1Na, i te rongonga o nga kingi katoa o tenei taha o Horano, o te whenua pukepuke, o te mania, o te tahatika katoa hoki o te moana nui i te ritenga atu o Repanona, te Hiti, te Amori, te Kanaani, te Perihi, te hiwi, te Iepuhi; 2Na huihui tahi ana ratou ki te whawhai ki a Hohua ratou ko Iharaira, kotahi tonu te whakaaro. 3No te rongonga ia o nga tangata o Kipeono ki nga mea i meatia e Hohua ki Heriko raua ko Hai, 4Ka mahi koroke ratou, ka haere me te mea he karere ratou; ka tango hoki ki nga putea tawhito ki runga ki o ratou kaihe, i nga koki waina hoki kua tawhitotia, kua pakarukaru, putiki rawa; 5Me nga hu tawhito ki o ratou waewae, papaki rawa, ko o ratou kakahu he mea tawhito; ko nga taro katoa hoki, ko o ratou o, he maroke, he puruhekaheka. 6Na haere ana ratou ki a Hohua ki te puni, ki Kirikara, a mea ana ki a ia, ki nga tangata hoki o Iharaira, I haere mai matou i te whenua mamao; na, whakaritea he kawenata ki a matou. 7Na ka mea atu nga tangata o Iharaira ki nga Hiwi, E noho nei ano pea koe i waenganui i ahau; a me pehea e whakarite ai ahau i te kawenata ki a koe? 8Na ka mea ratou ki a Hohua, He pononga matou nau; a ka mea a Hohua ki a ratou, Ko wai ma koutou? I haere mai koutou i hea? 9Na ka mea ratou ki a ia, I haere mai au pononga i tetahi whenua tawhiti noa atu, na te ingoa hoki o Ihowa, o tou Atua: i rongo hoki matou ki tona rongo, ki nga mea katoa hoki i mea ai ia ki Ihipa, 10Ki nga mea katoa ano hoki i mea ai ia ki nga kingi tokorua o nga Amori i tera taha o Horano, ki a Hihona kingi o Hehepona, raua ko Oka kingi o Pahana, i noho ra i Ahataroto. 11Na reira i ki mai ai o matou kaumatua me nga tangata katoa o to matou whenua ki a matou, i mea ai, Maua atu i o koutou ringa he o ki te huarahi, a haere ki te whakatau i a ratou, ka mea hoki ki a ratou, Ko a koutou pononga matou; na whakaritea m ai he kawenata ki a matou. 12Na ko a matou taro i maua mahanatia mai nei i o matou whare hei o mo matou i te ra i turia mai ai e matou, i haere mai ai ki a koutou, nana, kua maroke, kua puruhekahekatia. 13Ko nga koki waina nei hoki, i hou nei i ta matou whakakiinga, na kua pakarukaru; ko enei kakahu hoki o matou, me o matou hu, kua tawhitotia i te roa whakaharahara o te huarahi. 14Na ka tango nga tangata i etahi o o ratou o, a kihai i ui whakaaro i to Ihowa waha. 15A houhia iho e Hohua te rongo ki a ratou, whakaritea ana hoki e ia he kawenata whakaora mo ratou; i oati ano nga rangatira o te huihui ki a ratou. 16Na i te mutunga o nga ra e toru i muri iho i ta ratou whakaritenga i te kawenata ki a ratou, ka rongo ratou, e tata tonu ana ratou ki a ratou, e noho ana hoki i waenganui i a ratou. 17Na ka hapainga atu e nga tama a Iharaira, ka tae i te ra tuatoru ki o ratou pa. Ko o ratou pa hoki ko Kipeono, ko Kepira, ko Peeroto, ko Kiriata Tearimi. 18A kihai nga tama a Iharaira i patu i a ratou, no te mea kua oati nga rangatira o te huihuinga i a Ihowa, i te Atua o Iharaira, ki a ratou. A amuamu katoa ana te huihuinga ki nga rangatira. 19Na ka mea nga rangatira katoa ki te huihui katoa, Kua oati tatou i a Ihowa i te Atua o Iharaira, ki a ratou; no reira e kore tatou e ahei aianei te pa ki a ratou. 20Ko tenei ta tatou e mea ai ki a ratou, ka waiho i a ratou kia ora; kei riria tatou mo te oati i oati ai tatou ki a ratou. 21A ka mea nga rangatira ki a ratou, me whakaora ratou; otiia me waiho ratou hei tapatapahi rakau, hei utuutu wai mo te huihui katoa; kia rite ai ki ta nga rangatira i korero ai ki a ratou. 22Katahi ka karangatia ratou e Hohua, ka korero ia ki a ratou, ka mea, He aha koutou i nuka ai i a matou, i mea ai, Kei tawhiti noa atu koutou i a matou; e noho nei ano koutou i waenganui i a matou? 23No reira ka kanga koutou; a e kore e kore he kaimahi o koutou, hei tapatapahi rakau, hei utuutu wai hoki mo te whare o toku Atua. 24Na ka whakautua e ratou ki a Hohua, ka mea, I tino korerotia hoki ki au pononga nga mea i whakaritea e Ihowa, e tou Atua, ki a Mohi, ki tana pononga mo te whenua katoa, kia hoatu ki a koutou, kia huna atu hoki nga tangata katoa o te whenua i o k outou aroaro; na reira matou i tino wehi ai i a koutou, kei mate matou, na meatia ana e matou tenei mea. 25Na, kei roto tenei matou i ou ringa: mau e mea ki a matou te mea e pai ana, e tika ana ki tau titiro. 26Na peratia ana ratou e ia, a whakaorangia ake ratou i te ringa o nga tama a Iharaira, a kihai ratou i patua. 27Na waiho iho ratou i taua ra e Hohua hei tapatapahi rakau, hei utuutu wai mo te huihui, mo te aata hoki a Ihowa ki te wahi e whiriwhiri ai ia a tae noa mai ki tenei ra.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE KINGS COMBINE AGAINST ISRAEL. (Jos. 9:1-27)
all the kings which were on this side--that is, the western side of Jordan.
