Joshua 9
Common English Bible
The Gibeonites’ trick
9 All the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard about this, including those in the highlands, the lowlands, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon. They were Hittites and Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 2 They formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel. 3 In contrast, when the population of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they acted cleverly. They set out pretending to be messengers.[a] They took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and worn-out wineskins that were split and mended. 5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and were wearing worn-out clothes. All the bread in their supplies was dry and crumbly.
6 They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal. They said to him and to Israel, “We have come from a distant country. So now, make a treaty with us.”
7 Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How then could we make a treaty with you?”
8 Then they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”
Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where have you come from?”
9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the reputation of the Lord your God. We have heard a report about him and everything he did in Egypt. 10 We heard about everything he did to the two kings of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, Heshbon’s King Sihon and Bashan’s King Og, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 Our elders and all the population of our land said to us, ‘Take along supplies for the journey. Go meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. So now make a treaty with us.”’ 12 This is our bread. On the day we left to come to you we took it warm from our houses as supplies. But now here it is, dried up and crumbly. 13 These wineskins were new when we filled them. But here they are, split open. These clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 The Israelites[b] took some of their supplies, but they didn’t ask for any decision from the Lord. 15 Joshua made peace with them. He made a treaty with them to protect their lives. The leaders of the community made a solemn pledge to them.
Israel discovers the trick
16 Three days after the Israelites made a treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were actually their neighbors and were living among them. 17 So on the third day the Israelites marched out and came to their cities: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18 But the Israelites didn’t strike at them. This was because the leaders of the community had made a solemn pledge to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. The entire community grumbled against the leaders. 19 Then all the leaders said to the whole community, “We have made a solemn pledge to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. So we can’t touch them now. 20 This is what we’ll do with them. We’ll let them live so that wrath won’t come down on us because of the solemn pledge that we made to them.” 21 The leaders went on to say to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water haulers for the whole community, exactly as the leaders had intended for them.
22 Joshua called for the Gibeonites and spoke to them: “Why have you deceived us by saying, ‘We live very far away from you,’ when actually you live among us? 23 So now you are cursed. Some of you will always serve as woodcutters and water haulers for my God’s house.”
24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants had been told that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the entire land and to wipe out all its population on your account. So we feared for our very lives because of you and did this thing. 25 Now, here we are in your power. Do to us whatever seems good and proper to you.” 26 So Joshua treated them in this way. He spared them from the power of the Israelites, and they didn’t kill them. 27 That day Joshua assigned them as woodcutters and water haulers for the community and for the Lord’s altar, located wherever God[c] would choose. That is still the case today.
Footnotes
- Joshua 9:4 Heb uncertain
- Joshua 9:14 Or men
- Joshua 9:27 Or he
Josué 9
Nova Versão Internacional
A Astúcia dos Gibeonitas: o Acordo com Josué
9 E souberam disso todos os reis que viviam a oeste do Jordão, nas montanhas, na Sefelá[a] e em todo o litoral do mar Grande, até o Líbano. Eram os reis dos hititas, dos amorreus, dos cananeus, dos ferezeus, dos heveus e dos jebuseus. 2 Eles se ajuntaram para guerrear contra Josué e contra Israel.
3 Contudo, quando os habitantes de Gibeom souberam o que Josué tinha feito com Jericó e Ai, 4 recorreram a um ardil. Enviaram uma delegação, trazendo jumentos carregados de sacos gastos e vasilhas de couro velhas, rachadas e remendadas. 5 Os homens calçavam sandálias gastas e remendadas e vestiam roupas velhas. Todos os pães do suprimento deles estavam secos e esmigalhados. 6 Foram a Josué, no acampamento de Gilgal, e disseram a ele e aos homens de Israel: “Viemos de uma terra distante. Queremos que façam um acordo conosco”.
7 Os israelitas disseram aos heveus: “Talvez vocês vivam perto de nós. Como poderemos fazer um acordo com vocês?”
8 “Somos seus servos”, disseram a Josué.
Josué, porém, perguntou: “Quem são vocês? De onde vocês vêm?”
9 Eles responderam: “Seus servos vieram de uma terra muito distante por causa da fama do Senhor, o seu Deus. Pois ouvimos falar dele, de tudo o que fez no Egito, 10 e de tudo o que fez aos dois reis dos amorreus a leste do Jordão: Seom, rei de Hesbom, e Ogue, rei de Basã, que reinava em Asterote. 11 E os nossos líderes e todos os habitantes da nossa terra nos disseram: ‘Juntem provisões para a viagem, vão encontrar-se com eles e digam-lhes: Somos seus servos, façam um acordo conosco’. 12 Este nosso pão estava quente quando o embrulhamos em casa no dia em que saímos de viagem para cá. Mas vejam como agora está seco e esmigalhado. 13 Estas vasilhas de couro que enchemos de vinho eram novas, mas agora estão rachadas. E as nossas roupas e sandálias estão gastas por causa da longa viagem”.
14 Os israelitas examinaram[b] as provisões dos heveus, mas não consultaram o Senhor. 15 Então Josué fez um acordo de paz com eles, garantindo poupar-lhes a vida, e os líderes da comunidade o confirmaram com juramento.
16 Três dias depois de fazerem o acordo com os gibeonitas, os israelitas souberam que eram vizinhos e que viviam perto deles. 17 Por isso partiram de viagem, e três dias depois chegaram às cidades dos heveus, que eram Gibeom, Quefira, Beerote e Quiriate-Jearim. 18 Mas não os atacaram, porque os líderes da comunidade lhes haviam feito um juramento em nome do Senhor, o Deus de Israel.
Toda a comunidade, porém, queixou-se contra os líderes, 19 que lhes responderam: “Fizemos a eles o nosso juramento em nome do Senhor, o Deus de Israel; por isso não podemos tocar neles. 20 Todavia, nós os trataremos assim: vamos deixá-los viver, para que não caia sobre nós a ira divina por quebrarmos o juramento que lhes fizemos”. 21 E acrescentaram: “Eles ficarão vivos, mas serão lenhadores e carregadores de água para toda a comunidade”. E assim se manteve a promessa dos líderes.
22 Então Josué convocou os gibeonitas e disse: “Por que vocês nos enganaram dizendo que viviam muito longe de nós, quando na verdade vivem perto? 23 Agora vocês estão debaixo de maldição: nunca deixarão de ser escravos, rachando lenha e carregando água para a casa do meu Deus”.
24 Eles responderam a Josué: “Os seus servos ficaram sabendo como o Senhor, o seu Deus, ordenou que o seu servo Moisés lhes desse toda esta terra e que eliminasse todos os seus habitantes da presença de vocês. Tivemos medo do que poderia acontecer conosco por causa de vocês. Por isso agimos assim. 25 Estamos agora nas suas mãos. Faça conosco o que lhe parecer bom e justo”.
26 Josué então os protegeu e não permitiu que os matassem. 27 Mas naquele dia fez dos gibeonitas lenhadores e carregadores de água para a comunidade e para o altar do Senhor, no local que o Senhor escolhesse. É o que eles são até hoje.
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
- Joshua 9:2 Lit. mouth
- Joshua 9:4 acted as envoys
- Joshua 9:4 Lit. tied up
- Joshua 9:6 treaty
- Joshua 9:14 Lit. did not inquire at the mouth of
- Joshua 9:18 strike
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
