bags on the day that we left home. But see how hard and dry it has become. ¹³ These bags of wine were new, but see how old and spoiled they are now. Our clothes and our shoes have become old as we made our long journey.’

¹⁴ The Israelite men tasted some of the Gibeonites' food, but they did not ask the Lord what they should do. ¹⁵ So Joshua agreed that they would not kill the people of Gibeon. The Israelite leaders also said that they would obey this agreement.

¹⁶ Three days after they made this agreement, the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites lived near to them. ¹⁷ So the Israelites left Gilgal to find the cities where the Hivites lived. After three days they arrived at their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath-Jearim. ¹⁸ The Israelites did not attack them, because of the promise that their leaders had made. They had made a strong promise in the name of the Lord God of Israel that they would not kill the Gibeonites.

The Israelite people were angry with their leaders, because of the agreement. ¹⁹ But all the leaders said to them, ‘We have made a strong promise to the Lord , Israel's God. So now we cannot hurt the Gibeonites. ²⁰ But this is what we will do. We will let them live, because we made a strong promise to do that. Then God will not punish us. ²¹ We will let them live, but they will become our servants. They will cut wood and they will fetch water for all the Israelite people.’ That is what the Israelite leaders decided to do.

²² Joshua called the Gibeonites to come to him. He asked them, ‘Why did you deceive us like that? You said that you lived far away from us. But you really live near to us. ²³ Because you told lies to us, you will always have to be our servants. You will cut wood and you will fetch water to serve our God.’

²⁴ The Gibeonites said to Joshua, ‘We heard about the command that the Lord your God had given to his servant, Moses. We know that he told Moses to take the whole of our land for you to live in. We know that you must kill all the people who live there now. Because of that, we were very afraid that you would kill us. That is why we did what we did. ²⁵ Now we are under your power. You must decide what to do with us. Do whatever you think is right and good.’

²⁶ So Joshua agreed. He did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites. ²⁷ Instead, they made the Gibeonites cut wood and fetch water, as servants for the Israelite people. They would also do this for the priests who served the Lord at his altar. They are still doing this, at the place that the Lord has chosen for his altar.

The Gibeonites Trick Joshua

9 All the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these things. They were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They lived in the hill country and in the plains. They also lived along the seacoast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon. ² All these kings came together and made plans to fight against Joshua and the Israelites.

³ The people from the city of Gibeon heard about the way Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai. ⁴ So they decided to try to trick the Israelites. This was their plan: They gathered together old wineskins that were cracked and broken. They put these old wineskins on the backs of their animals. They put old pieces of cloth on their animals to look as if they had traveled from far away. ⁵ The men put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. They found some old bread that was dry and moldy. ⁶ Then they went to the camp of the Israelites. This camp was near Gilgal.

The men went to Joshua and said to him, “We have traveled from a faraway country. We want to make a peace agreement with you.”

⁷ The men of Israel said to these Hivite men, “Maybe you are trying to trick us. Maybe you live near us. We cannot make a peace agreement with you until we know where you are from.”

⁸ The Hivite men said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”

But Joshua asked, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”

⁹ The men answered, “We are your servants. We have come from a faraway country. We came because we heard of the great power of the Lord your God. We heard about what he has done and about everything he did in Egypt. ¹⁰ And we heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan River. This was King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in the land of Ashtaroth. ¹¹ So our elders and our people said to us, ‘Take enough food for your journey. Go and meet with the Israelites.’ Tell them, ‘We are your servants. Make a peace agreement with us.’

¹² “Look at our bread. When we left home, it was warm and fresh. But now you can see that it is dry and old. ¹³ Look at our wineskins. When we left home, they were new and filled with wine. But now you can see that they are cracked and old. Look at our clothes and sandals. You can see that the long journey has almost destroyed the things we wear.”

¹⁴ The men of Israel wanted to know if these men were telling the truth. So they tasted the bread—but they did not ask the Lord what they should do. ¹⁵ Joshua agreed to make peace with them. He agreed to let them live. The leaders of Israel agreed with this promise of Joshua.

¹⁶ Three days later the Israelites learned that these men lived very near their camp. ¹⁷ So the Israelites went to the place where they lived. On the third day the Israelites came to the cities of Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. ¹⁸ But the army of Israel did not try to fight against those cities. They had made a peace agreement with them. They had made a promise to them before the Lord , the God of Israel.

All the people complained against the leaders who made the agreement. ¹⁹ But the leaders answered, “We have given our promise. We promised before the Lord , the God of Israel. We cannot fight against them now. ²⁰ This is what we must do. We must let them live. We cannot hurt them or God will be angry with us because we broke the promise we made to them. ²¹ So let them live, but they will be our servants. They will cut wood for us and carry water for all our people.” So the leaders did not break their promise of peace to them.

²² Joshua called the Gibeonites together. He said, “Why did you lie to us? Your land was near our camp. But you told us you were from a faraway country. ²³ Now, your people will have many troubles. All of your people will be slaves—they will have to cut wood and carry water for the house of God. ^{[ a ]} ”

²⁴ The Gibeonites answered, “We lied to you because we were afraid you would kill us. We heard that God commanded his servant Moses to give you all this land. And God told you to kill all the people who lived in this land. That is why we lied to you. ²⁵ Now we are your servants. You can do whatever you think is right.”

²⁶ So the Gibeonites became slaves, but Joshua let them live. He did not allow the Israelites to kill them. ²⁷ He made them slaves of the Israelites. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelites and for the altar of the Lord —wherever the Lord chose it to be. They are still slaves today.

Footnotes

Joshua 9:23 house of God This might mean the “family of God” (Israel), “the Holy Tent,” or “the Temple.”

