³When the people of Gibeon heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai, ⁴they decided to trick the Israelites. They gathered old sacks and old leather wine bags that were cracked and mended, and they put them on the backs of their donkeys. ⁵They put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes, and they took some dry, moldy bread. ⁶Then they went to Joshua in the camp near Gilgal.

The men said to Joshua and the Israelites, “We have traveled from a faraway country. Make a peace agreement with us.”

⁷The Israelites said to these Hivites, “Maybe you live near us. How can we make a peace agreement with you?”

⁸The Hivites said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”

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

⁹The men answered, “We are your servants who have come from a far country, because we heard of the fame of the Lord your God. We heard about what he has done and everything he did in Egypt. ¹⁰We heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites from the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan who ruled in Ashtaroth. ¹¹So our elders and our people said to us, ‘Take food for your journey and go and meet the Israelites. Tell them, “We are your servants. Make a peace agreement with us.” ’

¹²“Look at our bread. On the day we left home to come to you it was warm and fresh, but now it is dry and moldy. ¹³Look at our leather wine bags. They were new and filled with wine, but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and sandals are worn out from the long journey.”

¹⁴The men of Israel tasted the bread, but they did not ask the Lord what to do. ¹⁵So Joshua agreed to make peace with the Gibeonites and to let them live. And the leaders of the Israelites swore an oath to keep the agreement.

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