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.
Aagibeon taa kotokele Josua
1 Omasindano gaIsrael oga tseyika kaakwaniilwa ayehe ya li kuuninginino waJordan — koondundu, kiikulundundu yoponyonga yadho nokombinga ayihe yomunkulo gwEfuta lyopokati, sigo okuLibanon kuumbangalantu. Mbaka oyo aakwaniilwa Aaheti, Aayamori, Aakaanana, Aaperesi, Aahevi nAayebusi. 2 Oya gongala kumwe, ya hangane okukondjitha Josua nAaisraeli.
3 Ihe aantu yomuGibeon, mboka ya li Aahevi, sho yu uvu, Josua nkene a ningile Jeriko naAi, 4 oya tokola, ye mu kotokele. Oya yi niikulya yimwe ye yi londeke kuusino nomahahi omakulu noompunda dhomaviinu dha andekwa. 5 Oya zala oonguwo dha kulupa noongaku oonkulu dha andekwa. Iikwiila yawo oya li ya kukuta noyi na oshushi. 6 Oya yi kontanda kuGilgal taa ti kuJosua nokaalumentu yaIsrael: “Otwa zi koshilongo shokokule; otwa hala, mu ninge euvaneno natse.”
7 Ihe aalumentu Aaisraeli oya ti: “Omolwashike tu na okuninga euvaneno nane? Mwa fa ngaa mu li popepi mpoka.”
8 Oyo ya ti kuJosua: “Tse aapiya yoye.”
Josua okwe ya pula: “One oolye notamu zi peni?”
9 Oyo ye mu hokololele ya ti: “Otatu zi kevi lyokokule, tatekulu, oshoka otwa kundana Omuwa Kalunga keni. Otu uvu ayihe mbyoka a ningi muEgipiti. 10 Naashoka a ningile aakwaniilwa yaali yAayamori kuuzilo waJordan: omukwaniilwa Sihon gwaHeshbon nomukwaniilwa Og gwaBaasha, mboka ya kala muAshtarot. 11 Aawiliki yetu naantu ayehe moshilongo shetu oye tu lombwele, tu kuthe iikulya yimwe, tu idhenge mondjila, tu ye tu ku tsakaneke. Otwa lombwelwa, tu ninge aayakuli yoye noku ku pula, u ninge euvaneno natse. 12 Tala kiikwiila yetu. Sho twa zi kegumbo, tu ye tu ku tsakaneke, oya li ya pupyala. Ihe yi tala ngashingeyi! Oya kukuta noyi na oshushi. 13 Sho tu udha oompunda ndhika dhomaviinu, odha li oompe, ihe ngashingeyi odha kulupa. Oonguwo dhetu noongaku dhetu odha kulupile mondjila onde.”
14 Aalumentu Aaisraeli oya taamba kuyo iikulya yimwe, ihe inaa pula nando omayele kOmuwa moshinima shika. 15 Josua okwa ningi euvaneno lyombili naantu yomuGibeon e te ya pitika, ya kale ye na omwenyo. Aawiliki yAaisraeli oye shi koleke nokugana.
16 Omasiku gatatu sho ga piti po okuza keuvaneno, Aaisraeli oya koneke kutya nani aantu mbaka oya zi popepi. 17 Onkee Aaisraeli oya thikama nokonima yomasiku gatatu oya thiki kiilando yawo: Gibeon, Kefira, Beerot naKiriat Jearim. 18 Ihe Aaisraeli inaye ya dhipaga, oshoka aawiliki oya adhika ya ninga naantu mbaka euvaneko lyokwakola medhina lyOmuwa, Kalunga kaIsrael. Aantu ayehe oye shi nyenyetele kaawiliki, 19 ihe mbaka oya yamukula: “Otse twe ya pe euvaneko lyokwakola medhina lyOmuwa Kalunga kaIsrael. Onkee itatu vulu oku ya ninga nayi. 20 Otu na oku ya etha, ya kale ye na omwenyo omolweuvaneko lyetu; ngele itatu shi ningi, nena Kalunga ote tu geele. 21 Naa kale ye na omwenyo, ihe oye na okutyaya iikuni noku tu tekela omeya.” Osho aawiliki ya tokola omolwawo.
22 Josua okwi ithanitha aantu yomuGibeon, ye ye kuye, nokwe ya pula: “Omolwashike tamu tu kotokele noku tu lombwela kutya omwa zi kokule, nando omu li popepi natse? 23 Molwashoka mwa ningi ngeyi, Kalunga okwe mu tokola. Oshigwana sheni otashi ka kala aluhe oshipika, aatyayi yiikuni naateki yomeya gomotempeli yaKalunga kandje.”
24 Oya yamukula ya ti: “Shika otwe shi ningi, tatekulu, oshoka otu uvile kutya Omuwa Kalunga koye okwa li a lombwele omumati gwe Moses, e mu pe evi ndika alihe nokudhipaga aantu ayehe mondjila yeni. Otwe shi ningi, oshoka otwa li twe mu tila nokutya otamu tu dhipaga. 25 Ngashingeyi otu li miikaha yoye; tu ninga shoka she ku opalela noshu uka.” 26 Josua osho a ningi. Okwe ya gamene noina zimina, Aaisraeli ye ya dhipage. 27 Ihe okwe ya ningi aapika yokutyaya iikuni nokuteka omeya gAaisraeli nogoshiyambelo shOmuwa. Sigo ongashingeyi oya tsikile okulonga mbika meha ndyoka Omuwa a hogolola, a simanekelwe mo.
