And it came to pass when all the kings who were beyond the Yarden, in the hill country, and in the lowlands, and in all the coast of the Great Sea opposite the Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Emori, the Kena'ani, the Perizzi, the Hivvi, and the Yevusi, heard,

They gathered together, with one mouth, to fight with Yehoshua and with Yisra'el.

And the inhabitants of Giv'on heard what Yehoshua had done to Yerikho and to 'Ay.

And they also acted with cunning, and went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and worn-out and torn wineskins, and worn-out sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on them, and all the bread of their provisions was dry and crumbly.

And they went to Yehoshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Yisra'el, 'From a distant land we have come, and now make a covenant with us.'

And the men of Yisra'el said to the Hivvi, 'Perhaps you dwell among us, and how shall we make a covenant with you?'

And they said to Yehoshua, 'We are your servants.' And Yehoshua said to them, 'Who are you, and from where do you come?'

And they said to him, 'From a very distant land your servants have come, in the name of יהוה your Elohim, because we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Mitsrayim.'

'And all that He did to the two kings of the Emori who were beyond the Yarden, to Sihon king of Ḥeshbon, and to 'Og king of Bashan who was in 'Ashtarot.'

'And our elders and all the inhabitants of our land spoke to us, saying, Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, We are your servants, and now make a covenant with us.'

'This is our bread; we provisioned it hot from our houses on the day we went out to go to you, and now, behold, it is dry and crumbly.'

'And these are the wineskins which we filled new, and behold, they are torn, and these are our clothes and our sandals, worn out from the great length of the journey.'

'And the men took of their provisions, but they did not ask the mouth of יהוה.'

'And Yehoshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live, and the princes of the assembly swore to them.'

'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 near to them, and that they dwelt among them.'

'And the sons of Yisra'el journeyed and came to their cities on the third day, and their cities were Giv'on, and Kephirah, and Be'erot, and Kiryat Yearim.'

'And the sons of Yisra'el did not strike them, because the princes of the assembly had sworn to them by יהוה Elohei Yisra'el, and all the assembly grumbled against the princes.'

'And all the princes said to all the assembly, We have sworn to them by יהוה Elohei Yisra'el, and now we cannot touch them.'

'This we will do to them, and let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.'

'And the princes said to them, Let them live, and let them be woodcutters and water-drawers for all the assembly, just as the princes spoke to them.'

'And Yehoshua called them, and spoke to them, saying, Why did you deceive us, saying, We are very far from you, and you dwell among us?'

'And now, you are cursed, and there shall not be cut off from you a servant, and woodcutters and water-drawers for the house of Elohim.'

'And they answered Yehoshua and said, Because it was told to your servants that יהוה Eloheykha commanded Mosheh His servant to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and we did this thing.'

'And now, behold, we are in your hand; do to us as is good and right in your eyes.'

'And so he did to them, and delivered them from the hand of the sons of Yisra'el, and they did not kill them.'

'And Yehoshua gave them on that day woodcutters and water-drawers for the assembly and for the altar of יהוה, even to this day, in the place which He chooses.'

Yehoshua appointed them that day as woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly and for the altar of יהוה, to this day, to the place that He will choose.