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Gintunto sang mga Taga-Gibeon ang mga Israelinhon

Karon, nabatian sang tanan nga hari sa nakatundan sang Jordan ang pagpangdaog sang mga Israelinhon. (Ini amo ang mga hari sang mga Hithanon, Amornon, Canaanhon, Periznon, Hivhanon, kag mga Jebusnon. Nagaestar sila sa mga kabukiran, sa mga bulobukid sa nakatundan,[a] kag sa baybayon sang Dagat sang Mediteraneo hasta sa Lebanon.) Nagtipon sila tanan sa pagpakig-away kay Josue kag sa Israel.

Pero sang mabatian sang mga taga-Gibeon ang ginhimo ni Josue sa Jerico kag sa Ai, nagpangita sila sang paagi sa pagtunto kay Josue. Nagpadala sila kay Josue sang mga tawo nga may mga karga sa mga asno nga daan nga mga sako kag daan nga mga panit nga suludlan sang bino nga gision kag tukapon. Nagsuksok ini nga mga tawo sang daan nga mga bayo kag daan kag tukapon nga mga sandalyas, kag nagbalon sang matig-a kag nagakapudpod nga mga tinapay. Dayon nagkadto sila kay Josue sa kampo sang Israel sa Gilgal kag nagsiling sa iya kag sa mga Israelinhon, “Nagkadto kami diri halin sa malayo nga lugar sa pagpangabay sa inyo nga maghimo kamo sang kasugtanan sa amon nga indi ninyo pag-anhon ang amon katawhan.” Pero nagsabat ang mga Israelinhon, “Basi taga-diri lang kamo malapit sa amon. Gani indi kami puwede nga maghimo sang kasugtanan sa inyo.” Nagpakitluoy sila kay Josue, “Handa kami sa pag-alagad sa inyo.” Nagpamangkot si Josue sa ila, “Sin-o kamo kag diin kamo naghalin?” Nagsabat sila, “Halin kami sa malayo gid nga lugar. Nagkadto kami diri kay nabatian namon ang parte sa Ginoo nga inyo Dios. Nabatian namon ang tanan nga ginhimo niya sa Egipto, 10 kag sa duha ka hari nga Amornon sa sidlangan sang Jordan. Ini nga mga hari amo sila ni Haring Sihon sang Heshbon, kag si Haring Og sang Bashan nga nagaestar sa Ashtarot. 11 Gani ginsugo kami sang amon mga manugdumala kag mga kasimanwa nga magpreparar sang mga balon nga pagkaon kag magkadto diri sa pagpakigkita sa inyo agod silingon kamo nga handa kami sa pag-alagad sa inyo, basta maghimo lang kamo sang kasugtanan sa amon nga indi ninyo kami pag-anhon. 12 Tan-awa bala ang amon tinapay, mainit pa ini paghalin namon, pero subong matig-a na kag nagakapudpod. 13 Ining mga panit nga suludlan bag-o pa ini sang ginpuno namon sang bino, pero tan-awa bala, gision na. Ang amon mga bayo kag mga sandalyas nagdaan na tungod sa malawig gid nga pagpanglakaton.”

14 Ginbaton[b] sang mga Israelinhon ang ila pagkaon. Pero wala sila nagpamangkot sa Ginoo parte sini. 15 Naghimo si Josue sang kasugtanan sa ila nga indi niya sila pag-anhon ukon pagpatyon. Kag ginsumpaan ini sang mga pangulo sang katilingban sang Israel.

16 Tatlo ka adlaw pagkatapos sang paghimo nila sang kasugtanan, nabatian sang mga Israelinhon nga malapit lang gali sa ila ang ginaestaran sang sadto nga mga tawo. 17 Gani naglakat ang mga Israelinhon, kag sa tapos ang tatlo ka adlaw nakaabot sila sa mga banwa nga ginaestaran sang sadto nga mga tawo. Ini nga mga banwa amo ang Gibeon, Kefira, Beerot, kag Kiriat Jearim. 18 Pero wala magsalakay ang mga Israelinhon sa ila tungod kay ang mga pangulo sang katilingban may ginsumpaan na nga kasugtanan sa ila sa ngalan sang Ginoo, ang Dios sang Israel.

Nagreklamo ang bug-os nga katilingban sa ila mga pangulo, 19 pero nagsabat ang tanan nga pangulo, “May ginsumpaan na kita sa ila sa ngalan sang Ginoo, ang Dios sang Israel, gani karon indi kita makatandog sa ila. 20 Amo na lang ini ang aton himuon: Indi naton sila pagpatyon kay basi pa kon silutan kita sang Dios tungod sa aton ginsumpa sa ila. 21 Pabay-i ninyo sila nga mabuhi. Pero himuon naton sila nga manugkahoy kag manugsag-ob para sa bug-os nga katilingban.” Kag amo ini ang natabo sa mga taga-Gibeon suno sa ginsiling sang mga pangulo parte sa ila.

