Joshua 9:3–17

³But the people of Gibeon, who were Hivites, heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ⁴and they decided to deceive him. They went and got some food and loaded their donkeys with worn-out sacks and patched-up wineskins. ⁵They put on ragged clothes and worn-out sandals that had been mended. The bread they took with them was dry and mouldy. ⁶Then they went to the camp at Gilgal and said to Joshua and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant land. We want you to make a treaty with us.”

^7*But the Israelites said, “Why should we make a treaty with you? Maybe you live nearby.”

⁸They said to Joshua, “We are at your service.”

Joshua asked them, “Who are you? Where do you come from?”

⁹Then they told him this story: “We have come from a very distant land, sir, because we have heard of the Lord your God. We have heard about everything that he did in Egypt ^10*and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan: King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. ¹¹Our leaders and all the people that live in our land told us to get some food ready for a journey and to go and meet you. We were told to put ourselves at your service and ask you to make a treaty with us. ¹²Look at our bread. When we left home with it and started out to meet you, it was still warm. But look! Now it is dry and mouldy. ¹³When we filled these wineskins, they were new, but look! They are torn. Our clothes and sandals are worn out from the long journey.”

¹⁴The Israelites accepted some food from them, but did not consult the Lord about it. ¹⁵Joshua made a treaty of friendship with the people of Gibeon and allowed them to live. The leaders of the community of Israel gave their solemn promise to keep the treaty.

¹⁶Three days after the treaty had been made, the Israelites learnt that these people did indeed live nearby. ¹⁷So the people of Israel started out and three days later arrived at the cities where these people lived: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.