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Joshua 9
Modern English Version

The Gibeonite Deception

9 When all the kings west of the Jordan in the hill country, in the low country, and along all the coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite kings—heard this, 2 they gathered together as one to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they acted craftily, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and old wineskins, torn and mended, 5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves. All the bread of their provision was dry and crumbly. 6 They went to Joshua at the Gilgal settlement and said to him and the children of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Now make a pact with us.”

7 Then the children of Israel said to these Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us, so how could we make a pact with you?”

8 Yet they said to Joshua, “We are your slaves.”

Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

9 They said to him, “We, your slaves, have come from a very distant land because of the name of the Lord your God, for we heard news of Him and all He did in Egypt 10 and all that He did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take food provisions for the journey and go to meet them. Say to them, “We are your slaves. So now, make a pact with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours was hot as we took it from our homes on the day we left to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and crumbly. 13 These wineskins that we filled were new, but see, they are ripped open. These clothes and sandals wore out due to the very long journey.”

14 So the men examined some of the food provisions, but they did not ask the Lord about it. 15 Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

16 Three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and lived among them. 17 So the children of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 18 Now the children of Israel did not attack them, for the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, so the congregation murmured against the leaders.

19 Yet all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We swore to them by the Lord God of Israel, so now we may not harm them. 20 This is what we will do to them. We will let them live so that wrath will not come upon us due to the oath that we swore to them.” 21 The leaders of the congregation also said to them, “Let them live!” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders told them.

22 Joshua met them and said, “Why did you trick us, saying, ‘We are very distant from you,’ but you are living in our midst? 23 Therefore now you are cursed, and you will always be slaves, cutting wood and carrying water for the house of my God.”

24 They answered Joshua, “It was told to your slaves that the Lord your God commanded Moses His servant to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. So we were very afraid for our lives, and we did this thing. 25 Now here we are, in your hands. Do to us whatever is good and right in your eyes.”

26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hand of the children of Israel; and they did not kill them. 27 That day he made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of the Lord, even to this day, at the place He would choose.

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Joshua 9
New King James Version

The Treaty with the Gibeonites

9 And it came to pass when (A)all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of (B)the Great Sea toward Lebanon—(C)the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it, 2 that they (D)gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one [a]accord.

3 But when the inhabitants of (E)Gibeon (F)heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and [b]pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and [c]mended, 5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6 And they went to Joshua, (G)to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a [d]covenant with us.”

7 Then the men of Israel said to the (H)Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so (I)how can we make a covenant with you?”

8 But they said to Joshua, (J)“We are your servants.”

And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”

9 So they said to him: (K)“From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have (L)heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt, 10 and (M)all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. 11 Therefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” ’ 12 This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. 13 And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”

14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; (N)but they [e]did not ask counsel of the Lord. 15 So Joshua (O)made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them. 17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were (P)Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim. 18 But the children of Israel did not [f]attack them, (Q)because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.

19 Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them. 20 This we will do to them: We will let them live, lest (R)wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.” 21 And the rulers said to them, “Let them live, but let them be (S)woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had (T)promised them.”

22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, (U)‘We are very far from you,’ when (V)you dwell near us? 23 Now therefore, you are (W)cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because your servants were clearly told that the Lord your God (X)commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore (Y)we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25 And now, here we are, (Z)in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.” 26 So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. 27 And that day Joshua made them (AA)woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, (AB)in the place which He would choose, even to this day.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 9:2 Lit. mouth
  2. Joshua 9:4 acted as envoys
  3. Joshua 9:4 Lit. tied up
  4. Joshua 9:6 treaty
  5. Joshua 9:14 Lit. did not inquire at the mouth of
  6. Joshua 9:18 strike
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Joshua 9
New English Translation

The Gibeonites Deceive Israel

9 When the news reached all the kings on the west side of the Jordan[a]—in the hill country, the foothills,[b] and all along the Mediterranean coast[c] as far as[d] Lebanon (including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)— 2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel.[e]

