1 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 neighbors, 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.
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings H4428 which were on this side H5676 Jordan, H3383 in the hills, H2022 and in the valleys, H8219 and in all the coasts H2348 of the great H1419 sea H3220 over against H4136 Lebanon, H3844 the Hittite, H2850 and the Amorite, H567 the Canaanite, H3669 the Perizzite, H6522 the Hivite, H2340 and the Jebusite, H2983 heard H8085 thereof;
2 That they gathered H6908 themselves together, H3162 to fight H3898 with Joshua H3091 and with Israel, H3478 with one H259 accord. H6310
3 And when the inhabitants H3427 of Gibeon H1391 heard H8085 what Joshua H3091 had done H6213 unto Jericho H3405 and to Ai, H5857
4 They did work H6213 wilily, H6195 and went H3212 and made as if they had been ambassadors, H6737 and took H3947 old H1087 sacks H8242 upon their asses, H2543 and wine H3196 bottles, H4997 old, H1087 and rent, H1234 and bound up; H6887
5 And old H1087 shoes H5275 and clouted H2921 upon their feet, H7272 and old H1087 garments H8008 upon them; and all the bread H3899 of their provision H6718 was dry H3001 and mouldy. H5350
6 And they went H3212 to Joshua H3091 unto the camp H4264 at Gilgal, H1537 and said H559 unto him, and to the men H376 of Israel, H3478 We be come H935 from a far H7350 country: H776 now therefore make H3772 ye a league H1285 with us.
7 And the men H376 of Israel H3478 said H559 unto the Hivites, H2340 Peradventure H194 ye dwell H3427 among H7130 us; and how shall we make H3772 a league H1285 with you?
8 And they said H559 unto Joshua, H3091 We are thy servants. H5650 And Joshua H3091 said H559 unto them, Who are ye? and from whence H370 come H935 ye?
9 And they said H559 unto him, From a very H3966 far H7350 country H776 thy servants H5650 are come H935 because of the name H8034 of the LORD H3068 thy God: H430 for we have heard H8085 the fame H8089 of him, and all that he did H6213 in Egypt, H4714
10 And all that he did H6213 to the two H8147 kings H4428 of the Amorites, H567 that were beyond H5676 Jordan, H3383 to Sihon H5511 king H4428 of Heshbon, H2809 and to Og H5747 king H4428 of Bashan, H1316 which was at Ashtaroth. H6252
11 Wherefore our elders H2205 and all the inhabitants H3427 of our country H776 spake H559 to us, saying, H559 Take H3947 victuals H6720 with you H3027 for the journey, H1870 and go H3212 to meet H7125 them, and say H559 unto them, We are your servants: H5650 therefore now make H3772 ye a league H1285 with us.
12 This our bread H3899 we took hot H2525 for our provision H6679 out of our houses H1004 on the day H3117 we came forth H3318 to go H3212 unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, H3001 and it is mouldy: H5350
13 And these bottles H4997 of wine, H3196 which we filled, H4390 were new; H2319 and, behold, they be rent: H1234 and these our garments H8008 and our shoes H5275 are become old H1086 by reason of the very H3966 long H7230 journey. H1870
14 And the men H582 took H3947 of their victuals, H6718 and asked H7592 not counsel at the mouth H6310 of the LORD. H3068
15 And Joshua H3091 made H6213 peace H7965 with them, and made H3772 a league H1285 with them, to let them live: H2421 and the princes H5387 of the congregation H5712 sware H7650 unto them.
16 And it came to pass at the end H7097 of three H7969 days H3117 after H310 they had made H3772 a league H1285 with them, that they heard H8085 that they were their neighbours, H7138 and that they dwelt H3427 among H7130 them.
17 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 journeyed, H5265 and came H935 unto their cities H5892 on the third H7992 day. H3117 Now their cities H5892 were Gibeon, H1391 and Chephirah, H3716 and Beeroth, H881 and Kirjathjearim. H7157
18 And the children H1121 of Israel H3478 smote H5221 them not, because the princes H5387 of the congregation H5712 had sworn H7650 unto them by the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel. H3478 And all the congregation H5712 murmured H3885 against the princes. H5387
19 But all the princes H5387 said H559 unto all the congregation, H5712 We have sworn H7650 unto them by the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel: H3478 now therefore we may H3201 not touch H5060 them.
