Joshua 9:8-24

⁸They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where did you come from?”

⁹They said to him, “Your servants have come here from a land very far away, because of the name of Yahweh your God. We have heard a report about him and about everything that he did in Egypt—

¹⁰and everything that he did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.

¹¹Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey. Go to meet them and say to them, “We are your servants. Make a treaty with us.”

¹²This is our bread, it was still warm when we took it from our houses on the day we set out to come to you. But now, see, it is dry and moldy.

¹³These wineskins were new when we filled them, and look, now they are leaking. Our garments and our sandals are worn-out from a very long journey.'”

¹⁴So the Israelites took some of their provisions, but they did not consult with Yahweh for guidance.

¹⁵Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The leaders of the people also made a vow to them.

¹⁶Three days after the Israelites made this covenant with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and that they lived nearby.

¹⁷Then the people of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

¹⁸The people of Israel did not attack them because their leaders had taken an oath about them before Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the Israelites were grumbling against their leaders.

¹⁹But all the leaders said to all the people, “We have taken an oath concerning them by Yahweh, the God of Israel, and now we cannot harm them.

²⁰This is what we will do to them: To avoid any wrath that may come on us because of the oath we swore to them, we will let them live.”

²¹The leaders said to their people, “Let them live.” So, the Gibeonites became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the Israelites, just as the leaders said about them.

²²Joshua called for them and said, “Why did you deceive us when you said, 'We are very far from you', when you live right here among us?

²³Now, because of this, you are cursed and some of you will always be slaves, those who cut wood and draw water for the house of my God.”

²⁴They answered Joshua and said, “Because it was told to your servants that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you—so we were very afraid for our lives because of you. That is why we did this thing.