Joshua 9
The Deceit of the
Gibeonites |
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And 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
Per'izzite, the Hivite, and the Jeb'usite, heard thereof;
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that they gathered themselves together,
to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
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And when the inhabitants of Gibeon
heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to A'i,
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they 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;
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and old shoes and clouted upon their
feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their
provision was dry and mouldy.
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And 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.
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And the men of Israel said unto the
Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a
league with you? Ex. 23.32 ; 34.12 · Deut. 7.2
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And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from
whence come ye?
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And 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,
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and 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 Ash'taroth. Num. 21.21-35
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Wherefore 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.
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This 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:
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and 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.
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And the men took of their victuals, and
asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.
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And Joshua made peace with them, and made
a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the
congregation sware unto them.
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And 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 neighbors, and that they dwelt among
them.
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And the children of Israel journeyed, and
came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephi'rah, and Beer'oth, and
Kir'jath-je'arim.
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And 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.
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But 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.
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This 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.
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And 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.
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And 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?
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Now 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.
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And 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.
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And now, behold, we are in thine
hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us,
do.
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And so did he unto them, and delivered
them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them
not.
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And 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.
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