Gibeon's Deception Discovered
16 Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them.
17
So the Israelites set out and reached the Gibeonite cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
18
But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then the whole community grumbled against the leaders.
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All the leaders answered them, "We have sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them.
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This is how we will treat them: we will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them."
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They also said, "Let them live." So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them.
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Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, "Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us?
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Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves-woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
24
The Gibeonites answered him, "It was clearly reported to your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you. We greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.
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Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is right."
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This is what Joshua did to them: he delivered them from the hands of the Israelites, and they did not kill them.
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On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers-as they are today-for the community and for the Lord's altar at the place He would choose.