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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Joshua 9 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/joshua/9.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/joshua/9-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Joshua 9</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../joshua/8.htm" title="Joshua 8">◄</a> Joshua 9 <a href="../joshua/10.htm" title="Joshua 10">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The People of Gibeon Trick the Leaders of Israel</h3><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_1"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.1-Josh.9.2" class="v6_9_1">1-2</span>The kings west of the Jordan River heard about Joshua's victories, so they got together and decided to attack Joshua and Israel. These kings were from the hill country and from the foothills to the west, as well as from the Mediterranean seacoast as far north as the Lebanon Mountains. Some of them were Hittites, others were Amorites or Canaanites, and still others were Perizzites, Hivites, or Jebusites.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_3"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.3" class="v6_9_3">3</span>The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. </span><span class="v6_9_4"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.4" class="v6_9_4">4</span>So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country.<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.4!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. </span><span class="v6_9_5"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.5" class="v6_9_5">5</span>Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread. </span><span class="v6_9_6"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.6" class="v6_9_6">6</span>Then they went to the Israelite camp at Gilgal, where they said to Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a country that is far from here. Please make a peace treaty with us.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_7"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.7-Josh.9.8" class="v6_9_7">7-8</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.7-Josh.9.8!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> The Israelites replied, “But maybe you really live near us. We can't make a peace treaty with you if you live nearby.”<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.7-Josh.9.8!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_7">The Gibeonites<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.7-Josh.9.8!f.3" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> said, “If you make a peace treaty with us, we will be your servants.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_7">“Who are you?” Joshua asked. “Where do you come from?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_7">They answered:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v6_9_9"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.9" class="v6_9_9">9</span>We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the <span class="nd">Lord</span> your God is so famous. We heard what the <span class="nd">Lord</span> did in Egypt </span><span class="v6_9_10"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.10" class="v6_9_10">10</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.10!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> and what he did to those two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan: King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, and King Sihon of Heshbon.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v6_9_11"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.11" class="v6_9_11">11</span>Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us to meet with you and tell you that all of us are your servants. They said to ask you to make a peace treaty with our people. They told us to be sure and take along enough food for our journey. </span><span class="v6_9_12"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.12" class="v6_9_12">12</span>See this dry, crumbly bread of ours? It was hot out of the oven when we packed the food on the day we left our homes. </span><span class="v6_9_13"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.13" class="v6_9_13">13</span>These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_14"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.14" class="v6_9_14">14</span>The Israelites tried some of the food,<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.14!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> but they did not ask the <span class="nd">Lord</span> if he wanted them to make a treaty. </span><span class="v6_9_15"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.15" class="v6_9_15">15</span>So Joshua made a peace treaty with the messengers and promised that Israel would not kill their people. Israel's leaders swore that Israel would keep this promise.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_16"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.16-Josh.9.17" class="v6_9_16">16-17</span>A couple of days later,<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.16-Josh.9.17!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim.<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.16-Josh.9.17!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later.<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.16-Josh.9.17!f.3" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span><span class="v6_9_18"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.18" class="v6_9_18">18</span>But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the <span class="nd">Lord</span> that they would let these people live.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_18">The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, </span><span class="v6_9_19"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.19-Josh.9.21" class="v6_9_19">19-21</span>but the leaders reminded them, “We promised these people in the name of the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God of Israel that we would let them live, so we must not harm them. If we break our promise, God will punish us. We'll let them live, but we'll make them cut wood and carry water for our people.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_22"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.22" class="v6_9_22">22</span>Joshua told some of his soldiers, “I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_22">When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, “You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? </span><span class="v6_9_23"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.23" class="v6_9_23">23</span>So now you are under a curse, and from now on your people will have to send workers to cut wood and carry water for the place of worship.”<a href="#fn" id="link_Josh.9.23!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_24"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.24" class="v6_9_24">24</span>The Gibeonites answered, “The <span class="nd">Lord</span> your God told his servant Moses that you were to kill everyone who lives here and take their land for yourselves. We were afraid you would kill us, and so we tricked you into making a peace treaty. But we agreed to be your servants, </span><span class="v6_9_25"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.25" class="v6_9_25">25</span>and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v6_9_26"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.26" class="v6_9_26">26</span>Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, </span><span class="v6_9_27"><span class="reftext" id="Josh.9.27" class="v6_9_27">27</span>but he did tell the Gibeonites that they would have to be servants of the nation of Israel. They would have to cut firewood and bring it for the priests to use for burning sacrifices on the <span class="nd">Lord</span>'s altar, wherever the <span class="nd">Lord</span> decided the altar would be. The Gibeonites would also have to carry water for the priests. And that is still the work of the Gibeonites.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.4 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">So … country: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.7,8 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">nearby: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See Deuteronomy 20.10-18.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.7,8 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Gibeonites: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew “Hivites.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.14 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">tried … food: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Probably to see if it really was old or to show that they wanted peace.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.16,17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">A couple … later: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Hebrew text has “At the end of three days,” meaning two days after the day the treaty was made.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.16,17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">These towns were 30 to 50 kilometers west of the Israelite camp at Gilgal.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.16,17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">A couple of days … later: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “A couple of days later, the Israelites moved their camp to the area near the towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. When they arrived, they realized that they had made a peace treaty with the people of these nearby towns!”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">9.23 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the place of worship: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Hebrew text has “God's house,” which at that time was the sacred tent.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Bible text from the Contemporary English Version 2nd Edition (CEV®) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). 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