| King James Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; | 1Eventually all the kings who reigned in the hill country across the Jordan River and in the low-lying coastlands of the Mediterranean Sea facing Lebanon heard about this. So the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites |
| 2That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. | 2united together as one to fight against both Joshua and Israel. |
| 3And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, | 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, |
| 4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; | 4they took the initiative by preparing their provisions shrewdly: they took tattered sacks for their donkeys, worn-out, torn, and mended wineskins, |
| 5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. | 5worn-out, patched sandals for their feet, and worn-out clothes. All of their food was dried out and covered in mold. |
| 6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. | 6Then they approached Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and addressed him and the Israelis, "We've arrived from a distant country, so please make a treaty with us right now." |
| 7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? | 7But the Israelis responded to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live in our midst. If this is so, how can we make a treaty with you?" |
| 8And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? | 8So they responded to Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua asked them, "Who are you? And where did you come from?" |
| 9And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, | 9They answered, "Your servants have arrived from a very distant land, because of the reputation of the LORD your God, because we've heard a report about all that he did in Egypt, |
| 10And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. | 10along with all of what he did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan River—that is, to King Sihon of Heshbon and to King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. |
| 11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. | 11So our leaders and all of the inhabitants of our country told us, 'Take provisions along with you for your journey, go to meet them, and tell them, "We are your servants. Come now and make a treaty with us."' |
| 12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: | 12Look at our bread: it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for our journey on the very day we set out to come to you. But now, look how it's dry and moldy. |
| 13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. | 13And these wineskins were new when we filled them, but look—now they're cracked. And our clothes and sandals are worn out from our very long journey." |
| 14And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. | 14So the leaders of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not ask the LORD about it. |
| 15And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. | 15They made a treaty with them, guaranteeing their lives with a covenant, and the leaders of the congregation confirmed it with an oath to them. |
| 16And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. | 16But three days after they had made the treaty with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and were living in their midst. |
| 17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. | 17So the Israelis set out for their cities and three days later they reached their cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. |
| 18And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. | 18The Israelis did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had made an oath with them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. Nevertheless, the entire congregation grumbled against their leaders. |
| 19But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. | 19Then all of the leaders spoke to the entire congregation, "We have sworn to them in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them. |
| 20This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them. | 20So this is what we'll do to them: we'll let them live, so that wrath won't come upon us because of the oath that we swore to them." |
| 21And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. | 21The leaders told them, "Let them live." So they became wood cutters and water carriers for the entire congregation, which is what the leaders had decided concerning them. |
| 22And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us? | 22Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and asked them, "Why did you deceive us by saying 'We live far away from you,' even though you were, in fact, living in our midst? |
| 23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. | 23Now therefore you are under a curse. Some of you will always be slaves, wood cutters, and water carriers for the house of my God." |
| 24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. | 24They replied to Joshua, "Because your servants had been informed that the LORD your God had certainly commanded his servant Moses to give you the entire land and to destroy all of the inhabitants of the land before you. So we were terrified for our lives because of you. That's why we did this. |
| 25And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. | 25Now we're under your control: do to us as it seems good and right in your opinion." |
| 26And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. | 26So this is what Joshua did for them: he saved them from the Israelis, and they did not kill them. |
| 27And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose. | 27However, on that very day Joshua made them become wood cutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the LORD's altar in the place that he should choose, and this tradition continues to this day. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
|
