Joshua:9:3-27
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And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai ,
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They did work wilily ,
and went and made as if they had been ambassadors ,
and took old sacks upon their asses ,
and wine bottles no #
d #,
old ,
and rent ,
and bound up ;
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And old shoes and clouted upon their feet ,
and old garments upon them ;
and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy .
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And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal ,
and said unto him ,
and to the men of Israel Yisra #
el #,
We be come from a far country :
now therefore make ye a league with us .
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And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites ,
Peradventure ye dwell among us ;
and how shall we make a league with you ?
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And they said unto Joshua ,
We are thy servants .
And Joshua said unto them ,
Who are ye ?
and from whence come ye ?
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And they said unto him ,
From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God :
for we have heard the fame of him ,
and all that he did in Egypt ,
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And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites ,
that were beyond Jordan ,
to Sihon king of Heshbon ,
and to Og king of Bashan ,
which was at Ashtaroth .
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Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us ,
saying ,
Take victuals with you for the journey ,
and go to meet them ,
and say unto them ,
We are your servants :
therefore now make ye a league with us .
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This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you ;
but now ,
behold ,
it is dry ,
and it is mouldy :
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And these bottles of wine ,
which we filled ,
were new ;
and ,
behold ,
they be rent :
and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey .
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And the men took of their victuals ,
and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD .
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And Joshua made peace with them ,
and made a league with them ,
to let them live :
and the princes of the congregation sware unto them .
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And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them ,
that they heard that they were their neighbours ,
and that they dwelt among them .
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And the children of Israel journeyed ,
and came unto their cities on the third day .
Now their cities were Gibeon Gib #
own #,
and Chephirah ,
and Beeroth B @#
erowth #,
and Kirjathjearim Qiryath Y @#
ariym #.
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And the children of Israel smote them not ,
because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel Yisra #
el #.
And all the congregation murmured against the princes .
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But all the princes said unto all the congregation ,
We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel Yisra #
el #:
now therefore we may not touch them .
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This we will do to them ;
we will even let them live ,
lest wrath be upon us ,
because of the oath which we sware unto them .
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And the princes said unto them ,
Let them live ;
but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation ;
as the princes had promised them .
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And Joshua called for them ,
and he spake unto them ,
saying ,
Wherefore have ye beguiled us ,
saying ,
We are very far from you ;
when ye dwell among us ?
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Now therefore ye are cursed ,
and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen ,
and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God .
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And they answered Joshua ,
and said ,
Because it was certainly told thy servants ,
how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land ,
and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you ,
therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you ,
and have done this thing .
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And now ,
behold ,
we are in thine hand :
as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us ,
do .
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And so did he unto them ,
and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel Yisra #
el #,
that they slew them not .
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And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation ,
and for the altar of the LORD ,
even unto this day ,
in the place which he should choose .