in the hills, and in ther valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea--This threefold distinction marks out very clearly a large portion of Canaan. The first designates the hill country, which belonged afterwards to the tribes of Judah and Ephraim: the second, all the low country from Carmel to Gaza; and the third, the shores of the Mediterranean, from the Isthmus of Tyre to the plain of Joppa. (As for the tribes mentioned, see on
Num 13:29).
heard thereof--that is, of the sacking of Jericho and Ai, as well as the rapid advance of the Israelites into the interior of the country.
2 they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord--Although divided by separate interests and often at war with each other, a sense of common danger prompted them to suspend their mutual animosities, that by their united forces they might prevent the land from falling into the hands of foreign masters.
3 THE GIBEONITES OBTAIN A LEAGUE BY CRAFT. (
Josh 9:3-
Josh 9:15)
when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard--This town, as its name imports, was situated on a rocky eminence, about six miles northwest from Jerusalem, where the modern village of El Jib now stands. It was the capital of the Hivites, and a large important city (
Josh 10:2). It seems to have formed, in union with a few other towns in the neighborhood, a free independent state (
Josh 9:17) and to have enjoyed a republican government (
Josh 9:11).
4 They did work wilily--They acted with dexterous policy, seeking the means of self-preservation, not by force, which they were convinced would be unavailing, but by artful diplomacy.
took old sacks upon their asses--Travellers in the East transport their luggage on beasts of burden; the poorer sort stow all their necessaries, food, clothes, utensils together, in a woollen or hair-cloth sack, laid across the shoulders of the beast they ride upon.
wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up--Goat-skins, which are better adapted for carrying liquor of any kind fresh and good, than either earthenware, which is porous, or metallic vessels, which are soon heated by the sun. These skin bottles are liable to be rent when old and much used; and there are various ways of mending them--by inserting a new piece of leather, or by gathering together the edges of the rent and sewing them in the form of a purse, or by putting a round flat splinter of wood into the hole.
5 old shoes and clouted--Those who have but one ass or mule for themselves and baggage frequently dismount and walk--a circumstance which may account for the worn shoes of the pretended travellers.
bread . . . dry and mouldy--This must have been that commonly used by travellers--a sort of biscuit made in the form of large rings, about an inch thick, and four or five inches in diameter. Not being so well baked as our biscuits, it becomes hard and mouldy from the moisture left in the dough. It is usually soaked in water previous to being used.
6 they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal--Arrived at the Israelitish headquarters, the strangers obtained an interview with Joshua and the elders, to whom they opened their business.
7 the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us--The answer of the Israelites implied that they had no discretion, that their orders were imperative, and that if the strangers belonged to any of the native tribes, the idea of an alliance with them was unlawful since God had forbidden it (
Exod 23:32;
Exod 34:12;
Deut 7:2).
9 From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God--They pretended to be actuated by religious motives in seeking to be allied with His people. But their studied address is worthy of notice in appealing to instances of God's miraculous doings at a distance, while they pass by those done in Canaan, as if the report of these had not yet reached their ears.
14 the men took of their victuals and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord--The mouldy appearance of their bread was, after examination, accepted as guaranteeing the truth of the story. In this precipitate conclusion the Israelites were guilty of excessive credulity and culpable negligence, in not asking by the high priest's Urim and Thummim the mind of God, before entering into the alliance. It is not clear, however, that had they applied for divine direction they would have been forbidden to spare and connect themselves with any of the Canaanite tribes who renounced idolatry and embraced and worshipped the true God. At least, no fault was found with them for making a covenant with the Gibeonites; while, on the other hand, the violation of it was severely punished (
2Sam 21:1; and
Josh 11:19-
Josh 11:20).
16 at the end of three days . . . they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them--This information was obtained in their further progress through the country; for as
Josh 9:17 should be rendered, "when the children of Israel journeyed, they came to their cities." Gibeon was about eighteen or twenty miles from Gilgal.
17 Chephirah-- (
Josh 18:26;
Ezra 2:25;
Neh 7:29).
Beeroth-- (
2Sam 4:2), now El Berich, about twenty minutes' distance from El Jib (Gibeon).
Kirjath-jearim--"the city of forests," now Kuryet-el-Enab [ROBINSON].
18 the children of Israel smote them not--The moral character of the Gibeonites' stratagem was bad. The princes of the congregation did not vindicate either the expediency or the lawfulness of the connection they had formed; but they felt the solemn obligations of their oath; and, although the popular clamor was loud against them, caused either by disappointment at losing the spoils of Gibeon, or by displeasure at the apparent breach of the divine commandment, they determined to adhere to their pledge, "because they had sworn by the Lord God of Israel." The Israelitish princes acted conscientiously; they felt themselves bound by their solemn promise; but to prevent the disastrous consequences of their imprudent haste, they resolved to degrade the Gibeonites to a servile condition as a means of preventing their people from being ensnared into idolatry, and thus acted up, as they thought, to the true spirit and end of the law.
27 hewers of wood and drawers of water--The menials who performed the lowest offices and drudgery in the sanctuary; whence they were called Nethinims (
1Chr 9:2;
Ezra 2:43;
Ezra 8:20); that is, given, appropriated. Their chastisement thus brought them into the possession of great religious privileges (
Ps 84:10).