1Or come tutti i re che erano di qua dal Giordano, nella contrada montuosa e nella pianura e lungo tutta la costa del mar grande dirimpetto al Libano, lo Hitteo, l’Amoreo, il Cananeo, il Ferezeo, lo Hivveo e il Gebuseo ebbero udito queste cose, 2si adunarono tutti assieme, di comune accordo, per muover guerra a Giosuè e ad Israele. 3Gli abitanti di Gabaon, dal canto loro, quand’ebbero udito ciò che Giosuè avea fatto a Gerico e ad Ai, 4procedettero con astuzia: partirono, provvisti di viveri, caricarono sui loro asini dei sacchi vecchi e de’ vecchi otri da vino, rotti e ricuciti; 5si misero ai piedi de’ calzari vecchi rappezzati, e de’ vecchi abiti addosso; e tutto il pane di cui s’eran provvisti era duro e sbriciolato. 6Andarono da Giosuè, al campo di Ghilgal, e dissero a lui e alla gente d’Israele: "Noi veniamo di paese lontano; or dunque fate alleanza con noi". 7La gente d’Israele rispose a questi Hivvei: "Forse voi abitate in mezzo a noi; come dunque faremmo alleanza con voi?" 8Ma quelli dissero a Giosuè: "Noi siam tuoi servi!" E Giosuè a loro: "Chi siete? e donde venite?" E quelli gli risposero: 9"I tuoi servi vengono da un paese molto lontano, tratti dalla fama dell’Eterno, del tuo Dio; poiché abbiam sentito parlare di lui, di tutto quello che ha fatto in Egitto 10e di tutto quello che ha fatto ai due re degli Amorei di là dal Giordano, a Sihon re di Heshbon e ad Og re di Basan, che abitava ad Astaroth. 11E i nostri anziani e tutti gli abitanti del nostro paese ci hanno detto: "Prendete con voi delle provviste per il viaggio, andate loro incontro e dite: Noi siamo vostri servi; fate dunque alleanza con noi. 12Ecco il nostro pane; lo prendemmo caldo dalle nostre case, come provvista, il giorno che partimmo per venire da voi, e ora eccolo duro e sbriciolato; 13e questi sono gli otri da vino che empimmo tutti nuovi, ed eccoli rotti; e questi i nostri abiti e i nostri calzari, che si son logorati per la gran lunghezza del viaggio". 14Allora la gente d’Israele prese delle loro provviste, e non consultò l’Eterno. 15E Giosuè fece pace con loro e fermò con loro un patto, per il quale avrebbe lasciato loro la vita; e i capi della raunanza lo giuraron loro. 16Ma tre giorni dopo ch’ebber fermato questo patto, seppero che quelli eran loro vicini e abitavano in mezzo a loro; 17poiché i figliuoli d’Israele partirono, e giunsero alle loro città il terzo giorno: le loro città erano Gabaon, Kefira, Beeroth e Kiriath-Jearim. 18Ma i figliuoli d’Israele non li uccisero, a motivo del giuramento che i capi della raunanza avean fatto loro nel nome dell’Eterno, dell’Iddio d’Israele. Però, tutta la raunanza mormorò contro i capi. 19E tutti i capi dissero all’intera raunanza: "Noi abbiam giurato loro nel nome dell’Eterno, dell’Iddio d’Israele; perciò non li possiamo toccare. 20Ecco quel che faremo loro: li lasceremo in vita, per non trarci addosso l’ira dell’Eterno, a motivo del giuramento che abbiam fatto loro". 21I capi dissero dunque: "Essi vivranno!" Ma quelli furono semplici spaccalegna ed acquaioli per tutta la raunanza, come i capi avean loro detto. 22Giosuè dunque li chiamò e parlò loro così: "Perché ci avete ingannati dicendo: Stiamo molto lontano da voi mentre abitate in mezzo a noi? 23Or dunque siete maledetti, e non cesserete mai d’essere schiavi, spaccalegna ed acquaioli per la casa del mio Dio". 24E quelli risposero a Giosuè e dissero: "Era stato espressamente riferito ai tuoi servi che il tuo Dio, l’Eterno, aveva ordinato al suo servo Mosè di darvi tutto il paese e di sterminarne d’innanzi a voi tutti gli abitanti. E noi, al vostro appressarvi, siamo stati in gran timore per le nostre vite, ed abbiamo fatto questo. 25Ed ora eccoci qui nelle tue mani; trattaci come ti par che sia bene e giusto di fare". 26Giosuè li trattò dunque così: li liberò dalle mani de’ figliuoli d’Israele, perché questi non li uccidessero; 27ma in quel giorno li destinò ad essere spaccalegna ed acquaioli per la raunanza e per l’altare dell’Eterno, nel luogo che l’Eterno si sceglierebbe: ed e ciò che fanno anche al dì d’oggi.
1When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it 2they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and wine skins, old and torn and bound up, 5and old and patched shoes on their feet, and wore old garments. All the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country. Now therefore make a covenant with us.” 7The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you live among us. How could we make a covenant with you?” 8They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” Joshua said to them, “Who are you? Where do you come from?” 9They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God; for we have heard of his fame, all that he did in Egypt, 10and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. 11Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and tell them, “We are your servants. Now make a covenant with us.”’ 12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we went out to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy. 13These wine skins, which we filled, were new; and behold, they are torn. These our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey.” 14The men sampled their provisions, and didn’t ask counsel from the mouth of Yahweh. 15Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The princes of the congregation swore to them. 16At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them. 17The children of Israel traveled and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 18The children of Israel didn’t strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes. 19But all the princes said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. 20This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them.” 21The princes said to them, “Let them live, so they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.” 22Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ when you live among us? 23Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you will never fail to be slaves, both wood cutters and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24They answered Joshua, and said, “Because your servants were certainly told how Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you. Therefore we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25Now, behold, we are in your hand. Do to us as it seems good and right to you to do.” 26He did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they didn’t kill them. 27That day Joshua made them wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place which he should choose.