20 This we will do H6213 to them; we will even let them live, H2421 lest wrath H7110 be upon us, because of the oath H7621 which we sware H7650 unto them.
21 And the princes H5387 said H559 unto them, Let them live; H2421 but let them be hewers H2404 of wood H6086 and drawers H7579 of water H4325 unto all the congregation; H5712 as the princes H5387 had promised H1696 them.
22 And Joshua H3091 called H7121 for them, and he spake H1696 unto them, saying, H559 Wherefore have ye beguiled H7411 us, saying, H559 We are very H3966 far H7350 from you; when ye dwell H3427 among H7130 us?
23 Now therefore ye are cursed, H779 and there shall none of you be freed H3772 from being bondmen, H5650 and hewers H2404 of wood H6086 and drawers H7579 of water H4325 for the house H1004 of my God. H430
24 And they answered H6030 Joshua, H3091 and said, H559 Because it was certainly H5046 told H5046 thy servants, H5650 how that the LORD H3068 thy God H430 commanded H6680 his servant H5650 Moses H4872 to give H5414 you all the land, H776 and to destroy H8045 all the inhabitants H3427 of the land H776 from before H6440 you, therefore we were sore H3966 afraid H3372 of our lives H5315 because H6440 of you, and have done H6213 this thing. H1697
25 And now, behold, we H2009 are in thine hand: H3027 as it seemeth H5869 good H2896 and right H3477 unto thee to do H6213 unto us, do. H6213
26 And so did H6213 he unto them, and delivered H5337 them out of the hand H3027 of the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 that they slew H2026 them not.
27 And Joshua H3091 made H5414 them that day H3117 hewers H2404 of wood H6086 and drawers H7579 of water H4325 for the congregation, H5712 and for the altar H4196 of the LORD, H3068 even unto this day, H3117 in the place H4725 which he should choose. H977
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings that 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 thereof;
2 that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
4 they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up,
5 and old and patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and was become mouldy.
6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country: now therefore make ye a covenant with us.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant 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 Jehovah 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 the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
11 And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: and now make ye a covenant 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 is become mouldy:
13 and these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are 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 provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant 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 covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, 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 Kiriath-jearim.
18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by Jehovah, the 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 Jehovah, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them, and 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: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken unto 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 never fail to be of you bondmen, both 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 Jehovah 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 for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
25 And now, behold, we are in thy 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 Jehovah, unto this day, in the place which he should choose.
1 And it cometh to pass, when all the kings who `are' beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the low-country, and in every haven of the great sea, over-against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, hear --
2 that they gather themselves together to fight with Joshua, and with Israel -- one mouth.
3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon have heard that which Joshua hath done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 and they work, even they, with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up,
5 and sandals, old and patched, on their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision is dry -- it was crumbs.
6 And they go unto Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal, and say unto him, and unto the men of Israel, `From a land far off we have come, and now, make with us a covenant;'
7 and the men of Israel say unto the Hivite, `It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make with thee a covenant?'
8 and they say unto Joshua, `Thy servants we `are'.' And Joshua saith unto them, `Who `are' ye? and whence come ye?'
9 And they say unto him, `From a land very far off have thy servants come, for the name of Jehovah thy God, for we have heard His fame, and all that He hath done in Egypt,
10 and all that He hath done to the two kings of the Amorite who `are' beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who `is' in Ashtaroth.
11 `And our elders, and all the inhabitants of our land speak unto us, saying, Take in your hand provision for the way, and go to meet them, and ye have said unto them, Your servants we `are', and now, make with us a covenant;
12 this our bread -- hot we provided ourselves with it out of our houses, on the day of our coming out to go unto you, and now, lo, it is dry, and hath been crumbs;
13 and these `are' the wine-bottles which we filled, new, and lo, they have rent; and these, our garments and our sandals, have become old, from the exceeding greatness of the way.'
