1: All the kings west of the Jordan in the hills and foothills and along the Mediterranean seacoast north toward Lebanon--the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Girgashites, and Jebusites--got the news.
2: They came together in a coalition to fight against Joshua and Israel under a single command.
3: The people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai
4: and cooked up a ruse. They posed as travelers: their donkeys loaded with patched sacks and mended wineskins,
5: threadbare sandals on their feet, tattered clothes on their bodies, nothing but dry crusts and crumbs for food.
6: They came to Joshua at Gilgal and spoke to the men of Israel, "We've come from a far-off country; make a covenant with us."
7: The men of Israel said to these Hivites, "How do we know you aren't local people? How could we then make a covenant with you?"
8: They said to Joshua, "We'll be your servants." Joshua said, "Who are you now? Where did you come from?"
9: They said, "From a far-off country, very far away. Your servants came because we'd heard such great things about GOD, your God--all those things he did in Egypt!
10: And the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth!
11: Our leaders and everybody else in our country told us, "Pack up some food for the road and go meet them. Tell them, We're your servants; make a covenant with us.'
12: "This bread was warm from the oven when we packed it and left to come and see you. Now look at it--crusts and crumbs.
13: And our cracked and mended wineskins, good as new when we filled them. And our clothes and sandals, in tatters from the long, hard traveling."
14: The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask GOD about it.
15: So Joshua made peace with them and formalized it with a covenant to guarantee their lives. The leaders of the congregation swore to it.
16: And then, three days after making this covenant, they learned that they were next-door neighbors who had been living there all along!
17: The People of Israel broke camp and set out; three days later they reached their towns--Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.
18: But the People of Israel didn't attack them; the leaders of the congregation had given their word before the GOD of Israel. But the congregation was up in arms over their leaders.
19: The leaders were united in their response to the congregation: "We promised them in the presence of the GOD of Israel. We can't lay a hand on them now.
20: But we can do this: We will let them live so we don't get blamed for breaking our promise."
21: Then the leaders continued, "We'll let them live, but they will be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire congregation." And that's what happened; the leaders' promise was kept.
22: But Joshua called the Gibeonites together and said, "Why did you lie to us, telling us, "We live far, far away from you,' when you're our next-door neighbors?
23: For that you are cursed. From now on it's menial labor for you--woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."
24: They answered Joshua, "We got the message loud and clear that GOD, your God, commanded through his servant Moses: to give you the whole country and destroy everyone living in it. We were terrified because of you; that's why we did this.
25: That's it. We're at your mercy. Whatever you decide is right for us, do it."
26: And that's what they did. Joshua delivered them from the power of the People of Israel so they didn't kill them.
27: But he made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the Altar of GOD at the place GOD chooses. They still are.