1En het geschiedde, toen dit hoorden al de koningen, die aan deze zijde van de Jordaan waren, op het gebergte, en in de laagte, en aan alle havens der grote zee, tegenover den Libanon: de Hethieten, en de Amorieten, de Kanaanieten, de Ferezieten, de Hevieten, en de Jebusieten; 2Zo vergaderden zij zich samen, om tegen Jozua en tegen Israel te krijgen, eenmoediglijk. 3Als de inwoners te Gibeon hoorden, wat Jozua met Jericho en met Ai gedaan had, 4Zo handelden zij ook arglistiglijk, en gingen heen, en veinsden zich gezanten te zijn, en zij namen oude zakken op hun ezels, en oude en gescheurde, en samengebonden lederen wijnzakken; 5Ook oude en bevlekte schoenen aan hun voeten, en zij hadden oude klederen aan, en al het brood, dat zij op hun reize hadden, was droog en beschimmeld. 6En zij gingen tot Jozua in het leger te Gilgal, en zij zeiden tot hem en tot de mannen van Israel: Wij zijn gekomen uit een ver land, zo maakt nu een verbond met ons. 7Toen zeiden de mannen van Israel tot de Hevieten: Misschien woont gijlieden in het midden van ons, hoe zullen wij dan een verbond met u maken? 8Zij dan zeiden tot Jozua: Wij zijn uw knechten. Toen zeide Jozua tot hen: Wie zijt gijlieden, en van waar komt gij? 9Zij nu zeiden tot hem: Uw knechten zijn uit een zeer ver land gekomen, om den Naam des HEEREN, uws Gods; want wij hebben Zijn gerucht gehoord, en alles wat Hij in Egypte gedaan heeft; 10En alles wat Hij gedaan heeft aan de twee koningen der Amorieten die aan gene zijde van de Jordaan waren, Sihon, den koning van Hesbon, en Og, den koning van Bazan, die te Astharoth woonde. 11Daarom spraken tot ons onze oudsten, en al de inwoners onzes lands, zeggende: Neemt reiskost met u in uw handen op de reize, en gaat hun tegemoet, en zegt tot hen: Wij zijn ulieder knechten, zo maakt nu een verbond met ons. 12Dit ons brood hebben wij warm tot onzen teerkost uit onze huizen genomen, ten dage, toen wij uittogen om tot ulieden te reizen; maar ziet, nu is het droog, en het is beschimmeld; 13En deze lederen wijnzakken, die wij gevuld hebben, waren nieuw, maar ziet, zij zijn gescheurd; en deze onze klederen, en onze schoenen zijn oud geworden, vanwege deze zeer lange reis. 14Toen namen de mannen van hun reiskost; en zij vraagden het den mond des HEEREN niet. 15En Jozua maakte vrede met hen, en hij maakte een verbond met hen, dat hij hen bij het leven behouden zoude; en de oversten der vergadering zwoeren hun. 16En het geschiedde ten einde van drie dagen, nadat zij het verbond met hen gemaakt hadden, zo hoorden zij, dat zij hun naburen waren, en dat zij in het midden van hen waren wonende. 17Want toen de kinderen Israels voorttogen, zo kwamen zij ten derden dage aan hun steden; hun steden nu waren Gibeon, en Chefira, en Beeroth, en Kirjath-Jearim. 18En de kinderen Israels sloegen ze niet, omdat de oversten der vergadering hun gezworen hadden bij den HEERE, den God Israels; daarom murmureerde de ganse vergadering tegen de oversten. 19Toen zeiden al de oversten tot de ganse vergadering: Wij hebben hun gezworen bij den HEERE, den God Israels; daarom kunnen wij hen niet aantasten. 20Dit zullen wij hun doen, dat wij hen bij het leven behouden, opdat geen grote toorn over ons zij, om des eeds wil, dien wij hun gezworen hebben. 21Verder zeiden de oversten tot hen: Laat hen leven, en laat ze houthouwers en waterputters zijn der ganse vergadering, gelijk de oversten tot hen gezegd hebben. 22En Jozua riep hen, en sprak tot hen, zeggende: Waarom hebt gijlieden ons bedrogen, zeggende: Wij zijn zeer verre van ulieden gezeten, daar gij in het midden van ons zijt wonende? 23Nu dan, vervloekt zijt gijlieden! en onder ulieden zullen niet afgesneden worden knechten, noch houthouwers, noch waterputters ten huize mijns Gods. 24Zij dan antwoordden Jozua, en zeiden: Dewijl het aan uw knechten zekerlijk was te kennen gegeven, dat de HEERE, uw God, Zijn knecht Mozes geboden heeft, dat Hij ulieden al dit land geven, en al de inwoners des lands voor ulieder aangezicht verdelgen zoude, zo vreesden wij onzes levens zeer voor ulieder aangezichten; daarom hebben wij deze zaak gedaan. 25En nu, zie, wij zijn in uw hand; doe, gelijk het goed en gelijk het recht is in uw ogen ons te doen. 26Zo deed hij hun alzo, en hij verloste hen van de hand der kinderen Israels, dat zij hen niet doodsloegen. 27Alzo gaf Jozua hen over ten zelven dage tot houthouwers en waterputters der vergadering, en dat tot het altaar des HEEREN, tot dezen dag toe, aan de plaats, die Hij verkiezen zoude.
La numerazione dei versetti segue la traduzione scelta e in alcuni capitoli può differire di un versetto.