Joshua 9

1And it happened, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan—in the hill country, in the lowland, and along the whole coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard of it,

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

3But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai.

4They too acted with cunning, and went and made provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and worn-out wineskins, split open and patched.

5They had worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and crumbly.

6They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land; so now make a covenant with us.”

7But the men of Israel said to the Hivite, “Perhaps you are living among us; how then could I make a covenant with you?”

8They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

9And they said to him, “Your servants have come from a very distant land for the name of Yahweh your God, for we have heard of his fame and all that he did in Egypt.”

10and 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 at Ashtaroth—

11So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them. Say to them, “We are your servants”; and now make a covenant with us.’

12This bread of ours was warm when we took it as our provisions from our houses on the day we set out to come to you, but now, look, it is dry and has become moldy.

13And these wineskins, which we filled when they were new—look, they have burst; and these our garments and our sandals have worn out from the journey being very long.

14So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask for the counsel of Yahweh.

15So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

16And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were near to them and were living among them.

17So the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

18But the sons of Israel did not strike them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. And all the congregation grumbled against the leaders.

19But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.”

20This is what we will do to them and let them live, so that wrath may not come upon us because of the oath that we swore to them.

21The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water-drawers for all the congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.

22Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living among us?”

23So now you are cursed, and there shall never cease to be from among you servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

24They answered Joshua and said, “Because it was clearly told to your servants what Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses: to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and we did this thing.”

25And now, here we are in your hand. Do to us as it is good and right in your eyes to do.

26So he did this for them, and he delivered them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.

27So Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers on that day for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place that he would choose.