14 And the men take of their provision, and the mouth of Jehovah have not asked;
15 and Joshua maketh with them peace, and maketh with them a covenant, to keep them alive; and swear to them do the princes of the company.
16 And it cometh to pass, at the end of three days after that they have made with them a covenant, that they hear that they `are' their neighbours -- that in their midst they are dwelling.
17 And the sons of Israel journey and come in unto their cities on the third day -- and their cities `are' Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-Jearim --
18 and the sons of Israel have not smitten them, for sworn to them have the princes of the company by Jehovah God of Israel, and all the company murmur against the princes.
19 And all the princes say unto all the company, `We -- we have sworn to them by Jehovah, God of Israel; and now, we are not able to come against them;
20 this we do to them, and have kept them alive, and wrath is not upon us, because of the oath which we have sworn to them.'
21 And the princes say unto them, `They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.'
22 And Joshua calleth for them, and speaketh unto them, saying, `Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you, and ye in our midst dwelling?
23 and now, cursed are ye, and none of you is cut off `from being' a servant, even hewers of wood and drawers of water, for the house of my God.'
24 And they answer Joshua and say, `Because it was certainly declared to thy servants, that Jehovah thy God commanded Moses His servant to give to you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we fear greatly for ourselves because of you, and we do this thing;
25 and now, lo, we `are' in thy hand, as `it is' good, and as `it is' right in thine eyes to do to us -- do.'
26 And he doth to them so, and delivereth them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they have not slain them;
27 and Joshua maketh them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the company, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, at the place which He doth choose.
1 And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and along all the coast of the great sea as far as opposite to Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard [of it],
2 that they assembled together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up;
5 and old and patched sandals 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 to him, and to the men of Israel, From a far country are we come; and now make a covenant with us.
7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, Perhaps thou dwellest in the midst of us, and how should I make a covenant with thee?
8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
9 And they said to him, From a very far country are thy servants come, because of the name of Jehovah 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 the king of Heshbon, and to Og the king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
11 And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take victuals in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.
12 This our bread we took warm for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; and now, behold, it is dry, and is become mouldy.
13 And these flasks of wine which we filled new, behold, they are rent; and these our garments and our sandals are become old by reason of the very long journey.
14 And the men took of their victuals, but they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the princes of the assembly swore unto them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt in their midst.
17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day; and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.
18 And the children of Israel did not smite them, because the princes of the assembly had sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel. Then all the assembly murmured against the princes.
19 And all the princes said to all the assembly, We have sworn unto them by Jehovah the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath come upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them.
21 And the princes said to them, Let them live. And they were hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly; as the princes had said to them.
22 And Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you; whereas ye dwell in our midst?
23 And now ye are cursed, and ye shall never cease to be 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 Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and did this thing.
25 And now behold, we are in thy hand: as it is good and right in thine eyes to do to us, do.
26 And he did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, and they did not slay them.
27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the assembly, and for the altar of Jehovah, to this day, in the place which he should choose.
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;
2 that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 they 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,
5 and 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.
6 They 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.
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, What if you dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?
8 They said to Joshua, We are your servants. Joshua said to them, Who are you? and from whence come you?
9 They 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,
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 at Ashtaroth.
11 Our 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.
12 This 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:
13 and 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.
14 The men took of their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of Yahweh.
15 Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore to them.
16 It 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.
17 The children of Israel traveled, and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
18 The 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.
19 But 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.
20 This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them.
21 The 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.
22 Joshua 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?
23 Now 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.
24 They 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.
25 Now, behold, we are in your hand: as it seems good and right to you to do to us, do.
26 So did he to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they didn't kill them.
27 That 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.
1 Now on hearing the news of these things, all the kings on the west side of Jordan, in the hill-country and the lowlands and by the Great Sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
2 Came together with one purpose, to make war against Joshua and Israel.
3 And the men of Gibeon, hearing what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
4 Acting with deceit, got food together as if for a long journey; and took old food-bags for their asses, and old and cracked wine-skins kept together with cord;
5 And put old stitched-up shoes on their feet, and old clothing on their backs; and all the food they had with them was dry and broken up.
