King James Version › Joshua › 9

Joshua

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1 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 Per­izzite, the Hivite, and the Je­busite, heard thereof; 2 That they gath­ered them­selves to­geth­er, to fight with Joshua and with Is­rael, with one ac­cord. 3 And when the in­hab­i­tants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jeri­cho and to Ai, 4 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; 5 And old shoes and clout­ed upon their feet, and old gar­ments upon them; and all the bread of their pro­vi­sion was dry and mouldy. 6 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. 7 And the men of Is­rael said unto the Hivites, Per­ad­ven­ture ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy ser­vants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? 9 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, 10 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 Ashtaroth. 11 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. 12 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: 13 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. 14 And the men took of their vict­uals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. 15 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. 16 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 neigh­bours, and that they dwelt among them. 17 And the chil­dren of Is­rael jour­neyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chep­hi­rah, and Beeroth, and Kir­jath­jearim. 18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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? 23 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. 24 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. 25 And now, be­hold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. 26 And so did he unto them, and de­liv­ered them out of the hand of the chil­dren of Is­rael, that they slew them not. 27 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.