| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this, | 1Now all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who lived in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far north as the Lebanon mountains. |
| 2they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel. | 2These kings combined their armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites. |
| 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, | 3But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, |
| 4they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, | 4they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. |
| 5with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. | 5They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. |
| 6And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” | 6When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.” |
| 7But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?” | 7The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.” |
| 8They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?” | 8They replied, “We are your servants.” “But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?” |
| 9They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, | 9They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the LORD your God and of all he did in Egypt. |
| 10and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. | 10We have also heard what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River—King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan (who lived in Ashtaroth). |
| 11So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.”’ | 11So our elders and all our people instructed us, ‘Take supplies for a long journey. Go meet with the people of Israel and tell them, “We are your servants; please make a treaty with us.”’ |
| 12Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. | 12“This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. |
| 13These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” | 13These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open. And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our very long journey.” |
| 14So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. | 14So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. |
| 15And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. | 15Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. |
| 16At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them. | 16Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby! |
| 17And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. | 17The Israelites set out at once to investigate and reached their towns in three days. The names of these towns were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. |
| 18But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders. | 18But the Israelites did not attack the towns, for the Israelite leaders had made a vow to them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. The people of Israel grumbled against their leaders because of the treaty. |
| 19But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. | 19But the leaders replied, “Since we have sworn an oath in the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel, we cannot touch them. |
| 20This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” | 20This is what we must do. We must let them live, for divine anger would come upon us if we broke our oath. |
| 21And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them. | 21Let them live.” So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community, as the Israelite leaders directed. |
| 22Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us? | 22Joshua called together the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you lie to us? Why did you say that you live in a distant land when you live right here among us? |
| 23Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” | 23May you be cursed! From now on you will always be servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.” |
| 24They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you—so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing. | 24They replied, “We did it because we—your servants—were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded his servant Moses to give you this entire land and to destroy all the people living in it. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you. That is why we have done this. |
| 25And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” | 25Now we are at your mercy—do to us whatever you think is right.” |
| 26So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. | 26So Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them. |
| 27But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that he should choose. | 27But that day he made the Gibeonites the woodcutters and water carriers for the community of Israel and for the altar of the LORD—wherever the LORD would choose to build it. And that is what they do to this day. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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