6 And they came to Joshua to the tent-circle at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, We have come from a far country: so now make an agreement with us.
7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, It may be that you are living among us; how then may we make an agreement with you?
8 And they said to Joshua, We are your servants. Then Joshua said to them, Who are you and where do you come from?
9 And they said to him, Your servants have come from a very far country, because of the name of the Lord your God: for the story of his great name, and of all he did in Egypt has come to our ears,
10 And what he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of Jordan, to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og, king of Bashan, at Ashtaroth.
11 So the responsible men and all the people of our country said to us, Take food with you for the journey and go to them, and say to them, We are your servants: so now make an agreement with us.
12 This bread which we have with us for our food, we took warm and new from our houses when starting on our journey to you; but now see, it has become dry and broken up.
13 And these wine-skins were new when we put the wine in them, and now they are cracked as you see; and our clothing and our shoes have become old because of our very long journey here.
14 And the men took some of their food, without requesting directions from the Lord.
15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made an agreement with them that they were not to be put to death: and the chiefs of the people took an oath to them.
16 Now three days after, when they had made this agreement with them, they had word that these men were their neighbours, living near them.
17 And the children of Israel went forward on their journey, and on the third day came to their towns. Now their towns were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.
18 And the children of Israel did not put them to death, because the chiefs of the people had taken an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. And all the people made an outcry against the chiefs.
19 But all the chiefs said to the people, We have taken an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and so we may not put our hands on them.
20 This is what we will do to them: we will not put them to death, for fear that wrath may come on us because of our oath to them.
21 Keep them living, and let them be servants, cutting wood and getting water for all the people. And all the people did as the chiefs had said to them.
22 Then Joshua sent for them, and said to them, Why have you been false to us, saying, We are very far from you, when you are living among us?
23 Now because of this you are cursed, and you will for ever be our servants, cutting wood and getting water for the house of my God.
24 And, answering Joshua, they said, Because it came to the ears of your servants that the Lord your God had given orders to his servant Moses to give you all this land, and to send destruction on all the people living in it, because of you; so, fearing greatly for our lives because of you, we have done this.
25 And now we are in your hands: do to us whatever seems good and right to you.
26 So he kept them safe from the children of Israel, and did not let them be put to death.
27 And that day Joshua made them servants, cutting wood and getting water for the people and for the altar of the Lord, in the place marked out by him, to this day.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Joshua 9
Commentary on Joshua 9 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Stratagem of the Gibeonites, and Their Consequent Preservation - Joshua 9
The victorious advance of the Israelites in the land induced the kings of Canaan to form a common league for the purpose of resisting them. But, as frequently happens, the many kings and lords of the towns and provinces of Canaan were not all united, so as to make a common and vigorous attack. Before the league had been entered into, the inhabitants of Gibeon, one of the largest towns in the central part of Canaan, together with the smaller neighbouring towns that were dependent upon it, attempted to anticipate the danger which threatened them by means of a stratagem, and to enter into a friendly alliance with the Israelites. And they succeeded, inasmuch as Joshua and the elders of the congregation of Israel fell into the snare that was laid for them by the ambassadors of the Gibeonites, who came to the camp at Gilgal, and made the desired treaty with them, without inquiring of the Lord. “This account,” as O. v. Gerlach says, “is a warning to the Church of God of all ages against the cunning and dissimulation of the world, which often seeks for a peaceable recognition on the part of the kingdom of God, and even for a reception into it, whenever it may be its advantage to do so.”
