Joshua 9
1 Jordan niduem bang ih siangpahrangnawk, mae nuiah kaom kaminawk, azawn ah om kaminawk, Lebanon mae hmaa bang ih, tuipui kalen taeng boih ah kaom, Hit, Amor, Kanaan, Periz, Hiv hoi Jebus kami ih siangpahrangnawk mah tamthang thaih o naah,
There were several kings [who ruled in lands that are] on the west side of the Jordan River. They were the kings of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group. They lived in the hilly area, in the foothills further west, and [on the plains] along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They heard [about what happened at Ai].
2 Joshua hoi Israel kaminawk tuk hanah, poek amhong o moe, maeto ah amkhueng o.
So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.
3 Jeriko vangpui hoi Ai vangpui nuiah, Joshua mah sak ih hmuen to Gibeon kaminawk mah thaih o naah,
When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,
4 nihcae loe aling koehhaih hoiah toksak o; kaprawn khukbuennawk, kaprawn moe, kangquem misurtui pailangnawk to laa hrang a phawh o sak moe, laicaeh baktiah angsak o.
they decided to trick the Israelis. They gathered some old sacks and some old leather wine bags that had been mended after they were cracked, and they put these on the backs of their donkeys.
5 To kaminawk loe khokpanai kaprawn abuenh o moe, khukbuen kaprawn to angkhuk o; nihcae mah buh ah tapawk o ih takaw doeh zaek boeh moe, tapatpae boih boeh.
They put on old sandals that had been patched, and wore old ragged clothes. And they took along bread that was dry and moldy.
6 To pacoengah ataihaih ahmuen Gilgal ah Joshua khaeah a caeh o moe, anih hoi Israel kaminawk khaeah, Kaicae loe angthla parai ahmuen hoiah kang zoh o pongah, kaicae hoi ampui sah si, tiah a naa o.
They traveled to where Joshua [and the other Israelis] had set up their tents near Gilgal. They said to Joshua and the other Israeli leaders, “We have traveled from a distant land. We want you to make a peace agreement with us.”
7 Israel kaminawk mah Hiv kaminawk khaeah, Nangcae loe kaicae taengah na oh o pongah, kawbangmaw nangcae hoi ampui ka sah o thai tih? tiah a naa o.
The Israeli leaders said to those men from [Gilead who were from] the Hiv people-group, “[We do not know if you truly live far from us]. If you live near us, we cannot [RHQ] make a peace agreement with you, [because God has commanded us to get rid of the people that are living near us].”
8 Nihcae mah Joshua khaeah, Kaicae loe na tamna ah ni ka oh o boeh, tiah a naa o. Toe Joshua mah nihcae khaeah, Nangcae loe mi aa? Naa bang hoiah maw nang zoh o? tiah a naa.
They replied to Joshua, “[If you make a peace agreement with us], we will be your servants.” But Joshua answered, “What people-group are you? Where do you come from?”
9 Nihcae mah anih khaeah, Ahmin kamthang na Angraeng Sithaw hoi anih mah Izip prae ah sak ih hmuennawk ka thaih o pongah, angthla parai ahmuen hoiah kang zoh o.
The men from Gibeon answered, “[We want to be] your [. We] have come here from a distant land, because we have heard about the great things that your god has done. We have heard about everything that he did in Egypt [to help you].
10 Jordan vapui ni angyae bangah kaom, Amor siangpahrang hnik; Heshbon siangpahrang Sihon hoi Ashtaroth vangpui ah kaom Bashan siangpahrang Og nuiah sak ih hmuennawk to ka thaih o boeh.
We have heard that he [enabled you to] defeat [the armies of] two kings of the Amor people-group, on the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon, the king who ruled in Heshbon [city], and Og, the king who ruled in Ashtaroth in the Bashan [area].
11 To pongah kaicae ih kacoehtanawk hoi prae thungah kaom kaminawk boih mah, Kholong caeh hanah caaknaek phaw oh loe, nihcae tongh hanah caeh oh, nihcae khaeah, Kaicae loe na tamna ah ni ka oh o, to pongah kaicae hoi ampui sah si, tiah thui oh, tiah ang naa o.
So our leaders and the rest of our people said to us, ‘Take some food and go to talk with the Israelis. Tell them, “We want to be your servants. So make a peace agreement with us.”’
12 Nang tongh hanah kang zoh o na niah ka tapawk o ih takaw doeh, khenah, vaihi loe zaek boeh moe, tapatpae buk boeh;
Look at our bread. It was fresh and warm [from having been baked] on the day that we left our area, but now it is dry and moldy.
13 hae ih misurtui doeh tabu kangtha pongah ni ka lawn o; toe khenah, vaihi loe tapok boih boeh; kholong kangthla hoiah kang zoh o pongah, khukbuennawk hoi khokpanainawk doeh prawn boih boeh, tiah a naa o.
