The People of Gibeon Trick the Leaders of Israel
1-2 The kings west of the Jordan River heard about Joshua's victories, so they got together and decided to attack Joshua and Israel. These kings were from the hill country and from the foothills to the west, as well as from the Mediterranean seacoast as far north as the Lebanon Mountains. Some of them were Hittites, others were Amorites or Canaanites, and still others were Perizzites, Hivites, or Jebusites.
3 The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. 4 So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country. The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. 5 Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread. 6 Then they went to the Israelite camp at Gilgal, where they said to Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a country that is far from here. Please make a peace treaty with us.”
7-8 The Israelites replied, “But maybe you really live near us. We can't make a peace treaty with you if you live nearby.”
The Gibeonites said, “If you make a peace treaty with us, we will be your servants.”
“Who are you?” Joshua asked. “Where do you come from?”
They answered:
9 We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the Lord your God is so famous. We heard what the Lord did in Egypt 10 and what he did to those two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan: King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, and King Sihon of Heshbon.
11 Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure and take along enough food for our journey. 12 See this dry, crumbly bread of ours? It was hot out of the oven when we packed the food on the day we left our homes. 13 These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.
14 The Israelites tried some of the food, but they did not ask the Lord if he wanted them to make a treaty. 15 So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise.
16-17 A couple of days later, the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later. 18 But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the Lord that they would let these people live.
The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, 19-21 but the leaders reminded them, “We promised these people in the name of the Lord God of Israel that we would let them live, so we must not harm them. If we break our promise, God will punish us. We'll let them live, but we'll make them cut wood and carry water for our people.”
22 Joshua told some of his soldiers, “I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here.”
When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, “You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? 23 So now you are under a curse, and from now on your people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship.”
24 The Gibeonites answered, “The Lord your God told his servant Moses that you were to kill everyone who lives here and take their land for yourselves. We were afraid you would kill us, and so we tricked you into making a peace treaty. But we agreed to be your servants, 25 and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right.”
26 Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, 27 but he did tell the Gibeonites that they would have to be servants of the nation of Israel. They would have to cut firewood and bring it for the priests to use for burning sacrifices on the Lord's altar, wherever the Lord decided the altar would be. The Gibeonites would also have to carry water for the priests. And that is still the work of the Gibeonites.
Gibeonǁîn ge Josuaba ra gāxaǃnâ
1 Hoaraga gao-aogu Jordanni huriǂoas ǃnâ hâgu, ǃnâuxa ǃhūb, ǂamse ǁgoe ǃhūb tsî Mediteraneahurib amǃgâ ǁgoe ǃhūb, Libanonni kōseb digu ge Israelǁîn di dandi xa ge ǁnâu; ǁnāgu ge Hetǁîn, Amorǁîn, Kanaanǁîn, Perisǁîn, Hivǁîn tsî Jebusǁîn tsîn di gao-ao ge iga. 2 ǁÎgu hoagu ge Josuab tsî Israelǁîn tsîn ǃoagu gu nî ǃkhamse ge ǀhaoǀhaosen.
3 Xawe Gibeonǁîn ge tare-eb ge Josuaba Jerixos tsî Ais tsîra ǀkha a dī ǃkhaisan ge ǁnâuo, 4 ǁîban nî gāxaǃnâ ǃkhaisa ge mîǀgui. ǁÎgu ge ǂûna ǁîgu dâukin ai ǃnao, tsî ǀorotoa hâ ǁgarudi tsî ǃnabasa ǂauxûiǃgapadi tsîna ge ūsao. 5 ǁÎgu ge ǁkhāti ǀoro tsî ǀharexa saran tsî ǀorotoa hâ ǀkhapudi tsîna ge ana. ǁÎgu ge ūsao pere-i ge ǂnâ tsî ge ǀhopere hâ i. 6 Tsî gu ge Gilgals hâǃkhaib tawa sī tsî Josuab tsî Israelǁîn tsîn ǃoa ge mî: “Sige ge ǃnū ǃhūba xu ra hā, tsî ge ge sida ǀkha du ǃgaeǀhao-e nî dī ǃkhaisa ra ǂhâba.”
7 Xawen ge Israelǁîna ge mî: “Tare-i ǃaroma da sadu ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e nî dī? ǀNîsi du ge sado nēpa ǀgūse ǁan hâ.”
8 On ge Josuab ǃoa ge mî: “Sa ǃgāda ge sida.”
Ob ge Josuaba ge dî: “Tarido sado tsî mâpa xu du ra hā?”
