The Deceit of the Gibeonites

1And it will be when all the kings hear which are on the other side Jordan, in the mountain and in the plain, and in all the coast of the great sea, and in front of Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite; 2And they will gather together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one mouth.

3And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho and to Ai. 4And they will do in guile, and will go and will lay snares, and will take sacking worn out, for their asses, and leather sacks of wine worn out, and being rent and bound up; 5And shoes worn out and mended, upon their feet, and garments worn out upon them; and all the bread of their food dry; it was crumbs. 6And they will come to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and will say to him and to the men of Israel, From a land far off we came: and now cut out to us a covenant. 7And the men of Israel will say to the Hivite, Perhaps thou shalt dwell in the midst of me, and I shall not make a covenant to thee. 8And they will say to Joshua, We thy servants. And Joshua will say to them, Who are ye? and from whence will ye come? 9And they will say to him, From a land very far off thy servants came, for the name of Jehovah thy God; for we heard his fame and all that he did in Egypt. 10And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of Jordan, to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og, king of Bashan, in Ashtaroth. 11And our old men and all the inhabitants of our land will say to us, saying, Take in your hand food for the way, and go to meet them, and say to them, We your servants: and now cut out to us a covenant: 12This the hot bread we took it for food from our houses in the day we came forth to come to you; and now, behold, it dry, and it was crumbs. 13And these leather sacks of wine which we filled, new, and behold, they were rent; and these our garments and our shoes worn out from the exceeding greatness of the way. 14And the men will take of their food, and they asked not the mouth of Jehovah. 15And Joshua will make peace to them, and will cut out to them a covenant to preserve them alive: and the chiefs of the assembly sware to them.

16And it will be from the end of three days after they cut out a covenant to them, and they will hear that they are near to him, and they dwell in the midst of him. 17And the sons of Israel will remove and will come to their cities in the third day. And their cities, Gibeon and Chephirah and Barith, and Kirjath-Jearim. 18And the sons of Israel smote them not, for the chiefs of the assembly sware to them by Jehovah the God of Israel. And all the assembly will murmur against the chiefs. 19And all the chiefs will say to all the assembly, We sware to them by Jehovah the God of Israel: and now we shall not be able to touch upon them. 20This we will do to them, and preserve them alive; and anger shall not be upon us for the oath that we sware to them. 21And the chiefs will say to them, They shall live; and shall be cutting wood and drawing water to all the assembly as the chiefs spake to them.

22And Joshua will call to them and will speak to them, saying, For what did ye deceive us, saying, We are very far from you? and ye dwell in the midst of us. 23And now ye are cursed, and there shall not be cut off from you to serve, and hewing wood and drawing water for the house of my God. 24And they will answer Joshua, and will say, Because being announced, it was announced to thy servants that Jehovah thy God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land, and to destroy all inhabiting the land from before you, and we shall be greatly afraid for our souls from your face; and we shall do this word. 25And now, behold us in thy hand: as is good and as is right in your eyes to do to us, do. 26And he will do so to them, and he will deliver them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they slew them not. 27And Joshua will give them in that day hewing wood and drawing water for the assembly and for the altar of Jehovah till this day, to the place which he shall choose.