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¹ And it came to pass, when all the kings that were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;² that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

³ But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,⁴ they also worked craftily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up,⁵ and old and patched shoes on their feet, and old garments on them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become moldy.⁶ And they went to Joshua to the camp 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 And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Perhaps you dwell among us; and how shall we make a covenant with you?⁸ And they said to Joshua, We are your slaves. And Joshua said to them, Who are you? and from where do you come?⁹ And they said to him, From a very far country your slaves have come because of the name of Yahweh your God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,¹⁰ and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.¹¹ And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your slaves: and now make a covenant with us.¹² This bread of ours we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go to you; but now, look, it is dry, and has become mouldy:¹³ and these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, look, they are rent: and these garments of ours and our shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey.¹⁴ And the men took of their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of Yahweh.

¹⁵ And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation swore to them.¹⁶ And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them;¹⁷ for the sons of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.¹⁸ And the sons of Israel did not smite them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.¹⁹ But all the princes said to all the congregation, We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.²⁰ This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them.²¹ And the princes said to them, Let them live and become cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation. So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.

²² And Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?²³ Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you slaves, both cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.²⁴ And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told your slaves, how that Yahweh your God commanded his slave Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.²⁵ And now, look, we are in your hand: as it seems good and right to you to do to us, do.²⁶ And so he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the sons of Israel, that they did not slay them.²⁷ And Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place which he should choose.