Joshua 9
1 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].
Cuando todos los reyes que estaban al otro lado del Jordán, en la región montañosa y en la llanura, y en toda la orilla del gran mar frente al Líbano, el hitita, el amorreo, el cananeo, el ferezeo, el heveo y el jebuseo, se enteraron de ello
2 So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.
se reunieron para luchar con Josué y con Israel, de común acuerdo.
3 When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,
Pero cuando los habitantes de Gabaón se enteraron de lo que Josué había hecho a Jericó y a Hai,
4 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.
también recurrieron a un ardid, y fueron y se hicieron pasar por embajadores, y tomaron sacos viejos en sus asnos, y cueros de vino viejos, rotos y atados,
5 They put on old sandals that had been patched, and wore old ragged clothes. And they took along bread that was dry and moldy.
y sandalias viejas y remendadas en sus pies, y llevaban vestidos viejos. Todo el pan de sus provisiones estaba seco y mohoso.
6 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.”
Se dirigieron a Josué en el campamento de Gilgal y le dijeron a él y a los hombres de Israel: “Hemos venido de un país lejano. Ahora, pues, haz un pacto con nosotros”.
7 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].”
Los hombres de Israel dijeron a los heveos: “¿Y si vivís entre nosotros? ¿Cómo podríamos hacer un pacto con ustedes?”
8 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?”
Dijeron a Josué: “Somos tus siervos”. Josué les dijo: “¿Quiénes sois? ¿De dónde venís?”
9 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].
Le dijeron: “Tus siervos han venido de un país muy lejano por el nombre de Yahvé, tu Dios; porque hemos oído hablar de su fama, de todo lo que hizo en Egipto,
10 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].
y de todo lo que hizo a los dos reyes de los amorreos que estaban al otro lado del Jordán, a Sehón, rey de Hesbón, y a Og, rey de Basán, que estaba en Astarot.
11 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.”’
Nuestros ancianos y todos los habitantes de nuestro país nos hablaron diciendo: “Tomen en sus manos provisiones para el viaje y vayan a recibirlos. Díganles: “Somos sus siervos. Hagan un pacto con nosotros”.
12 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.
Este pan nuestro lo sacamos caliente para nuestras provisiones de nuestras casas el día que salimos para ir a ustedes; pero ahora, he aquí, está seco y se ha enmohecido.
13 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.”
Estos cueros de vino, que llenamos, eran nuevos; y he aquí que están rotos. Estos nuestros vestidos y nuestras sandalias se han envejecido a causa del larguísimo viaje”.
14 The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.
Los hombres probaron sus provisiones y no pidieron consejo a la boca de Yahvé.
15 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].
Josué hizo las paces con ellos y pactó con ellos que los dejaría vivir. Los príncipes de la congregación les prestaron juramento.
16 Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.
Al cabo de tres días después de haber hecho un pacto con ellos, se enteraron de que eran sus vecinos y que vivían entre ellos.
17 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.
Los hijos de Israel viajaron y llegaron a sus ciudades al tercer día. Sus ciudades eran Gabaón, Quefira, Beerot y Quiriat Jearim.
18 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].
Los hijos de Israel no los atacaron, porque los príncipes de la congregación les habían jurado por Yahvé, el Dios de Israel. Toda la congregación murmuró contra los príncipes.
19 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.
Pero todos los príncipes dijeron a toda la congregación: “Les hemos jurado por Yahvé, el Dios de Israel. Ahora, pues, no podemos tocarlos.
20 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.
Haremos esto con ellos y los dejaremos vivir, para que no caiga sobre nosotros la ira por el juramento que les hicimos.”
21 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.
Los príncipes les dijeron: “Déjenlos vivir”. Así que se convirtieron en cortadores de leña y sacadores de agua para toda la congregación, como los príncipes les habían dicho.
22 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!
Josué los llamó y les habló diciendo: “¿Por qué nos habéis engañado, diciendo: ‘Estamos muy lejos de vosotros’, cuando vivís entre nosotros?
23 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.”
Ahora, pues, estáis malditos, y algunos de vosotros no dejarán de ser esclavos, ni cortadores de leña ni sacadores de agua para la casa de mi Dios.”
24 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.
Ellos respondieron a Josué y dijeron: “Porque ciertamente a tus siervos se les contó cómo Yahvé, tu Dios, le ordenó a su siervo Moisés que te diera toda la tierra, y que destruyera a todos los habitantes de la tierra de delante de ti. Por eso temimos mucho por nuestras vidas a causa de ustedes, y hemos hecho esto.
25 So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”
Ahora, he aquí que estamos en tu mano. Haz con nosotros lo que te parezca bueno y correcto hacer”.
26 So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.
Así lo hizo con ellos, y los libró de la mano de los hijos de Israel, para que no los mataran.
27 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.
Aquel día Josué les hizo cortadores de madera y sacadores de agua para la congregación y para el altar de Yahvé hasta el día de hoy, en el lugar que él eligiera.
