The Book of Joshua (WEB)
9:1 It happened, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the
lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the
Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it; 9:2that they gathered themselves
together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 9:3But when the inhabitants of
Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 9:4they also resorted to a ruse, and went
and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and wine-skins,
old and torn and bound up, 9:5and old and patched shoes on their feet, and old garments on them;
and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become moldy. 9:6They went to Joshua to the
camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now
therefore make you a covenant with us. 9:7The men of Israel said to the Hivites, What if you dwell
among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you? 9:8They said to Joshua, We are your
servants. Joshua said to them, Who are you? and from whence come you? 9:9They said to him,
From a very far country your servants are come because of the name of Yahweh your God: for we
have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 9:10and 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. 9:11Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying,
Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and tell them, We are your
servants: and now make you a covenant with us. 9:12This our bread we took hot for our provision
out of our houses on the day we came forth to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and is become
moldy: 9:13and these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are torn: and these
our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. 9:14The men took of
their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of Yahweh. 9:15Joshua made peace with them,
and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore to
them. 9:16It happened at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they
heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them. 9:17The children of Israel
journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah,
and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 9:18The children of Israel didn't strike them, because the princes of
the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation
murmured against the princes. 9:19But all the princes said to all the congregation, We have sworn to
them by Yahweh, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 9:20This we will do to
them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them. 9:21The
princes said to them, Let them live: so they became wood cutters and drawers of water to all the
congregation, as the princes had spoken to them. 9:22Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them,
saying, Why have you deceived us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?
9:23Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondservants, both wood
cutters and drawers of water for the house of my God. 9:24They answered Joshua, and said, Because
it was certainly told your servants, how that Yahweh your 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 for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 9:25Now, behold, we are in
your hand: as it seems good and right to you to do to us, do. 9:26So did he to them, and delivered
them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they didn't kill them. 9:27That day Joshua made
those wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Yahweh, to this
day, in the place which he should choose.
World English Bible