³ Now the inhabitants of ^(A)Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai.

^15 (A)And Joshua made peace with them and cut a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

¹⁶ Now it happened at the end of three days after they had cut a covenant with them, that they heard that they were near them and that they were living ^[a]nearly among them. ¹⁷ Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were ^(B)Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. ¹⁸ But the sons of Israel did not strike them down because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. ¹⁹ Then all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, so now we cannot touch them. ²⁰ This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.”