Joshua 9

1And when the kings of the Amorites on the other side of Jordan, who were in the mountaincountry, and in the plain, and in all the coast of the great sea, and those who were near Antilibanus,and the Chettites, and the Chananites, and the Pherezites, and the Evites, and the Amorites, and the Gergesites,and the Jebusites, heardof it, 2they came all together at the same time to make war against Joshua and Israel. 3And the inhabitants of Gabaon heard of all that the Lord did to Jericho and Gai. 4And they also wrought craftily, and they went and made provision and prepared themselves;and having taken old sacks on their shoulders, and old and tore and patched bottles of wine, 5and the upper part of their shoes and their sandals old and clouted on their feet, andtheir garments old upon them—and the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy and corrupt. 6And they came to Joshua into the camp of Israel to Galgala, and said to Joshua and Israel,We are come from a far land: now then make a covenant with us. 7And the children of Israel said to the Chorrhaean, Peradventure you dwell among us; andhow should I make a covenant with you? 8And they said to Joshua, We are your servants: and Joshua said to them, Whence are you⌃,and whence have you⌃ come? 9And they said, Your servants are come from a very far country in the name of the Lordyour God: for we have heard his name, and all that he did in Egypt, 10and all that he did to the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon kingof the Amorites, and Og king of Basan, who lived in Astaroth and in Edrain. 11And our elders and all that inhabit our land when they heard spoke to us, saying, Taketo yourselves provision for the way, and go to meet them; and you⌃ shall say to them, We are your servants,and now make a covenant with us. 12Theseare the loaves—we took them hot for our journey on the day on which we came out to come toyou; and now they are dried and become mouldy. 13And theseare the skins of wine which we filled when new, and they are tore; and our garments and ourshoes are worn out because of the very long journey. 14And the chiefs took of their provision, and asked notcounsel of the Lord. 15And Joshua made peace with them, and they made a covenant with them to preserve them;and the princes of the congregation sware to them. 16And it came to pass three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard thatthey were near neighbors, and that they lived among them. 17And the children of Israel departed and came to their cities; and their citieswere Gabaon, and Kephira, and Berot, and the cities of Jarin. 18Land the children of Israel fought not with them, because all the princes sware to themby the Lord God of Israel; and all the congregation murmured at the princes. 19And the princes said to all the congregation: We have sworn to them by the Lord God ofIsrael, and now we shall not be able to touch them. 20This we will do; take them alive, and we will preserve them: so there shall not be wrathagainst us by reason of the oath which we swore to them. 21They shall live, and shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation,as the princes said to them. 22And Joshua called them together and said to them, Why have you⌃ deceived me, saying,We live very far from you; whereas you⌃ are fellow-countrymen of those who dwell among us? 23And now you⌃ are cursed: there shall not fail of you a slave, or a hewer of wood, ora drawer of water to me and my God. 24And they answered Joshua, saying, It was reported to us what the Lord your God chargedhis servant Moses, to give you this land, and to destroy us and all that lived on it from before you;and we feared very much for our lives because of you, andtherefore we did this thing. 25And now, behold, weare in your power; do to us as it is pleasing to you, and as it seemsgood to you. 26And they did so to them; and Joshua rescued them in that day out of the hands of thechildren of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27And Joshua made them in that day hewers of wood and drawers of water to the wholecongregation, and for the altar of God: therefore the inhabitants of Gabaon became hewers of wood anddrawers of water for the altar of God until this day, even for the place which the Lord should choose. Then Joshua built an alter to the Lord God of Israel in mount Gebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it was writtenin the law of Moses, an alter of unhewn stones, on which iron had not been lifted up: and he offered therewhole burnt offerings to the Lord, and a piece offering. And Joshua wrote upon the stones a copy of thelaw,even the law of Moses, before the children of Israel. And all Israel, and their elders, and their judges, and their scribes, passed on oneside and on the other, before the ark; and the priests and the levites took up the ark of the covenantof the Lord; and the stranger and the nativewere there, who were half of them near mount Gebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord commandedat first, to bless the people. And afterwards Joshua read accordingly all the words of this law, the blessings and thecurses, according to all things written in the law of Moses. There was not a word of all that Moses charged Joshua, which Joshua read not in the earsof all men, and the women, and the children of Israel, and the strangers that joined themselves to Israel.

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