Joshua

Joshua 9

1The kings of Canaan combine against Israel. 3The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league: 16the fraud is discovered, but they are saved on account of the oath of the princes. 22Joshua condemneth them to perpetual bondage.

1AND it came to pass, when all the kings which were ^aon this side Jordan, ^bin the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of ^cthe great sea over against Lebanon, ^dthe Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof ;

a ch. 3.17; 12.7. b De. 1.7. c Nu. 34.6. d Ge. 15.18-21. Ex. 13.5; 23.23,31; 34.11. De. 7.1. ch. 3.10; 12.8.

2That they ^egathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one ¹accord.

e Ps. 83.2-8; 2.1,2. 2Ch. 20.1. Re. 16.14. Lu. 16.8.

3¶And when the inhabitants of ^fGibeon ^gheard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

f v.17. ch. 10.2,10,12; 18.25. 2Co. 2.16. 2Sa. 21.1,2. g ch. 6.27.

4They did work ^hwilily, 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;

h Lu. 16.8; 8.44,47. Mat. 10.16. Ge. 34.2,13. 1Ki. 20.31.

5And old shoes and ^*clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

6And they went to Joshua ⁱunto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come ^jfrom a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

i ch. 5.10. j De. 20.11-15.

7And the men of Israel said unto the ^kHivites, ^*Peradventure ye dwell among us; and ^lhow shall we make a league with you?

k ch. 11.19. l Ex. 23.31-33; 34.12. De. 7.2; 20.16. Nu. 33.52.

8And they said unto Joshua, ^mWe are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

m De. 20.11. Es. 7.4. Ge. 9.25,26. v.11. 2Ki. 10.5.

9And they said unto him, From ⁿa very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: ^ofor we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

n De. 20.15. Is. 55.5. Ne. 9.5. Ps. 86.9; 83.18; 148.13. o ch. 2.9,10; 6.27. Ex. 7-14. Nu. 21.24-35. Ro. 16.26. Col. 1.26,27.

10And 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 ^pAshtaroth.

p De. 1.4. ch. 12.4. 1Ch. 6.71.

11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take ^*victuals ²with 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.

12This 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:

13And 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.

14And ³the men took of their ^*victuals, and ^qasked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

q Ex. 28.30. Nu. 27.21. 1Sa. 23.9; 30.7,8. Ezr. 8.21. 1Ch. 10.14. Is. 30.2.

15And Joshua ^rmade peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

r ch. 2.12-19; 6.22-25; 11.19. De. 20.10. 2Sa. 21.2-14. Je. 18.7,8.

16¶And it came to pass ^sat 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.

s Pr. 12.19.

17And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were ^tGibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and ^uKirjath-jearim.

t ch. 15.60; 10.2,4,12; 18.25,26,28. 2Sa. 2.13; 20.8. 1Ch. 8.29; 21.29. 1Ki. 3.5. Ezr. 2.25. u ch. 15.9,60; 18.14. 1Sa. 7.1. 1Ch. 13.5. Ju. 18.12. 1Sa. 6.21.

18And the children of Israel ^vsmote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation ^wmurmured against the princes.

v 2Sa. 21.7. Ec. 9.2. Ps. 15.4. Pr. 20.25. w Ro. 10.2. ch. 22.12. Jn. 12.5.

19But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We ^xhave sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

x 2Sa. 21.1,2. Eze. 17.13,19. Ps. 15.4. Pr. 20.25. Ju. 11.35; 21.5,7.

20This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest ^ywrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

y Pr. 20.25. Zec. 5.3,4. Mal. 3.5. Je. 4.2. Ec. 9.2. Eze. 17.13,18,19. 2Sa. 21.1,2,6.

21And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but ^zlet them be ^*hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had ^apromised them.

z De. 29.11. v.22,23. 1Ch. 9.2. Ezr. 2.45,58; 8.17,20. Ne. 3.26; 10.28. a v.15.

22¶And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, ^bWe are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

b v.6,9.

23Now therefore ye are ^ccursed, and there shall ⁴none of you be freed from being bondmen, and ^*hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

c Ge. 9.25,26. Le. 27.28,29.

24And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God ^dcommanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore ^ewe were ^*sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

d De. 7.1,2; 20.16. Ex. 23.31-33; 34.12. Nu. 33.52,53. e Ex. 15.14.

25And now, behold, we are ^fin thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

f Ge. 16.6.

26And so did he unto them, and ^gdelivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

g v.18,19.

27And Joshua ⁵made 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 ^hthe place which he should choose.

h De. 12.5-21; 16.2-16. ch. 18.1. 2Ch. 6.6.