Look at our leather wine bags. They were new when we filled them with wine [before we left], but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and our sandals are worn out from traveling [on the long road] to come here.”
14 Israel kaminawk loe Angraeng khaeah dueng ai ah, thoemto nihcae ih caaknaek to caak pae o.
The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.
15 Joshua loe nihcae hoi angdaehhaih sak moe, nihcae hingsak hanah ampui ah sak o; rangpui zaehoikung kacoehtanawk mah nihcae khaeah lokkamhaih sak o.
So Joshua agreed to make a peace agreement with the men from Gibeon to not kill them. All the Israeli leaders vowed to do what Joshua said in the agreement. [Then the men from Gibeon returned home].
16 Ampui sakhaih ni thumto pacoengah, to kaminawk loe, angmacae taengah khosah kami, nihcae taengah kaom kaminawk ni, tiah Israel kaminawk mah panoek o.
Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.
17 To pongah Israel kaminawk loe ni thumto na niah, nihcae ih vangpui Gibeon, Khephirah, Beeroth hoi Kirjath-Jearim ah caeh o.
So they went to where the men from Gibeon lived. After traveling [only] three days, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim.
18 Rangpui zaehoikung kacoehtanawk mah nihcae khaeah, Israel Angraeng Sithaw ih ahmin hoiah lokkam o boeh pongah, to vangpuinawk to Israel kaminawk mah tuh o ai. Toe kaminawk mah zaehoikungnawk to laisaep o thuih.
But the Israelis did not attack the people of those cities, because they had promised [to live peacefully with them], and Yahweh had heard them promise [to do that]. All the Israeli people grumbled against their leaders [for doing that].
19 Zaehoikungnawk boih mah kaminawk khaeah, Israel Angraeng Sithaw ih ahmin hoiah nihcae khaeah lokkamhaih ka sak o boeh pongah, vaihi nihcae to a sui o mak ai boeh.
But the leaders answered, “We promised to [live peacefully with them], and Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], heard us promise [to do that]. So now we cannot attack [EUP] them.
20 Nihcae khaeah lokkamhaih a sak o boeh pongah, to lokkamhaih to aicae nuiah krak han ai ah, hae kaminawk hae hingsak si loe, nihcae nuiah hae tiah sah o si, tiah a thuih o.
This is what we will do: We will not kill them. If we kill them, God will be very angry with us [and punish us] because of not doing what we promised to do.
21 Zaehoikungnawk mah nihcae khaeah, Hae kaminawk hae hingsak si, tiah a naa o; toe hae kaminawk hae kaminawk boih hanah thing aek kami hoi tui doh kami ah om o nasoe, tiah zaehoikungnawk mah rangpuinawk khaeah thuih pae o.
So we must allow them to live. But they will cut wood for us, and they will carry water for us.” So the Israeli leaders did what they had promised.
22 Joshua mah Gibeon kaminawk to kawk moe, nihcae khaeah, Tipongah kaicae taengah na oh o to mah, kangthla parai prae hoiah kang zoh o, tiah na thuih o moe, nang ling o loe?
Then Joshua summoned the men from Gibeon and asked them, “Why did you lie to us? Your land was near to where we had set up our tents, but you told us that you were from a distant land!
23 To pongah vaihi kasae na tongh o boeh; misong ah oh moe, ka Sithaw im hanah thing apu kami, tui doh kami ah ohhaih thung hoiah mi doeh na loih o mak ai boeh, tiah a naa.
So now you will become our slaves. You will always be forced to cut wood and carry water for [us Israeli people who worship in] the temple of our God.”
24 Nihcae mah Joshua khaeah, Hae prae boih hae nangcae han paek moe, hae ah kaom kaminawk boih nangcae hmaa ah hum boih hanah, na Angraeng Sithaw mah a tamna Mosi khaeah thuih pae ih loknawk to na tamnanawk mah ka thaih o boeh; nangcae ban ah duek han ka zit o pongah, hae tiah ka sak o moeng boeh, tiah a naa o.
The men from Gibeon replied, “We lied to you because we were afraid that you would kill us. We heard that Yahweh, your God, declared to his servant Moses that he would enable you to conquer all the people in this land and to kill all the people who lived in it.
25 Khenah, kaicae loe vaihi na ban ah ni ka oh o; hoih tiah na poek o ih baktih toengah sah o halat ah, tiah a naa o.
So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”
26 To pongah Joshua mah nihcae to hum ai, Israel kaminawk ban thung hoiah pahlong.
So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.
27 To na ni hoi kamtong Joshua mah Gibeon kaminawk to Angraeng ih hmaicam hoi kaminawk hanah, thing apu kami hoi tui doh kami ah suek; vaihni ni khoek to nihcae mah to tok to sak o.
Instead, he forced them to become the Israelis’ slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelis. They also brought the wood and water [that was needed for] the sacred altar of Yahweh, to whatever place Yahweh decided that they should build one. And the people of Gibeon are still doing that.
