Joshua 09 The Gibeonites deceive Joshua, who makes a covenant with them.

Joshua 09
The Gibeonites deceive Joshua, who makes a covenant with them.
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings that were on that side of Jordan, in the mountains, and in the plains, hearing about all the coast of the great sea, over against Lebanon, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Pharisees, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
2 They assembled together to fight against Joshua and against Israel.
3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon hearing what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 And they used cunning, and went and pretended to be ambassadors, and took old sackcloth on their asses, and old bottles of wine, and broken pieces, and mended;
5 And on his feet old and mended shoes, and old garments upon himself: and all the bread that they brought by the way was dry and moldy.
6 And they came to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, and said unto him and to the men of Israel, We came from a far country; So now make concert with us.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Do ye dwell among us? how then shall we make a covenant with you?
8 Then said they unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye, and from whence come ye?
9 And they said unto him, Thy servants came from a far country, because of the name of the LORD thy God: because we have heard his name, and all that he did in Egypt;
10 And all that he did to the kings of the Amorites, which were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.
11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spake unto us, saying, Take with you into your hand a provision for the way, and meet them: and say unto them, We are your servants; So now make concert with us.
12 This bread of ours we have taken hot from our houses for our provision, on the day that we go out to come to you: and here it is now dry and moldy:
13 And these wineskins, which we filled with wine, were new, and behold them now broken: and these our dresses and our shoes are old, because of the very long way.
14 Then those men took their provision, and asked not the mouth of the LORD for counsel.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, which would give them life: and the princes of the congregation swore unto them.
16 And it came to pass after three days, after making a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.
17 For the children of Israel departed, and came to their cities on the third day: and their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.
18 And the children of Israel smote them not; For the princes of the congregation swore unto them by the LORD God of Israel, and all the congregation murmured against the princes.
19 And all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel, and we cannot touch them.
20 But this we will do to them: we will give them life; that there may not be great wrath upon us because of the oath which we have sworn to them.
21 And the princes said, Live, and be loggers, and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes said unto them.
22 And Joshua called unto them, and spake unto them, saying, Why have ye deceived us, saying, Much we dwell far from you, dwelling among us?
23 And now ye shall be cursed: and there shall be no servants out of you, neither wood splitters, nor water drawers, to the house of my God.
24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was surely told thy servants, that the LORD thy God commanded Moses his servant to give you all this land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, we fear much for our lives because of you; that's why we did it that way.
25 And, behold, now we are in your hand: do what seems good and right to you.
26 So he did unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, and they slew them not.
27 And on that day Joshua gave them as splinters of wood, and drawers of water unto the congregation, and unto the altar of the LORD unto this day, whithersoever he chose.