The Deceit of the Gibeonites

1And when all the Kings that were beyonde Iorden, in the mountaines and in the valleis, and by all the coastes of the great Sea ouer against Lebanon (as the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hiuites, and the Iebusites) heard thereof, 2They gathered themselues together, to fight against Ioshua, & against Israel with one accord.

3But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Ioshua had done vnto Iericho, and to Ai. 4And therefore they wrought craftily: for they went, and fayned themselues ambassadours, and tooke olde sackes vpon their asses, and olde bottels for wine, both rent and bound vp, 5And olde shoes and clouted vpon their feete: also the raiment vpon them was old, and all their prouision of bread was dried, and mouled. 6So they came vnto Ioshua into the hoste to Gilgal, and said vnto him, and vnto the men of Israel, Wee be come from a farre countrey: nowe therefore make a league with vs. 7Then the men of Israel said vnto the Hiuites, It may be that thou dwellest among vs, how then can I make a league with thee? 8And they said vnto Ioshua, We are thy seruants. Then Ioshua saide vnto them, Who are ye? And whence come ye? 9And they answered him, From a very farre countrey thy seruants are come for the Name of the Lorde thy God: for we haue heard his fame and all that he hath done in Egypt, 10And all that he hath done to the two Kings of the Amorites that were beyonde Iorden, to Sihon King of Heshbon, & to Og King of Bashan, which were at Ashtaroth. 11Wherefore our elders, and all the inhabitants of our countrey spake to vs, saying, Take vitailes with you for the iourney, and go to meete them, and say vnto them, Wee are your seruants: now therefore make ye a league with vs. 12This our bread we tooke it hote with vs for vittailes out of our houses, the day we departed to come vnto you: but nowe beholde, it is dried, and it is mouled. 13Also these bottels of wine which we filled, were newe, and lo, they be rent, and these our garments and our shooes are olde, by reason of the exceeding great iourney. 14And the men accepted their tale concerning their vittailes, and counselled not with the mouth of the Lord. 15So Ioshua made peace with them, & made a league with them, that he would suffer them to liue: also the Princes of the Congregation sware vnto them.

16But at the end of three dayes, after they had made a league with them, they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. 17And the children of Israel tooke their iourney, and came vnto their cities the third day, and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth and Kiriath-iearim. 18And the children of Israel slewe them not, because the Princes of the Congregation had sworne vnto them by the Lorde God of Israel: wherefore all the Congregation murmured against the Princes. 19Then all the Princes said vnto all the Congregation, We haue sworne vnto them by the Lord God of Israel: nowe therefore we may not touch them. 20But this we wil doe to them, and let them liue, least the wrath be vpon vs because of the othe which we sware vnto them. 21And the Princes sayd vnto them againe, Let them liue, but they shall hewe wood, and drawe water vnto all the Congregation, as the Princes appoint them.

22Ioshua then called them, and talked with them, and sayd, Wherefore haue ye beguiled vs, saying, We are very farre from you, when ye dwel among vs? 23Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the house of my God. 24And they answered Ioshua, and sayd, Because it was tolde thy seruants, that the Lord thy God had commanded his seruant Moses to giue you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land out of your sight, therefore we were exceeding sore afraid for our liues at the presence of you, and haue done this thing: 25And beholde nowe, we are in thine hand: doe as it seemeth good and right in thine eyes to doe vnto vs. 26Euen so did he vnto them, and deliuered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slewe them not. 27And Ioshua appointed them that same day to be hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the Congregation, and for the altar of the Lord vnto this day, in the place which he should chuse.