1 E sucedeu que, ouvindo isto todos os reis, que estavam aquém do Jordão, nas montanhas, e nas campinas, em toda a costa do grande mar, em frente do Líbano, os heteus, e os amorreus, os cananeus, os perizeus, os heveus, e os jebuseus,
2 Se ajuntaram eles de comum acordo, para pelejar contra Josué e contra Israel.
3 E os moradores de Gibeom, ouvindo o que Josué fizera com Jericó e com Ai,
4 Usaram de astúcia, e foram e se fingiram embaixadores, e levando sacos velhos sobre os seus jumentos, e odres de vinho, velhos, e rotos, e remendados;
5 E nos seus pés sapatos velhos e remendados, e roupas velhas sobre si; e todo o pão que traziam para o caminho era seco e bolorento.
6 E vieram a Josué, ao arraial, a Gilgal, e disseram a ele e aos homens de Israel: Viemos de uma terra distante; fazei, pois, agora, acordo conosco.
7 E os homens de Israel responderam aos heveus: Porventura habiteis no meio de nós; como pois faremos acordo convosco?
8 Então disseram a Josué: Nós somos teus servos. E disse-lhes Josué: Quem sois vós, e de onde vindes?
9 E lhe responderam: Teus servos vieram de uma terra mui distante, por causa do nome do Senhor teu Deus, porquanto ouvimos a sua fama, e tudo quanto fez no Egito;
10 E tudo quanto fez aos dois reis dos amorreus, que estavam além do Jordão, a Siom rei de Hesbom, e a Ogue, rei de Basã, que estava em Astarote.
11 Por isso nossos anciãos e todos os moradores da nossa terra nos falaram, dizendo: Tomai em vossas mãos provisão para o caminho, e ide-lhes ao encontro e dizei-lhes: Nós somos vossos servos; fazei, pois, agora acordo conosco.
12 Este nosso pão tomamos quente das nossas casas para nossa provisão, no dia em que saímos para vir a vós; e ei-lo aqui agora já seco e bolorento;
13 E estes odres, que enchemos de vinho, eram novos, e ei-los aqui já rotos; e estas nossas roupas e nossos sapatos já se têm envelhecido, por causa do mui longo caminho.
14 Então os homens de Israel tomaram da provisão deles e não pediram conselho ao Senhor.
15 E Josué fez paz com eles, e fez um acordo com eles, que lhes daria a vida; e os príncipes da congregação lhes prestaram juramento.
16 E sucedeu que, ao fim de três dias, depois de fazerem acordo com eles, ouviram que eram seus vizinhos, e que moravam no meio deles.
17 Porque, partindo os filhos de Israel, chegaram às cidades deles ao terceiro dia; e suas cidades eram Gibeom e Cefira, e Beerote, e Quiriate-Jearim.
18 E os filhos de Israel não os feriram; porquanto os príncipes da congregação lhes juraram pelo Senhor Deus de Israel; por isso toda a congregação murmurava contra os príncipes.
19 Então todos os príncipes disseram a toda a congregação: Nós juramos-lhes pelo Senhor Deus de Israel, pelo que não lhes podemos tocar.
20 Isto, porém, lhes faremos: conservar-lhes-emos a vida, para que não haja grande ira sobre nós, por causa do juramento que já lhes fizemos.
21 Disseram-lhes, pois, os príncipes: Vivam, e sejam rachadores de lenha e tiradores de água para toda a congregação, como os príncipes lhes disseram.
22 E Josué os chamou, e falou-lhes dizendo: Por que nos enganastes dizendo: Mui longe de vós habitamos, morando vós no meio de nós?
23 Agora, pois, sereis malditos; e dentre vós não deixará de haver servos, nem rachadores de lenha, nem tiradores de água, para a casa do meu Deus.
24 Então responderam a Josué, e disseram: Porquanto com certeza foi anunciado aos teus servos que o Senhor teu Deus ordenou a Moisés, seu servo, que a vós daria toda esta terra, e destruiria todos os moradores da terra diante de vós, tememos muito por nossas vidas por causa de vós; por isso fizemos assim.
25 E eis que agora estamos na tua mão; faze-nos aquilo que te pareça bom e reto.
26 Assim pois lhes fez, e livrou-os das mãos dos filhos de Israel, e não os mataram.
27 E naquele dia, Josué os fez rachadores de lenha e tiradores de água para a congregação e para o altar do Senhor, até ao dia de hoje, no lugar que ele escolhesse.
1 And it came to pass, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon--the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the
2 that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord.
3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
4 they also worked shrewdly, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their donkeys, and wine-skins, old and torn and bound up,
5 and old and patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision was dry and became moldy.
6 And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, We have come from a far country, now therefore make ye a covenant with us.
7 And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Perhaps ye dwell among us, and how shall we make a covenant with you?
8 And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are ye, and from where do ye come?
9 And they said to him, From a very far country. Thy servants have come because of the name of LORD thy God, for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.
11 And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make ye a covenant with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go to you, but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy.
13 And these wine-skins, which we filled, were new, and, behold, they are torn. And these our garments and our shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey.
14 And the men took of their provision, and did not ask counsel at the mouth of LORD.
15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.
16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the sons of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
18 And the sons of Israel did not smite them, because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by LORD, the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the rulers.
19 But all the rulers said to all the congregation, We have sworn to them by LORD, the God of Israel, now therefore we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.
21 And the rulers said to them, Let them live. So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation, as the rulers had spoken to them.
22 And Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, Why have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you, when ye dwell among us?
23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be bondmen of you, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that 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 w
25 And now, behold, we are in thy hand. As it seems good and right to thee to do to us, do.
26 And so he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the sons of Israel, that they did not kill them.
27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of LORD to this day in the place which he should choose.