Joshua 9:1-27, NLT
Joshua 9
The Gibeonites Deceive Israel
1Now all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who lived in the hill country, in the western foothills,*9:1a Hebrew the Shephelah. and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea*9:1b Hebrew the Great Sea. as far north as the Lebanon mountains.
3But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
7The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”
8They replied, “We are your servants.”
“But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?”
9They answered, “Your servants have come from a very distant country. We have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all he did in Egypt.
12“This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see, it is dry and moldy.
14So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
16Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby!
The people of Israel grumbled against their leaders because of the treaty.
22Joshua called together the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you lie to us? Why did you say that you live in a distant land when you live right here among us?
24They replied, “We did it because we—your servants—were clearly told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you this entire land and to destroy all the people living in it. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you. That is why we have done this.
26So Joshua did not allow the people of Israel to kill them.