The People of Gibeon Trick the Leaders of Israel
1-2 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.
3 The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. 4 So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country. The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. 5 Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread. 6 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.”
7-8 The Israelites replied, “But maybe you really live near us. We can't make a peace treaty with you if you live nearby.”
The Gibeonites said, “If you make a peace treaty with us, we will be your servants.”
“Who are you?” Joshua asked. “Where do you come from?”
They answered:
9 We are your servants, and we live far from here. We came because the Lord your God is so famous. We heard what the Lord did in Egypt 10 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.
11 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. 12 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. 13 These cracked wineskins were new when we filled them, and our clothes and sandals are worn out because we have traveled so far.
14 The Israelites tried some of the food, but they did not ask the Lord if he wanted them to make a treaty. 15 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.
16-17 A couple of days later, the Israelites found out that these people actually lived in the nearby towns of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim. So the Israelites left the place where they had camped and arrived at the four towns two days later. 18 But they did not attack the towns, because the Israelite leaders had sworn in the name of the Lord that they would let these people live.
The Israelites complained about their leaders' decision not to attack, 19-21 but the leaders reminded them, “We promised these people in the name of the Lord 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.”
22 Joshua told some of his soldiers, “I want to meet with the Gibeonite leaders. Bring them here.”
When the Gibeonites came, Joshua said, “You live close to us. Why did you lie by claiming you lived far away? 23 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.”
24 The Gibeonites answered, “The Lord 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, 25 and you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want. We just ask you to do what seems right.”
26 Joshua did not let the Israelites kill the Gibeonites, 27 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 Lord's altar, wherever the Lord 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.
Kibeyoninkoolu la feere kuwo
1 Mansakewolu mennu bee be Yoridani Boloŋo tilijii karoo la konkotundoo* kaŋ, Sefela* konkotundoo aniŋ wo Baa Baa* borindoo bee la ka taa fo Libanooni, ì ye Banisirayila la kuwo moyi le. Wo mansoolu le be Hitinkoolu, Amorinkoolu, Kanaaninkoolu, Perisi koomalankoolu, Hiwinkoolu aniŋ Yebusinkoolu mara kaŋ nuŋ. Kabiriŋ ì ye ñiŋ kuwo moyi, 2 ì bee kafuta ñoo ma ka keloo boyi Yosuwa niŋ Banisirayilankoolu kaŋ.
3 Kabiriŋ Kibeyoninkoolu ye a moyi, Yosuwa ye meŋ ke Yeriko la aniŋ Ayi, 4 ì ye feeroo siti: Ì wulita ka taa, ì ye i faŋ ke kiilaalu ti. Ì ye booto kotoolu niŋ wayini* sufurabooto kotoolu laa ì la faloolu koo to, wolu bee be lenkelaariŋ. 5 Ñiŋ kewolu ye samatoolu le duŋ, ì ye mennu dulaa bee batani, aniŋ duŋ feŋ kotoolu. Ì la mbuuroo, ì niŋ meŋ be taa kaŋ, bee be jaariŋ, a bee be fiinariŋ.
6 Bituŋ ì taata Yosuwa yaa daakaa to, meŋ be Kilikali. Ì ko a niŋ Banisirayila kewolu ye ko, “Ntolu ka bo naŋ banku jamfariŋ baa le to, ǹ lafita ñiŋ ne la, ǹ niŋ ali ye kambeŋo siti.” 7 Wo le to Banisirayila kewolu ko ñiŋ Hiwinkoolu ye ko, “Fo alitolu maŋ bo ǹ daala jaŋ ne, ǹ niŋ ali be kambeŋo siti noo la ñaadii le?”
8 Ì ko Yosuwa ye ko, “Ntolu mu i la joŋolu doroŋ ne ti.” Bari Yosuwa naata ì ñininkaa, a ko ì ye ko, “Alitolu faŋolu mu jumaa le ti, aniŋ ali bota mintoo le?” 9 Ì ye a jaabi ko, “I la joŋolu le mu ntolu ti. Ǹ ka bo naŋ banku jamfariŋ baa le to, Yaawe* la kuwo darajoo kamma la, i la Alla. Ŋà a la kuwolu kibaaroolu le moyi, a ye meŋ bee ke Misira, 10 aniŋ a ye meŋ bee ke Amori mansakee fuloo la, mennu be Yoridani tilibo karoo la: Sihoni, Hesiboni mansa aniŋ Oki, Basani mansa meŋ ye Asitaroti mara. 11 Aduŋ ǹ na alifaalu aniŋ moolu mennu bee be ǹ na bankoo kaŋ, wolu le ko ǹ ye ko, ‘Ali si ali faŋ kanta domori feŋolu la ali la taamoo waatoo, ali ye taa ì kaŋ, ali ye a fo ì ye ko, Ntolu mu ali la joŋolu le ti, ali niŋ ŋà kambeŋo siti.’ 12 Ǹ na ñiŋ mbuuroolu be kandiriŋ ne nuŋ, kabiriŋ m̀ be ì kafu kaŋ ñoo ma suwo kono, luŋo meŋ na m̀ be wuli la ka naa ali kaŋ. Bari saayiŋ ali ì juubee, ì bee be jaariŋ ñaameŋ, aniŋ ì be fiinariŋ ñaameŋ. 13 Ali ye ñiŋ wayini sufurabootoolu mennu je teŋ, kabiriŋ m̀ be ì soodi kaŋ nuŋ, ì kutamaalu le mu. Bari ali ì juubee, ì bee be faraŋ-farandiŋ. Aduŋ ǹ na duŋ feŋolu aniŋ ǹ na samatoolu bee la tiñaa sunta ñiŋ dulaa jaŋo taamoo le la.”
