| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1Now it came about when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, | 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. |
| 2that they gathered themselves together with one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel. | 2These kings combined their armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites. |
| 3When 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 also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on 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. |
| 5and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. | 5They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. |
| 6They went to Joshua 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 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.” |
| 7The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you are living within our land; how then shall 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.” |
| 8But they said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Then 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, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the fame of the LORD your God; for we have heard the 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 king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at 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). |
| 11"So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; now then, 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.”’ |
| 12"This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. | 12“This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy. |
| 13"These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of 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 of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD. | 14So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. |
| 15Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath 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. |
| 16It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living within their land. | 16Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby! |
| 17Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and 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. |
| 18The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled 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 the whole congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we cannot 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. |
| 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." | 20This is what we must do. We must let them live, for divine anger would come upon us if we broke our oath. |
| 21The leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. | 21Let them live.” So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community, as the Israelite leaders directed. |
| 22Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, "Why have you deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you are living within our land? | 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? |
| 23"Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers 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.” |
| 24So they answered Joshua and said, "Because it was certainly told your servants 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 before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done 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. |
| 25"Now behold, we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us." | 25Now we are at your mercy—do to us whatever you think is right.” |
| 26Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons 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 hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place which He would 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. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | 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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