Joshua 9:3-13

Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

³ When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,^{(A) 4} they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions^[a] and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended. ⁵ They wore old, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies. Their entire provision of bread was dry and crumbly. ⁶ They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.’^(B)

⁷ The men of Israel replied to the Hivites, ‘Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you? ’^(C)

⁸ They said to Joshua, ‘We are your servants.’^(D)

Then Joshua asked them, ‘Who are you and where do you come from? ’

⁹ They replied to him, ‘Your servants have come from a faraway land because of the reputation of the Lord your God. For we have heard of his fame, and all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰ and all that he did to the two Amorite kings beyond the Jordan – King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ So our elders and all the inhabitants of our land told us, “Take provisions with you for the journey; go and meet them and say, ‘We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’ ” ¹² This bread of ours was warm when we took it from our houses as food on the day we left to come to you; but see, it is now dry and crumbly. ¹³ These wineskins were new when we filled them; but see, they are cracked. And these clothes and sandals of ours are worn out from the extremely long journey.’