Joshua 9:1, Joshua 9:2 form the introduction to chs. 9-11, and correspond to the introduction in Joshua 5:1. The news of the miraculous passage of the Israelites through the Jordan had thrown all the kings of Canaan into such despair, that they did not venture to make any attack upon Israel. But they gradually recovered from their first panic, partly, no doubt, in consequence of the failure of the first attack of the Israelites upon Ai, and resolved to join together in making war upon the foreign invaders. The kings of Canaan did this when they heard, sc., what Israel had hitherto undertaken and accomplished, not merely “what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai” ( Knobel ): that is to say, all the kings across the Jordan, i.e., in the country to the west of the Jordan ( היּרדּן עבר , as in Joshua 5:1), viz., “ upon the mountains ” (not only the mountains of Judah, as in Joshua 10:40; Joshua 11:16, etc., but all the mountains which run throughout the whole length of Canaan, as in Deuteronomy 1:7 and Numbers 13:17 : see the explanation of the latter passage); “ in the lowlands ” ( shephelah , the low-lying country between the mountains and the sea-coast, which is simply intersected by small ranges of hills; see at Deuteronomy 1:7); “ and on all the coast of the Great Sea towards Lebanon ,” i.e., the narrow coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Joppa up to the Ladder of Tyre (see at Deuteronomy 1:7). The different tribes of the Canaanites are also mentioned by name, as in Joshua 3:10, except that the Girgashites are omitted. These gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one mouth, or with one accord (1 Kings 22:13).
But the inhabitants of a republic, which included not only Gibeon the capital, but the towns of Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim also, acted differently from the rest. Gibeon ( Γαβάων , Gabaon , lxx Vulg. ) was larger than Ai, being one of the royal cities (Joshua 10:2), and was inhabited by Hivites, who were a brave people (Joshua 10:7; Joshua 11:19). It was afterwards allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, and set apart as a Levitical town (Joshua 18:25; Joshua 21:17). After the destruction of Nob by Saul, the tabernacle was removed thither, and there it remained till the building of Solomon's temple (1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 21:29; 1 Kings 3:4-5; 2 Chronicles 1:3.). According to Josephus , it was forty or fifty stadia from Jerusalem, and judging from its name was built upon a hill. It is to be found in the modern Jib , two good hours' journey to the north-west of Jerusalem, a village of moderate size, on a long chalk hill which overlooks a very fertile, well cultivated plain, or rather a basin, consisting of broad valleys and plains, and rises like a vineyard, in the form of separate terraces ( Strauss, Sinai, p. 332). The remains of large massive buildings of great antiquity are still to be seen there, also some fountains, and two large subterraneous reservoirs (vid., Rob . Pal. ii. p. 136). When the Gibeonites heard of the fate of Jericho and Ai, they also did (something) with stratagem. In the expression המּה גּם (“ they also ”) there is a reference implied to what Joshua had done at Jericho and Ai; not, however, to the stratagem resorted to in the case of Ai, as such an allusion would not apply to Jericho. They set out as ambassadors : יצטיּרוּ , from צרר , which occurs in every other instance in the form of a noun, signifying a messenger (Proverbs 13:17, etc.). In the Hithpael it means to make themselves ambassadors, to travel as ambassadors. The translators of the ancient versions, however, adopted the reading יצטיּדוּ , they provided themselves with food; but this was nothing more than a conjecture founded upon Joshua 9:12, and without the slightest critical value. They also took “ old sacks upon their asses, and old mended wineskins .” מצררים , from צרר , lit . bound together, is very characteristic. There are two modes adopted in the East of repairing skins when torn, viz., inserting a patch, or tying up the piece that is torn in the form of a bag. Here the reference is to the latter, which was most in harmony with their statement, that the skins had got injured upon their long journey. Also “ old mended sandals upon their feet, and old clothes upon them (upon their bodies); and all the bread of their provisions had become dry and quite mouldy .” נקּדים , lit . furnished with points; נקוד , pointed, speckled (Genesis 30:32.). Hence the rendering of the lxx, εὐρωτιῶν ; Theod ., βεβρωμένοι ; Luther, schimmlicht , mouldy; whereas the rendering adopted by Aquila is ἐψαθυρωμένος ; by Symmachus , κάπορος , i.e., adustus , torridus ; and by the Vulgate , in frusta comminuti , i.e., crumbled.
