Parallel Bible results for "joshua 9"

Joshua 9

The Message Bible MSG

1 All the kings west of the Jordan in the hills and foothills and along the Mediterranean seacoast north toward Lebanon - the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Girgashites, and Jebusites - got the news.

2 They came together in a coalition to fight against Joshua and Israel under a single command.

3 The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai

4 and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins,

5 threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food.

6 They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, "We've come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us."

7 The men of Israel said to these Hivites, "How do we know you aren't local people? How could we then make a covenant with you?"

8 They said to Joshua, "We'll be your servants." Joshua said, "Who are you now? Where did you come from?"

9 They said, "From a far-off country, very far away. Your servants came because we'd heard such great things about God, your God - all those things he did in Egypt!

10 And the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth!

11 Our leaders and everybody else in our country told us, 'Pack up some food for the road and go meet them. Tell them, We're your servants; make a covenant with us.'

12 "This bread was warm from the oven when we packed it and left to come and see you. Now look at it - crusts and crumbs.

13 And our cracked and mended wineskins, good as new when we filled them. And our clothes and sandals, in tatters from the long, hard traveling."

14 The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask God about it.

15 So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it.

16 And then, three days after making this covenant, they learned that they were next-door neighbors who had been living there all along!

17 The People of Israel broke camp and set out; three days later they reached their towns - Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

18 But the People of Israel didn't attack them; the leaders of the congregation had given their word before the God of Israel. But the congregation was up in arms over their leaders.

19 The leaders were united in their response to the congregation: "We promised them in the presence of the God of Israel. We can't lay a hand on them now.

20 But we can do this: We will let them live so we don't get blamed for breaking our promise."

21 Then the leaders continued, "We'll let them live, but they will be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire congregation." And that's what happened; the leaders' promise was kept.

22 But Joshua called the Gibeonites together and said, "Why did you lie to us, telling us, 'We live far, far away from you,' when you're our next-door neighbors?

23 For that you are cursed. From now on it's menial labor for you - woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."

24 They answered Joshua, "We got the message loud and clear that God, your God, commanded through his servant Moses: to give you the whole country and destroy everyone living in it. We were terrified because of you; that's why we did this.

25 That's it. We're at your mercy. Whatever you decide is right for us, do it."

26 And that's what they did. Joshua delivered them from the power of the People of Israel so they didn't kill them.

27 But he made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the Altar of God at the place God chooses. They still are.

New Century Version NCV

1 All the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these things: the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They lived in the mountains and on the western hills and along the whole Mediterranean Sea coast.

2 So all these kings gathered to fight Joshua and the Israelites.

3 When the people of Gibeon heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai,

4 they 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.

5 They put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes, and they took some dry, moldy bread.

6 Then 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."

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

8 The Hivites said to Joshua, "We are your servants." But Joshua asked, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

9 The 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.

10 We 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.

11 So our older leaders 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.

13 Look 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."

14 The men of Israel tasted the bread, but they did not ask the Lord what to do.

15 So 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.

16 Three days after they had made the agreement, the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites lived nearby.

17 So the Israelites went to where they lived and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

18 But the Israelites did not attack those cities, because they had made a promise to them before the Lord, the God of Israel. All the Israelites grumbled against the leaders.

19 But the leaders answered, "We have given our promise before the Lord, the God of Israel, so we cannot attack them now.

20 This is what we must do. We must let them live. Otherwise, God's anger will be against us for breaking the oath we swore to them.

21 So let them live, but they will cut wood and carry water for our people." So the leaders kept their promise to them.

22 Joshua called for the Gibeonites and asked, "Why did you lie to us? Your land was near our camp, but you told us you were from a far country.

23 Now, you will be placed under a curse to be our slaves. You will have to cut wood and carry water for the house of my God."

24 The Gibeonites answered Joshua, "We lied to you because we were afraid you would kill us. We heard that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all of this land and to kill all the people who lived in it. That is why we did this.

25 Now you can decide what to do with us, whatever you think is right."

26 So Joshua saved their lives by not allowing the Israelites to kill them,

27 but he made the Gibeonites slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelites, and they did it for the altar of the Lord -- wherever he chose it to be. They are still doing this today.