9 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

² That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

³ And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

⁴ They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

⁵ And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

⁶ And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

⁷ And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

⁸ And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

⁹ And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

¹⁰ And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

¹¹ Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

¹² This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

¹³ And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

¹⁴ And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord .

¹⁵ And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

¹⁷ And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.

¹⁸ And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

¹⁹ But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

²⁰ This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

²¹ And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

²² And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

²³ Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

²⁴ And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

²⁵ And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

²⁶ And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

²⁷ And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord , even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

Deception by the Gibeonites

9 Now it came about when ^{( A )} all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, the lowland, and on all the ^{( B )} coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, ^{( C )} the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard about it, ² that they met together with ^{( D )} one ^{[ a ]} purpose, to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

³ The inhabitants of ^{( E )} Gibeon also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, ⁴ but they on their part acted craftily and went and took provisions for a journey, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins that were worn out, split open, and patched, ⁵ and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. ⁶ And they went to Joshua at the ^{( F )} camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now then, make a covenant with us.” ⁷ But the men of Israel said to the ^{( G )} Hivites, “Perhaps you are living ^{[ b ]} within our land; ^{( H )} how then are we to make a covenant with you?” ⁸ So they said to Joshua, “ ^{( I )} We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” ⁹ They said to him, “Your servants have come from ^{( J )} a very distant country because of the ^{[ c ]} fame of the Lord your God; for ^{( K )} we have heard the report about Him and all that He did in Egypt, ¹⁰ and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “ ^{( L )} We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”’ ¹² This bread of ours was hot when we took it for our provisions from our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. ¹³ And these wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are split open; and these clothes of ours and our sandals are worn out from the very long journey.” ¹⁴ So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and ^{( M )} did not ask for the ^{[ d ]} counsel of the Lord . ¹⁵ And ^{( N )} Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

¹⁶ However, it came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living ^{[ e ]} within their land. ¹⁷ Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were ^{( O )} Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. ¹⁸ But the sons of Israel did not ^{[ f ]} attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord , the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. ¹⁹ But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord , the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. ²⁰ This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath which we swore to them.” ²¹ So the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” And they became ^{( P )} gatherers of firewood and ^{[ g ]} labor to draw water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.

²² Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ ^{( Q )} when you are living ^{[ h ]} within our land? ²³ Now therefore, you are ^{( R )} cursed, and ^{[ i ]} you will never cease to be slaves, both gatherers of firewood and ^{[ j ]} labor to draw water for the house of my God.” ²⁴ So they answered Joshua and said, “ ^{( S )} Since your servants were fully informed that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and did this thing. ²⁵ And now behold, ^{( T )} we are in your hands; do to us as it seems good and right in your sight to do.” ²⁶ This he did to them, and saved them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. ²⁷ But on that day Joshua made them gatherers of firewood and ^{[ k ]} labor to draw water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord , to this day, ^{( U )} in the place which He would choose.

Footnotes

Joshua 9:2 Lit mouth
Joshua 9:7 Lit among us
Joshua 9:9 Or name
Joshua 9:14 Lit mouth
Joshua 9:16 Lit in the middle of it
Joshua 9:18 Lit strike
Joshua 9:21 Lit people drawing
Joshua 9:22 Lit among us
Joshua 9:23 Lit a servant will not be cut off from you
Joshua 9:23 Lit people drawing
Joshua 9:27 Lit people drawing

The Gibeonite Deception

9 Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, ^{( A )} in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea ^{( B )} as far as Lebanon ^{( C )} (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, ^{( D )} Hivites ^{( E )} and Jebusites) ^{( F )} — ² they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

³ However, when the people of Gibeon ^{( G )} heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ^{( H )} ⁴ they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded ^{[ a ]} with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. ⁵ They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. ⁶ Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal ^{( I )} and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; ^{( J )} make a treaty ^{( K )} with us.”

⁷ The Israelites said to the Hivites, ^{( L )} “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty ^{( M )} with you?”

⁸ “We are your servants, ^{( N )} ” they said to Joshua.

But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

⁹ They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country ^{( O )} because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports ^{( P )} of him: all that he did in Egypt, ^{( Q )} ¹⁰ and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, ^{( R )} and Og king of Bashan, ^{( S )} who reigned in Ashtaroth. ^{( T )} ¹¹ And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ ¹² This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. ¹³ And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

¹⁴ The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire ^{( U )} of the Lord . ¹⁵ Then Joshua made a treaty of peace ^{( V )} with them to let them live, ^{( W )} and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

¹⁶ Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near ^{( X )} them. ¹⁷ So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth ^{( Y )} and Kiriath Jearim. ^{( Z )} ¹⁸ But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath ^{( AA )} to them by the Lord , the God of Israel.

The whole assembly grumbled ^{( AB )} against the leaders, ¹⁹ but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the Lord , the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. ²⁰ This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath ^{( AC )} we swore to them.” ²¹ They continued, “Let them live, ^{( AD )} but let them be woodcutters and water carriers ^{( AE )} in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.

²² Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live a long way ^{( AF )} from you,’ while actually you live near ^{( AG )} us? ²³ You are now under a curse: ^{( AH )} You will never be released from service as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

²⁴ They answered Joshua, “Your servants were clearly told ^{( AI )} how the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. ²⁵ We are now in your hands. ^{( AJ )} Do to us whatever seems good and right ^{( AK )} to you.”

²⁶ So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. ²⁷ That day he made the Gibeonites ^{( AL )} woodcutters and water carriers ^{( AM )} for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose. ^{( AN )} And that is what they are to this day.

Footnotes

Joshua 9:4 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) They prepared provisions and loaded their donkeys

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The Gibeonites deceive Joshua

The Gibeonites Trick Joshua

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Deception by the Gibeonites

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The Gibeonite Deception

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The Gibeonite Deception

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