Having made these preparations, they went to the Israelitish camp at Gilgal (Jiljilia), introduced themselves to the men of Israel ( אישׁ , in a collective sense, the plural being but little used, and only occurring in Proverbs 8:4; Isaiah 53:3, and Psalms 141:4) as having come from a distant land, and asked them to make a league with them. But the Israelites hesitated, and said to the Hivites, i.e., the Gibeonites who were Hivites, that they might perhaps be living in the midst of them (the Israelites), i.e., in the land of Canaan, which the Israelites already looked upon as their own; and if so, how could they make a league with them? This hesitation on their part was founded upon the express command of God, that they were not to make any league with the tribes of Canaan (Exodus 23:32; Exodus 34:12; Numbers 33:55; Deuteronomy 7:2, etc.). In reply to this the Gibeonites simply said, “ We are thy servants ” (Joshua 9:8), i.e., we are at thy service, which, according to the obsequious language common in the East, was nothing more than a phrase intended to secure the favour of Joshua, and by no means implied a readiness on their part to submit to the Israelites and pay them tribute, as Rosenmüller , Knobel , and others suppose; for, as Grotius correctly observes, what they wished for was “a friendly alliance, by which both their territory and also full liberty would be secured to themselves.” The Keri ויּאמר (Joshua 9:7) is nothing more than a critical conjecture, occasioned not so much by the singular אישׁ , which is frequently construed in the historical writings as a collective noun with a plural verb, as by the singular suffix attached to בּקרבּי , which is to be explained on the ground that only one of the Israelites (viz., Joshua) was speaking as the mouthpiece of all the rest. The plural ויּאמרוּ is used, because Joshua spoke in the name of the people.
To the further question put by Joshua, where they had come from, the Gibeonites replied, “ From a very distant land have thy servants come, because of the name of Jehovah thy God ,” or as they themselves proceed at once to explain: “ for we have heard the fame ( fama ) of Him, and all that He did in Egypt, and to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites .” They very wisely say nothing about the miracles connected with the crossing of the Jordan and the taking of Jericho, since, “as the inhabitants of a very far distant region, they could not have heard anything about things that had occurred so lately, even by report” ( Masius ).
When these tidings reached them, they were sent off by the elders (the leaders of the republic) and the inhabitants of the land to meet the Israelites, that they might offer them their service, and form an alliance with them. In confirmation of this, they point to their dried provisions, and their torn and mended skins and clothes.
The Israelites suffered themselves to be taken in by this pretence. “ The men (the elders of Israel) took of their provisions; but they did not ask the mouth of the Lord .” Instead of inquiring the will of the Lord in this matter through the Urim and Thummim of the high priest (Numbers 27:21), they contented themselves with taking some of the bread that was shown them, and tasting it; as if the dry mouldy bread furnished a safe guarantee of the truth of the words of these foreign ambassadors. Some commentators regard their taking of their provisions as a sign of mutual friendship, or of the league which they made; but in that case their eating with them would at any rate have been mentioned. Among the Arabs, simply eating bread and salt with a guest is considered a sign of peace and friendship.
Joshua 9:15
So Joshua made (granted) them peace (vid., Isaiah 27:5), and concluded a covenant with them ( להם , in their favour), to let them live; and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Letting them live is the only article of the league that is mentioned, both because this was the main point, and also with special reference to the fact that the Gibeonites, being Canaanites, ought properly to have been destroyed. It is true that Joshua and the princes of the congregation had not violated any express command of God by doing this; for the only thing prohibited in the law was making treaties with the Canaanites , which they did not suppose the Gibeonites to be, whilst in Deuteronomy 20:11, where wars with foreign nations (not Canaanites) are referred to, permission is given to make peace with them, so that all treaties with foreign nations are not forbidden. But they had failed in this respect, that, trusting to the crafty words of the Gibeonites, and to outward appearances only, they had forgotten their attitude to the Lord their God who had promised to His congregation, in all important matters, a direct revelation of His own will.
