The Gibeonites Deceive God's People
The Gibeonites arrive in worn sandals with mouldy bread, claiming a long journey. Israel inspects the provisions but does not ask our Father, and swears a treaty. Three days later the lie surfaces — and the oath still holds, so they become woodcutters.
9 1When all the kings beyond the Jordan—in the hill country, the lowland, and along the whole coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites heard of this, 2they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel. 3But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4they too acted with cunning: they set out disguised as envoys, taking worn-out sacks and old wineskins, split and patched, for their donkeys, 5worn, patched sandals on their feet, ragged clothes on them; all their bread was dry and crumbling. 6They went to Joshua at the Gilgal camp and told him and the Israelites, "We've come from a distant land; now make a covenant with us."
7But Israel's men said to the Hivites, "Maybe you live right among us. How can we make a covenant with you?"
8They told Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua asked, "Who are you, and where are you from?"
9They told him, "Your servants have come from a very distant land for the name of the LORD your God, because we have heard his fame—all he did in Egypt, 10and all he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. 11So our elders and all our people said, 'Take provisions for the journey, go meet them, and tell them, "We are your servants; now make a covenant with us."' 12Our bread was warm when we packed it at home the day we left to come to you; now, look—it's dry and crumbling. 13These wineskins were new when we filled them—now split. And our clothes and sandals are worn out from the very long journey."
14So the men sampled their provisions but did not ask our Father for counsel. 15Then Joshua made peace with them and cut a covenant to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them. a a v15 'Cut a covenant' is an ancient idiom: formal agreements were ratified by sacrificing and dividing animals between the two parties. 16Three days later, after making the covenant with them, they heard these people were neighbors living among them. 17The Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Their cities: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18But Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn to them by our Father, the God of Israel. And the whole assembly grumbled against the leaders. 19But all the leaders told the whole congregation, "We swore to them by our Father, the God of Israel, so now we cannot touch them. 20This is what we will do to them: let them live, so no anger falls on us for the oath we swore to them." 21The leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised.
22Then Joshua summoned them: "Why did you deceive us, saying, 'We live very far from you,' when you live right among us? 23So now you are cursed: you will always be servants—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my Father."
24They answered Joshua, "Your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God had ordered his servant Moses to give you the whole land and wipe out all who live in it before you. So, fearing greatly for our lives because of you, we did this. 25Now we are in your hand. Do to us whatever seems good and right in your eyes."
26So he did for them, rescuing them from the people of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27That day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and the altar of our Father at the place he would choose—and so it remains today.
