The Deceit of the Gibeonites
And it was, when all the kings who were across the Jordan — in the hill country, and in the lowland, and along all the shore of the Great Sea toward Lebanon — heard of it: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite,
that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one mouth.
But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
and they too acted with cunning: they went and disguised themselves as envoys, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and worn-out wineskins, cracked and tied up,
and worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provisions was dry and crumbled.
And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “From a far land we have come. And now, cut a covenant with us.”
And the men of Israel said to the Hivite, “Perhaps you are living in my midst — so how can I cut a covenant with you?”
And they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”
And they said to him: “From a very far land your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God — for we have heard the report of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorite who were across the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
And our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, saying: Take provisions in your hand for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, ‘We are your servants. And now, cut a covenant with us.’
This bread of ours was hot when we took it as provision from our houses on the day we went out to come to you; and now, look — it is dry, and has become crumbled.
And these wineskins, which we filled new — look, they have cracked. And these garments of ours and our sandals have worn out from the very great length of the way.”
And the men took of their provisions; but the mouth of the LORD they did not ask.
And Joshua made peace with them, and cut a covenant with them to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
And it was, at the end of three days after they had cut a covenant with them, that they heard that they were near to them — that they were living in their midst.
And the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day; and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
And the sons of Israel did not strike them down, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. And all the congregation grumbled against the leaders.
And all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel; and now we cannot touch them.
This we will do to them: let them live, so that no wrath will be on us over the oath that we swore to them.”
And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” And they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had spoken to them.
And Joshua called them and spoke to them, saying: “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you are living in our midst?
And now, you are cursed; and none of you shall ever cease to be a servant — cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”
And they answered Joshua and said, “Because it was surely told to your servants that the LORD your God had commanded Moses his servant to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we feared greatly for our souls because of you, and we did this thing.
And now, look — we are in your hand. As it is good and right in your eyes to do to us, do.”
And he did so to them, and delivered them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.
And Joshua made them, on that day, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, at the place that he would choose.