Three days after the treaty had been concluded, the Israelites discovered that they had been deceived, and that their allies dwelt among them (see Joshua 9:7). They set out therefore to deal with the deceivers, and reached their towns Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim on the third day. “ Chephirah , which was afterwards allotted to the tribe of Benjamin along with Gibeon and Beeroth, and was still inhabited after the captivity ( Joshua 18:25-26; Ezra 2:25; Nehemiah 7:29), is to be seen in the ruins of Kefir , an hour's journey to the east of Yalo, in the mountains, and three hours to the west of Gibeon (see Rob. Bibl. Res. p. 146, and Van de Velde, Memoir, pp. 303-4). Beeroth , Βηρώθ , according to Eusebius ( Onom. s. v. ) a hamlet near Jerusalem, and seven miles on the road to Nicopolis (it should read Neapolis ), was in the tribe of Benjamin (2 Samuel 4:2), and still exists in the large village of Bireh , which is situated upon a mountain nine Roman miles to the north of Jerusalem in a stony and barren district, and has still several springs and a good well, besides the remains of a fine old church of the time of the Crusades (see Rob. Pal. ii. pp. 130ff.; Seetzen, R. ii. pp. 195-6). Kirjath-jearim , also called Kirjath-baal (Joshua 15:60), Baalah (Joshua 15:9), and Baal-Jehuda (2 Samuel 6:2), was allotted to the tribe of Judah. It stood upon the boundary between Judah and Benjamin (Joshua 15:60; Joshua 18:15); and the ark remained there, after it had been sent back by the Philistines, until the time of David (1 Samuel 7:2; 2 Samuel 6:2; 1 Chronicles 13:5-6). According to the Onom., s. v . Καριαθιαρείμ and Βαάλ , it was nine or ten Roman miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Diospolis (Lydda), and is probably to be seen in the present Kuryet el Enab , a considerable village with a large number of olive trees, figs, pomegranates, and vineyards, from the last of which the old “town of the forests” has received the more modern name of “town of the vine” (see Rob. Pal. ii. p. 335, and Bibl. Res. pp. 156-7; and Seetzen , ii. p. 65). These towns, which formed one republic with Gibeon, and were governed by elders, were at so short a distance from Gilgal (Jiljilia), that the Israelites could reach it in one or two days. The expression “ on the third day ” is not at variance with this; for it is not stated that Israel took three days to march there, but simply that they arrived there on the third day after receiving the intelligence of the arrival of the ambassadors.
“ The Israelites smote them not ,” sc., with the edge of the sword, “ because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them ,” sc., to let them live (Joshua 9:15); but, notwithstanding the murmuring of the congregation, they declared that they might not touch them because of their oath. “ This (sc., what we have sworn) we will do to them, and let them live ( החיה , inf. abs. with special emphasis instead of the finite verb), lest wrath come upon us because of the oath .” Wrath (sc., of God), a judgment such as fell upon Israel in the time of David, because Saul disregarded this oath and sought to destroy the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:1.).
But how could the elders of Israel consider themselves bound by their oath to grant to the Gibeonites the preservation of life which had been secured to them by the treaty they had made, when the very supposition upon which the treaty was made, viz., that the Gibeonites did not belong to the tribes of Canaan, was proved to be false, and the Gibeonites had studiously deceived them by pretending that they had come from a very distant land? As they had been absolutely forbidden to make any treaties with the Canaanites, it might be supposed that, after the discovery of the deception which had been practised upon them, the Israelitish rulers would be under no obligation to observe the treaty which they had made with the Gibeonites in full faith in the truth of their word. And no doubt from the stand-point of strict justice this view appears to be a right one. But the princes of Israel shrank back from breaking the oath which, as is emphatically stated in Joshua 9:19, they had sworn by Jehovah the God of Israel, not because they assumed, as Hauff supposes, “that an oath simply regarded as an outward and holy transaction had an absolutely binding force,” but because they were afraid of bringing the name of the God of Israel into contempt among the Canaanites, which they would have done if they had broken the oath which they had sworn by this God, and had destroyed the Gibeonites. They were bound to observe the oath which they had once sworn, if only to prevent the sincerity of the God by whom they had sworn from being rendered doubtful in the eyes of the Gibeonites; but they were not justified in taking the oath. They had done this without asking the mouth of Jehovah (Joshua 9:14), and thus had sinned against the Lord their God. But they could not repair this fault by breaking the oath which they had thus imprudently taken, i.e., by committing a fresh sin; for the violation of an oath is always sin, even when the oath has been taken inconsiderately, and it is afterwards discovered that what was sworn to was not in accordance with the will of God, and that an observance of the oath will certainly be hurtful (vid., Psalms 15:4).
