Joshua 9:1–10:15

Guile of the Gibeonites

1 Now it came about when aall the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the bcoast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, cthe Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it,

2 that they gathered themselves together with 1aone accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.

3 When the inhabitants of aGibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,

4 they also acted craftily and 1set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and 2mended,

5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled.

6 They went to Joshua to the acamp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”

7 The men of Israel said to the aHivites, “Perhaps you are living 1within our land; bhow then shall we make a covenant with you?”

8 But they said to Joshua, “aWe are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?”

9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from aa very far country because of the 1fame of the Lord your God; for bwe have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt,

10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth.

11 “So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “aWe are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.” ’

12 “This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled.

13 “These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.”

14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and adid not ask for the 1counsel of the Lord.

15 aJoshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

16 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living 1within their land.

17 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were aGibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim.

18 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders.

19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.

20 “This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.”

21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became ahewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.

22 Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ awhen you are living 1within our land?

23 “Now therefore, you are acursed, and 1you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”

24 So they answered Joshua and said, “aBecause it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

25 “Now behold, awe are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.”

26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them.

27 But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, ain the place which He would choose.

Chapter 10

Five Kings Attack Gibeon

1 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had 1utterly destroyed it (just aas he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had bmade peace with Israel and were 2within their land,

2 that 1he afeared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word ato Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4 “Come up to me and help me, and let us 1attack Gibeon, for it has amade peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.”

5 So the five kings of athe Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not 1abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.”

7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and aall the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors.

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “aDo not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not 1one of them shall stand before you.”

9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly 1by marching all night from Gilgal.

10 aAnd the Lord confounded them before Israel, and He 1slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, athe Lord threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died 1from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“O asun, stand still at Gibeon,

And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”

13 aSo the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in bthe book of Jashar? And cthe sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for athe Lord fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp to Gilgal.