14 Bituŋ Banisirayila kewolu ye ì la domoroo doolu muta. Bari ì maŋ Yaawe ñininkaa kuwo ñiŋ to. 15 Yosuwa niŋ ì teeriyaata, a niŋ ì ye kambeŋo siti ka ì niyolu tanka, aduŋ Banisirayila ñaatonkoolu ye kambeŋo ñiŋ bambandi niŋ kaloo la.
16 Ì niŋ Kibeyoninkoolu la kambeŋo sitoo tili sabanjaŋ luŋo koolaa, Banisirayilankoolu naata a moyi ko, ñinnu mu ì siiñoolu le ti. Ì bodulaa maŋ jamfa ì la. 17 Bituŋ Banisirayilankoolu naata paree taamoo la. Tili sabanjaŋ luŋo, ì naata futa Kibeyoninkoolu la saatewolu to: Kibeyoni, Kefira, Beeroti aniŋ Kiriyati-Yeyarimu. 18 Bari Banisirayilankoolu maŋ naa ì kelendi, kaatu ì la ñaatonkoolu ye i kali ñiŋ moolu ye Yaawe too le la, Banisirayila la Alla. Bituŋ Banisirayilankoolu bee ye ì la ñaatonkoolu jalayi. 19 Bari ñiŋ ñaatonkoolu naata ì jaabi, ì ko ì ye ko, “Ŋà n kali ì ye Yaawe too la, Banisirayila la Alla, aduŋ saayiŋ ǹ te ì maa noo la. 20 M̀ be meŋ ke la ì la, wo le mu ñiŋ ti: ǹ kana kaloo tiñaa ka ì faa. I si a je, Alla la kamfaa te futa la m̀ ma.” 21 Ñaatonkoolu tententa ka diyaamu, ì ko, “Ali ŋà ì bula, ǹ kana ì faa, bari ǹ si ì ke ǹ na moolu ye looñinilaalu ti, aniŋ jiibiilaalu.” Banisirayilankoolu la ñaatonkoolu ye ñiŋ kumakaŋo le fo ì ye.
22 Bituŋ Yosuwa ye Kibeyoninkoolu kumandi, a ko ì ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna ali ye ǹ neenee, ka a fo ǹ ye ko, ali bota naŋ dulaa jaŋ ne to, wo ye a tara ali bota ǹ daala jaŋ ne? 23 Ali keta dankamoolu le ti. Ali be tu la ke la looñinilaalu le ti, aniŋ jiibiilaalu n na Alla batudulaa buŋo to.” 24 Ì ye Yosuwa jaabi, ì ko a ye ko, “Ntolu mu i la joŋolu le ti, ì ye a fo ǹ ye senunke le, Yaawe i la Alla ye a la dookuulaa Musa yaamari le, ka ñiŋ bankoo bee dii ali la, aniŋ ka bankoo ñiŋ diŋolu bee turutumbuŋ. Ali la kuwo, wo le ye ntolu sila ka ǹ niyolu tankandi, wo le ye a tinna ŋà ñiŋ ke. 25 Saayiŋ m̀ be i bulu, feŋ-wo-feŋ beteyaata ite fee, wo ke ǹ na.”
26 Yosuwa naata ì tankandi Banisirayilankoolu ma, ì maŋ naa ì faa. 27 Wo luŋo le mu, Yosuwa ye Kibeyoninkoolu ke looñinilaalu niŋ jiibiilaalu ti moolu ye aniŋ Yaawe la sadaabodulaa* to, ate faŋo be naa daameŋ tomboŋ na. Bituŋ itolu tuta wo le ñaama fo ka naa bula bii tiloo la.