3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and Ai, 4 they did something clever. They collected some provisions[f] and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched. 5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes. All their bread[g] was dry and hard.[h] 6 They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.” 7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us.[i] So how can we make a treaty with you?” 8 But they said to Joshua, “We are willing to be your subjects.”[j] So Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9 They told him, “Your subjects[k] have come from a very distant land because of the reputation[l] of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt[m] 10 and all he did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. 11 Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, “We are willing to be your subjects.[n] Make a treaty with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you,[o] but now it is dry and hard.[p] 13 These wineskins we filled were brand new, but look how they have ripped. Our clothes and sandals have worn out because it has been a very long journey.” 14 The men examined[q] some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the Lord’s advice.[r] 15 Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community[s] sealed it with an oath.[t]

16 Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby.[u] 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel.[v] The whole community criticized[w] the leaders, 19 but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of[x] the Lord God of Israel! So now we can’t hurt[y] them. 20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.”[z] 21 The leaders then added,[aa] “Let them live.” So they became[ab] woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided.[ac]

22 [ad] Joshua summoned the Gibeonites[ae] and said to them, “Why did you trick[af] us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby?[ag] 23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”[ah] 24 They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects[ai] how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified[aj] we would lose our lives, so we did this thing. 25 So now we are in your power.[ak] Do to us what you think is good and appropriate.”[al] 26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them[am] 27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.)[an]

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”
  2. Joshua 9:1 tn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the transition region between the hill country and the coastal plains.
  3. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
  4. Joshua 9:1 tn Heb “in front of.”
  5. Joshua 9:2 tn Heb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”
  6. Joshua 9:4 tc Heb “and they went and [?].” The root and meaning of the verb form יִצְטַיָּרוּ (yitstayyaru) are uncertain. The Hebrew text form most likely should be יִצְטַיָּדוּ (yitstayyadu), read by some Hebrew mss and ancient versions, from the root צוּד (tsud, “take provisions,” BDB 845 s.v. II צוד) which also occurs in v. 11. Note NRSV “they went and prepared provisions”; cf. NEB “They went and disguised themselves”; NIV “they went as a delegation.”
  7. Joshua 9:5 tn Heb “all the bread of their provisions.”
  8. Joshua 9:5 tn Or “moldy.”
  9. Joshua 9:7 tn Heb “in our midst.”
  10. Joshua 9:8 tn Heb “we are your servants.”
  11. Joshua 9:9 tn Or “servants.”
  12. Joshua 9:9 tn Heb “name.”
  13. Joshua 9:9 tn Heb “the report about him, all that he did in Egypt.”
  14. Joshua 9:11 tn Heb “your servants.”
  15. Joshua 9:12 tn Heb “in the day we went out to come to you.”
  16. Joshua 9:12 tn Or “moldy.”
  17. Joshua 9:14 tn Heb “took.” This probably means they tasted some of the food to make sure it was stale.
  18. Joshua 9:14 tn Heb “but they did not ask the mouth of the Lord.” This refers to seeking the Lord’s will and guidance through an oracle.
  19. Joshua 9:15 tn Or “assembly.”
  20. Joshua 9:15 tn Heb “Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.”
  21. Joshua 9:16 tn Heb “At the end of three days, after they made the treaty with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and in their midst they were living.”
  22. Joshua 9:18 tn Heb “by the Lord God of Israel.”
  23. Joshua 9:18 tn Or “grumbled against.”
  24. Joshua 9:19 tn Heb “to them by….”
  25. Joshua 9:19 tn Or “touch.”
  26. Joshua 9:20 tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”
  27. Joshua 9:21 tc Heb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”
  28. Joshua 9:21 tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.
  29. Joshua 9:21 tn Heb “as the leaders said to them.”
  30. Joshua 9:22 sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.
  31. Joshua 9:22 tn Heb “them.”
  32. Joshua 9:22 tn Or “deceive.”
  33. Joshua 9:22 tn Heb “live in our midst?”
  34. Joshua 9:23 tn Heb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
  35. Joshua 9:24 tn Heb “your servants.”
  36. Joshua 9:24 tn Or “we were very afraid.”
  37. Joshua 9:25 tn Heb “so now, look, we are in your hand.”
  38. Joshua 9:25 tn Heb “according to what is good and according to what is upright in your eyes to do us, do.”
  39. Joshua 9:26 tn Heb “And he did to them so and he rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel and they did not kill them.”
  40. Joshua 9:27 tn Heb “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the Lord to this day at the place which he chooses.”
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.

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