(Note: “The binding power of an oath ought to be held so sacred among us, that we should not swerve from our bond under any pretence of error, even though we had been deceived: since the sacred name of God is of greater worth than all the riches of the world. Even though a person should have sworn therefore without sufficient consideration, no injury or loss will release him from his oath.” This is the opinion expressed by Calvin with reference to Psalms 15:4; yet for all that he regards the observance of their oath on the part of the princes of Israel as a sin, because he limits this golden rule in the most arbitrary manner to private affairs alone, and therefore concludes that the Israelites were not bound to observe this “wily treaty.”)
By taking an oath to the ambassadors that they would let the Gibeonites live, the princes of Israel had acted unconsciously in violation of the command of God that they were to destroy the Canaanites. As soon therefore as they discovered their error or their oversight, they were bound to do all in their power to ward off from the congregation the danger which might arise of their being drawn away to idolatry-the very thing which the Lord had intended to avert by giving that command. If this could by any possibility be done without violating their oath, they were bound to do it for the sake of the name of the Lord by which they swore; that is to say, while letting the Gibeonites live, it was their duty to put them in such a position, that they could not possibly seduce the Israelites to idolatry. And this the princes of Israel proposed to do, by granting to the Gibeonites on the one hand the preservation of their lives according to the oath they had taken, and on the other hand by making them slaves of the sanctuary. That they acted rightly in this respect, is evident from the fact that their conduct is never blamed either by the historian or by the history, inasmuch as it is not stated anywhere that the Gibeonites, after being made into temple slaves, held out any inducement to the Israelites to join in idolatrous worship, and still more from the fact, that at a future period God himself reckoned the attempt of Saul to destroy the Gibeonites, in his false zeal for the children of Israel, as an act of blood-guiltiness on the part of the nation of Israel for which expiation must be made (2 Samuel 21:1.), and consequently approved of the observance of the oath which had been sworn to them, though without thereby sanctioning the treaty itself.
The princes declared again most emphatically, “ They shall live .” Thus the Gibeonites became hewers of wood and drawers of water to the congregation, as the princes had said to them, i.e., had resolved concerning them. This resolution they communicated to the congregation at the time, using the expression יחיוּ (let them live); but the historian has passed this over at Joshua 9:21 , and instead of mentioning the resolution proceeds at once to describe its execution.
Joshua then summoned the Gibeonites, charged them with their deceit, and pronounced upon them the curse of eternal servitude: “ There shall not be cut off from you a servant ,” i.e., ye shall never cease to be servants, ye shall remain servants for ever (vid., 2 Samuel 3:29; 1 Kings 2:4), “ and that as hewers of wood and drawers of waters for our God's house .” This is a fuller definition of the expression “for all the congregation” in Joshua 9:21. The Gibeonites were to perform for the congregation the slaves' labour of hewing wood and drawing water for the worship of the sanctuary-a duty which was performed, according to Deuteronomy 29:10, by the lowest classes of people. In this way the curse of Noah upon Canaan (Genesis 9:25) was literally fulfilled upon the Hivites of the Gibeonitish republic.
The Gibeonites offered this excuse for their conduct, that having heard of the command of God which had been issued through Moses, that all the Canaanites were to be destroyed (Deuteronomy 7:1; Deuteronomy 20:16-17), they had feared greatly for their lives, and readily submitted to the resolution which Joshua made known to them.
“ And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. He made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and indeed for the altar of the Lord ,” (assigning them) “ to the place which God would choose ,” viz., for the altar. אלהמּקום (to the place) is grammatically dependent upon ויּתּנם (he “gave them”). It by no means follows, however, that Joshua sent them there at that very time, but simply that he sentenced them to service at the altar in the place which would be chosen for the sanctuary. From the words “ unto this day ,” it no doubt follows, on the one hand, that the account was written after the fact had taken place; but, on the other hand, it also follows from the future יבחר (should, or shall choose), that it was written before the place was definitely fixed, and therefore before the building of Solomon's temple.