King James Version

1 And it happened when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard, in the hill country and in the lowland and in all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 2 And they gathered together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one mouth. 3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai. 4 And they also acted cunningly and went and gathered together and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and wineskins that were old and burst and mended. 5 And they wore sandals that were stained and tattered on their feet, and their garments were torn upon them, and all the bread of their provisions had grown stale. 6 And they went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land, and now make a covenant with us." 7 And an Israelite man said to the Hivite, "Perhaps you are dwelling among me, and how can I make a covenant with you?" 8 And they said to Joshua, "We are your servants." And Joshua said to them, "Who are you, and where do you come from?" 9 And they said to me, "From a very far land your servants have come for the name of the LORD your God, for we have heard His fame and all that He did in Egypt." 10 And all that he did for the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was in Ashtaroth. 11 And they said to us, our elders and all the inhabitants of our land, saying, "Take with you provisions for the journey and go to meet them. And you shall say to them, 'We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.'" 12 This is our bread; we cried out to Him from our homes on the day we went out to you, and now behold, it is dry and has become moldy. 13 And these are the wine skins that we filled with new ones, and behold, they have burst, and these are our garments and our shoes that are worn out from the great journey. 14 And the men took some of their provisions, but they did not consult the mouth of the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and cut a covenant for them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. 16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were near to them and were dwelling among them. 17 And the children of Israel traveled and came to their cities on the third day, and their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 And the sons of Israel did not strike them, for the leaders of the congregation swore to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and all the congregation complained against the leaders. 19 And all the leaders said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them." 20 This we shall do for them and keep them alive, and there will be no wrath upon us for the oath that we swore to them. 21 And they said to them, "The leaders will live, and they will be hewers of wood and fetchers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders have spoken to them." 22 And Joshua called to them and spoke to them, saying, "Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you dwell among us?" 23 And now you are cursed, and there shall not be cut off from you a servant and woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God. 24 And they answered Joshua and said, "For it has been told to your servants what the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to give to you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and we are very afraid for our lives because of you, and we will do this thing." 25 And now, behold, it is in your hand to do what is good and right in your eyes for us. 26 And he did so for them, and he saved them from the hand of the children of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 And Joshua gave to them on that day woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord until this day, to the place which he would choose.