22 Ginpatawag ni Josue ang mga taga-Gibeon kag ginsilingan, “Ngaa gintunto ninyo kami? Ngaa nagsiling kamo nga halin pa kamo sa malayo gid nga lugar, nga taga-diri man lang gali kamo malapit sa amon? 23 Tungod sa inyo ginhimo ginapakamalaot kamo sang Dios: Sugod subong, magaalagad kamo bilang manugkahoy kag manugsag-ob para sa balay sang akon Dios.” 24 Nagsabat sila kay Josue, “Ginhimo namon ini tungod nga nahadlok kami nga basi patyon ninyo kami. Kay nabatian gid namon nga ginsugo sang Ginoo nga imo Dios si Moises nga iya alagad nga maghatag sa inyo sini nga mga duta kag magpamatay sang tanan nga nagaestar diri. 25 Karon ari kami sa idalom sang imo gahom, pagusto ka kon ano sa imo ang dapat nga himuon sa amon.” 26 Wala gintugutan ni Josue nga patyon sila sang mga Israelinhon. 27 Pero ginhimo niya sila nga mga manugkahoy kag manugsag-ob para sa katilingban kag sa halaran sang Ginoo. Hasta subong ginahimo nila ini nga obra sa lugar nga ginpili sang Ginoo nga pagasimbahan sa iya.

Footnotes

  1. 9:1 mga bulobukid sa nakatundan: sa Hebreo, Shefela.
  2. 9:14 Ginbaton: ukon, Ginkaon.

Chapter 9

Confederacy Against Israel. When the news reached all the kings west of the Jordan, in the mountain regions and in the Shephelah, and all along the coast of the Great Sea as far as the Lebanon: Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites,(A) they gathered together to launch a common attack against Joshua and Israel.

The Gibeonite Deception. On hearing what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, the inhabitants of Gibeon(B) formed their own scheme. They chose provisions for a journey, making use of old sacks for their donkeys, and old wineskins, torn and mended. They wore old, patched sandals and shabby garments; and all the bread they took was dry and crumbly. Thus they journeyed to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, where they said to him and to the Israelites, “We have come from a far-off land; now, make a covenant with us.”(C) But the Israelites replied to the Hivites,[a] “You may be living in land that is ours. How, then, can we make a covenant with you?” But they answered Joshua, “We are your servants.” Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you? Where do you come from?” They answered him, “Your servants have come from a far-off land, because of the fame of the Lord, your God. For we have heard reports of all that he did in Egypt(D) 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan,(E) Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, ‘Take along provisions for the journey and go to meet them. Say to them: “We are your servants; now make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was still warm when we brought it from home as provisions the day we left to come to you, but now it is dry and crumbly. 13 Here are our wineskins, which were new when we filled them, but now they are torn. Look at our garments and sandals; they are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 Then the Israelite leaders partook of their provisions, without inquiring of the Lord.(F) 15 So Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant to let them live,(G) which the leaders of the community sealed with an oath.

Gibeonites Made Vassals. 16 Three days after the covenant was made, the Israelites heard that these people were from nearby, and would be living in Israel. 17 The third day on the road, the Israelites came to their cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim, 18 but did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. When the entire community grumbled against the leaders, 19 these all remonstrated with the community, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and so we cannot harm them. 20 Let us therefore let them live, and so deal with them that no wrath fall upon us because of the oath we have sworn to them.”(H) 21 Thus the leaders said to them, “Let them live, and become hewers of wood and drawers of water[b] for the entire community.” So the community did as the leaders advised them.(I)

22 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you deceive us and say, ‘We live far off from you’?—You live among us! 23 Now are you accursed: every one of you shall always be a slave, hewers of wood and drawers of water, for the house of my God.” 24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were fully informed of how the Lord, your God, commanded Moses his servant that you be given the entire land and that all its inhabitants be destroyed before you. Since, therefore, at your advance, we were in great fear for our lives, we acted as we did.(J) 25 And now that we are in your power, do with us what is good and right in your eyes.” 26 [c]Joshua did what he had decided: while he saved them from being killed by the Israelites, 27 on that day he made them, as they still are, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the community and for the altar of the Lord, in the place the Lord would choose.

Footnotes

  1. 9:7 The Hivites: apparently the Gibeonites belonged to this larger ethnic group (cf. also 11:19), although in 2 Sm 21:2 they are classed as Amorites; both groups are listed among the seven nations of Canaan whom, according to Dt 7:1–2, the Israelites were to dispossess.
  2. 9:21 Hewers of wood and drawers of water: proverbial terms for those who do menial work; cf. Dt 29:10–11.
  3. 9:26–27 Later on, Saul violated the immunity of the Gibeonites, but David vindicated it; cf. 2 Sm 21:1–9.

The Gibeonite Deception

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) they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

However, when the people of Gibeon(G) heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,(H) 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. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. 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.”

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

“We are your servants,(N)” they said to Joshua.

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

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

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