Joshua 9
1 Jordan khotlak, tlang neh kolrhawk kah long khaw, tuili puei langkaeng boeih kah neh Lebanon imdan kah Khitti, Amori, Kanaani, Perizzi, Khivee neh Jebusi manghai rhoek loh boeih a yaak uh.
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 Te dongah Joshua vathoh thil ham neh Israel te ol thikat thil ham tun coi uh thae.
So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.
3 Tedae Gibeon khosa rhoek long khaw Joshua loh Jerikho neh Ai taengah a saii te a yaak.
When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,
4 Te dongah amih te taengnah neh a saii uh tih cet uh. Te phoeiah sayuep bangla a laak dongah tolkhui a rhuem, misur tuitang a rhuem, a hep tih a ben te a khuen uh.
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 A kho dongkah khokhom rhuem tih tairhi coeng. A pum dongkah himbai khaw rhuem coeng tih a buham buh boeih rhae tih a ap om coeng.
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 Gilgal rhaehhmuen kah Joshua taengla a pha uh vaengah tah Joshua taeng neh Israel hlang rhoek taengah, “Kho hla lamkah ka pawk uh coeng dongah kaimih neh moi bop uh pawn sih,” a ti na uh.
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 Tedae Israel hlang rhoek loh Khivee te a doo tih, “Nang he kai khui ah kho na sak khaming, tedae balae tih nang taengah moi ka boh khaw ka boh eh,” a ti nah.
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 Joshua taengah khaw, “Kaimih he na sal rhoek ni,” a ti na uh vaengah amih te Joshua loh, “Nangmih te ulae, me lamkah lae na lo uh?” a ti nah.
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 Te vaengah anih te, “BOEIPA na Pathen ming kah a thang neh Egypt ah a saii boeih te ka yaak uh dongah na sal rhoek tah kho hla tloe lamkah ha pawk uh coeng.
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 Te dongah Jordan rhalvang kah Amori manghai rhoi, Heshbon manghai Sihon neh Ashtaroth kah Bashan manghai Oga taengah a saii boeih te khaw.
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 Te dongah kaimih kah a hamca rhoek neh ka khohmuen kah khosa boeih loh kaimih he ng'uen uh tih, ‘Na kut dongah longpueng kah ham lampu khuen uh lamtah amih aka doe la cet uh laeh. Te vaengah amih te, “Kaimih he na sal rhoek ni, kaimih neh paipi saii uh pawn sih,” ti nah,’ a ti.
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 “‘Nangmih taengla lo ham ka hlah uh hnin ah ka im kah buh bae kan cun uh dae tahae ah daeh tih a ap om coeng he.
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 Tuitang he khaw misur a thai ni ka loei uh dae vik ueth coeng he. Ka himbai neh ka khokhom longpueng te set puet ah hmawn boeih coeng,’ ti na uh,” a ti nah.
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 Te vaengah BOEIPA yilka a dawt uh mueh la amih kah buhcun te a hlang rhoek loh a paco uh.
The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.
15 Te dongah Joshua loh amih neh rhoepnah a saii tih amih hing sak ham paipi khaw a saii. Khoboei rhaengpuei long khaw amih taengah ol a caeng uh.
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 Tedae amih neh moi a boh uh phoeikah hnin thum dongah amih te a kaepvai neh a yoei kah khosa rhoek ni tila a yaak uh.
Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.
17 Te dongah Israel ca rhoek loh cet uh tih a hnin thum dongah tah amih kah khopuei la pawk uh. Te vaengah amih kah khopuei la Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth neh Kiriathjearim om.
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 Israel Pathen BOEIPA rhang neh khoboei rhaengpuei loh amih taengah a toemngam coeng dongah Israel ca rhoek loh amih te tloek uh van pawh. Te dongah khoboei rhoek te rhaengpuei loh boeih a rhaehba tak.
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 Te dongah rhaengpuei boeih taengah khoboei rhoek boeih loh, “Israel Pathen BOEIPA rhang neh mamih loh amih taengah n'toemngam uh coeng dongah amih te ben ham a coeng moenih.
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 Amih te hing sak ham he n'saii uh van daengah ni amih taengah n'toemngam uh olhlo loh mamih soah thinhul bat la a om pawt eh,” a ti na uh.
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 Te dongah amih te, “Khoboei rhoek tah hing uh mai saeh. Khoboei rhoek loh amih taengkah a thui vanbangla rhaengpuei boeih kah thing top neh tui than la om uh saeh,” a ti na uh.
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 Te dongah Joshua loh amih te a khue tih a voek. Amih te, “Balae tih kaimih nan phok uh tih, ‘Kaimih he khohla tloe lamkah ni,’ na ti uh. Tedae nangmih he kaimih khui kah khosa rhoek ni.
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 Te dongah nangmih tah thaephoei thil la om vetih na khui lamkah sal pataeng lohnaa mueh la ka Pathen im ham thing top neh tui than la om laeh,” a ti nah.
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 Te dongah Joshua te a doo uh tih, “BOEIPA na Pathen loh nangmih taengah khohmuen pum a paek ham a sal Moses a uen tih khohmuen kah khosa boeih khaw na mikhmuh lamloh a mitmoeng sak te na sal rhoek taengah a thui, a thui vaengah ka hinglu ham khaw nangmih te mat kang rhih uh dongah ni hekah hno he ka saii uh.
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 Tedae kaimih he na kut dongah ka om uh. Kaimih taengah na saii ham tueng tah na mikhmuh ah then tih thuem na ti bangla saii mai,” a ti na uh.
So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”
26 Te tlam te amih a saii van tih amih te Israel ca kut lamloh a huul coeng dongah amih te ngawn uh pawh.
So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.
27 Te vaeng khohnin ah amih te tihnin duela rhaengpuei neh a hmuen tuek ah BOEIPA hmueihtuk ham thing top neh tui than la Joshua loh a khueh.
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.