9 O gu ge ǁîga ge ǃeream: “ǃGôahesatse, sida ge kaise ǃnū ǃhūba xu ra hā, ǃKhūb sadu Elob xa da ge ǁnâu xui-ao. ǁÎb ge Egipteb ǃnâ a dī xūn hoan xa da ge ge ǁnâu. 10 Jordanni aiǂoasǀkhāb di gao-aokha Amorǁîn dikha, gao-aob Sihonni Hesbons dib tsî gao-aob Ogi Basanni dib, Astarots ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ ib tsîkha ǀkhab ge dī xūn tsîn xa da ge ǁkhāti ge ǁnâu. 11 Sida ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî sida ǃhūb di ǁanǂgāsaben ge go mîba ge, î ge daob ǂûna ū tsî sadu ǁga ǀkhī. Sige ge ge mîbahe, î ge sadu ǃgā kai tsî sado ǂgan, î du sida ǀkha ǃgaeǀhao-e dī. 12 Sige pere-e kō re. Sige omde xu ge ge sadu ǀkha ge hā nî ǀhaose a ǃgû, o-i ge ǁî-e noxopa ge ǀgamsa i. Xawe kō re, nēsi i ge ǂnâ tsî ǀhopere hâ. 13 Sige ǂauxûiǃgapadi ge ǁaiǃnâ ge ge, o ge ǀasa i xawe nēsi kō re, doadi hâ ǀgausa. Kō re, mâtin sige saran tsî ǀkhapudi tsîna nē gaxu ǃgûdaob xa ǀorotoa hâsa.”
14 Israelǁîn ge ǀnî ǂûna ǁîga xu ge ūǃoa, xawe ǃKhūb ai ǀape-ôa tama ge i. 15 Josuab ge ǂkhîb di ǃgaeǀhao-e Gibeons aogu ǀkha dī tsî ǁîna ǂkhîb ǃnân nî ûisa ge mā-am. Israelǁîn di ǀhûhâsib ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge ǁîna nēsa nūs ǀkha ge ǁapoǁapoba.
16 Nē ǃgaeǀhaos ge dīhes khaoǃgâ ǃnona tsēde ǃkharu, tsî ǀguin ge Israelǁîna nē khoen ǁîn ǀgūse ǁan hâ ǃkhaisa ge ǂanǂui. 17 On ge Israelǁîna ǃgûǂoa tsî ǃnonaǁî tsēs ai ǁîn di ǃādi tawa ge sī; ǁnādi ge Gibeons, Kefiras, Beerots tsî Kirjat-Jearims tsîde. 18 Xawen ge Israelǁîna ǁîna ǃgam tama ge i, Israelǁîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge nūs ǀkha ǃKhūb, Israeli di Elob ǀons ǃnâ ǁîna mîmâiba mîmâis ǃaroma. Israeli khoen hoan ge nēs ǃaroma ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ǃoagu ǂkhîoǃnâsib âna a gowaǂui, 19 xawe gu ge ǁîga ge ǃeream: “Sada ge ǁîna ǃKhūb, Israeli di Elob ǀons ǃnâ nūs ǀkha ge mîmâiba tsî da ge nēsi ǁîna a ǃgam ǁoa. 20 ǁÎna da ge nî ûi kai, sada mîmâis ǃaroma, ǁnāsa da ga dī tama i, ob ge Eloba nî ǁkhara da. 21 An ûi, xawen ge ǁîna nî sada di ǀaeǁhā-ao tsî ǁgamxuri-ao.” ǁNāti gu ge ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge mîǀgui.
22 Josuab ge ge mîmā în Gibeons khoena ǁîb ǃoa hā-ūhe, tsîb ge ǁîna ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaroma du sida gāxaǃnâ tsî ǃnūse du ǁan hâ ti ge mîba, nēpa du ǀgūse ǁan hâ hîa? 23 ǁNāti du ge dī amagab ge ǃKhūba go ǁkhara du. Sadu ge hoaǁae khobose nî hâ, Elob ommi di ǀaeǁhā-ao tsî ǁgamxuri-aose.”
24 On ge ge ǃeream: “ǃGôahesatse, sida ge ge mîbahe, ǃKhūb sadu Elob ge amase ǁîb di ǃgāb Moseba mîmāsa, nē hoaraga ǃhūbab nî mā du tsî du hoaraga khoen ǁîb ǃnâ ǁan hâna sado ǁanǃkhai-e dības ǃaroma nî ǃgamǂuisa. Sida ge sida ûiba gere ǃaobasen, ǁnā-amaga da ge nē ǃkhaisa ge dī. 25 Nēsi da ge sadu ǀgaib ǃnâ hâ, xuige sadu mûǁae i a ǃgâi khami dī-ū da re.” 26 Ob ge Josuaba nēti ge dī: ǁÎb ge ǃûiǃgâ tsî Israelǁîn ǁîna nî ǃgamsa mā-am tama ge i. 27 Xaweb ge ǁkhā ǁaeb ǂûb ai ǁîna ge khobodī, ǀaeǁhā-ao tsî ǁgamxuri-aon asen ǁaes tsî ǃKhūb di altars tsîna nî hâbase. ǁÎn ge nētsēs kōse ǃKhūb ge ǀgoreǀîheb nîse ǁhûiǂuibasen ǃkhais ai nē sîsenna ra dī.
