Joshua 9

1 and to be like/as to hear: hear all [the] king which in/on/with side: beyond [the] Jordan in/on/with mountain: mount and in/on/with Shephelah and in/on/with all coast [the] sea [the] Great (Sea) to(wards) opposite [the] Lebanon [the] Hittite and [the] Amorite [the] Canaanite [the] Perizzite [the] Hivite and [the] Jebusite

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 and to gather together to/for to fight with Joshua and with Israel lip one

So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.

3 and to dwell Gibeon to hear: hear [obj] which to make: do Joshua to/for Jericho and to/for Ai

When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,

4 and to make: do also they(masc.) in/on/with craftiness and to go: went and to take provision and to take: take sackcloth old to/for donkey their and wineskin wine old and to break up/open and to constrain

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 and sandal old and to spot in/on/with foot their and garment old upon them and all food: bread food their to wither to be crumb

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 and to go: went to(wards) Joshua to(wards) [the] camp [the] Gilgal and to say to(wards) him and to(wards) man Israel from land: country/planet distant to come (in): come and now to cut: make(covenant) to/for us covenant

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 (and to say *Q(K)*) man Israel to(wards) [the] Hivite perhaps in/on/with entrails: among my you(m. s.) to dwell and how? (to cut: make(covenant) *Q(k)*) to/for you covenant

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 and to say to(wards) Joshua servant/slave your we and to say to(wards) them Joshua who? you(m. p.) and from where? to come (in): come

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 and to say to(wards) him from land: country/planet distant much to come (in): come servant/slave your to/for name LORD God your for to hear: hear report his and [obj] all which to make: do in/on/with Egypt

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 and [obj] all which to make: do to/for two king [the] Amorite which in/on/with side: beyond [the] Jordan to/for Sihon king Heshbon and to/for Og king [the] Bashan which in/on/with Ashtaroth

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 and to say to(wards) us old: elder our and all to dwell land: country/planet our to/for to say to take: take in/on/with hand your provision to/for way: journey and to go: went to/for to encounter: meet them and to say to(wards) them servant/slave your we and now to cut: make(covenant) to/for us covenant

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 this food: bread our hot to provision [obj] him from house: home our in/on/with day to come out: come we to/for to go: come to(wards) you and now behold to wither and to be crumb

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 and these wineskin [the] wine which to fill new and behold to break up/open and these garment our and sandal our to become old from abundance [the] way: journey much

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 and to take: take [the] human from food their and [obj] lip: word LORD not to ask

The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.

15 and to make to/for them Joshua peace and to cut: make(covenant) to/for them covenant to/for to live them and to swear to/for them leader [the] congregation

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 and to be from end three day after which to cut: make(covenant) to/for them covenant and to hear: hear for near they(masc.) to(wards) him and in/on/with entrails: among his they(masc.) to dwell

Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.

17 and to set out son: descendant/people Israel and to come (in): come to(wards) city their in/on/with day [the] third and city their Gibeon and [the] Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim Kiriath-jearim

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 and not to smite them son: descendant/people Israel for to swear to/for them leader [the] congregation in/on/with LORD God Israel and to grumble all [the] congregation upon [the] leader

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 and to say all [the] leader to(wards) all [the] congregation we to swear to/for them in/on/with LORD God Israel and now not be able to/for to touch in/on/with them

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 this to make: do to/for them and to live [obj] them and not to be upon us wrath upon [the] oath which to swear to/for them

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 and to say to(wards) them [the] leader to live and to be to chop tree: wood and to draw water to/for all [the] congregation like/as as which to speak: speak to/for them [the] leader

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 and to call: call to to/for them Joshua and to speak: speak to(wards) them to/for to say to/for what? to deceive [obj] us to/for to say distant we from you much and you(m. p.) in/on/with entrails: among our to dwell

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 and now to curse you(m. p.) and not to cut: cut from you servant/slave and to chop tree: wood and to draw water to/for house: temple God my

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 and to answer [obj] Joshua and to say for to tell to tell to/for servant/slave your [obj] which to command LORD God your [obj] Moses servant/slave his to/for to give: give to/for you [obj] all [the] land: country/planet and to/for to destroy [obj] all to dwell [the] land: country/planet from face: before your and to fear much to/for soul: life our from face: because your and to make: do [obj] [the] word: thing [the] this

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 and now look! we in/on/with hand: power your like/as pleasant and like/as upright in/on/with eye: seeing your to/for to make: do to/for us to make: do

So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”

26 and to make: do to/for them so and to rescue [obj] them from hand: power son: descendant/people Israel and not to kill them

So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.

27 and to give: make them Joshua in/on/with day: today [the] he/she/it to chop tree: wood and to draw water to/for congregation and to/for altar LORD till [the] day: today [the] this to(wards) [the] place which to choose

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.