Joshua 9

¹ The victories of Israel con popular to all kings wey dey west of Jordan – in the hills, in the foothills, and along coast of Mediterranean Sea take reach far Lebanon; na them be the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

² Dem all come together and join forces to fight Joshua and Israelites.

³ But people of Gibeon, wey be Hivites, hear wetin Joshua don do to Jericho and Ai.

⁴ So dem decide say dem go trick Israelites. Na their plan be this: Dem gather wineskins wey don crack and break together. Dem put the wineskins for the back of their animals. Dem put old cloth on top their animals to make am look like say dem don dey travel from far away.

⁵ Dem wear cloth wey don dey look like rag and sandals wey don spoil. The bread wey dem take with them don dry and e don spoil.

⁶ Then dem go to the camp for Gilgal and tell Joshua and Israelites say, “Na from far away land we dey come from. We wan make una make a deal with us.”

⁷ But Israelites answer say, “Why we go make deal with una? Una fit dey live close sef.”

⁸ Dem tell Joshua say, “We dey at your service.” Joshua con ask them say, “Who una be? Where una dey come from?”

⁹ Naso dem tell him this story: “Sir, we dey come from far distance land because we don hear about the LORD your God. We don hear about everything wey him do for Egypt

¹⁰ And wetin him do to the Amorite kings for east of Jordan: King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan, wey live for Ashtaroth.

¹¹ Our leaders and all people wey dey live for our land tell us make we get some food ready for journey and go meet you. Dem tell us say make we come work for you and ask you to make deal with us.

¹² See our bread. E still dey warm when we leave house with am and start to come meet una. But, see! Now e don dry and spoil.

¹³ When we fill the wineskins, dem still dey new, but se am! Dem don tear. Our clothes and sandals don spoil because of the long journey.”

¹⁴ The Israelites take some food from them, but dem no ask God about am.

¹⁵ Naso Joshua make friendship deal with people of Gibeon and allow them to live. The leaders of Israel community con make promise to keep the deal.

¹⁶ Three days after dem make the deal, the people of Israel con find out say these people dey live nearby for real.

¹⁷ Naso the people of Israel begin dey go and after three days dem reach where these people dey live: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

¹⁸ But the Israelites no fit kill them, because their leaders don make promise to them in the name of the LORD, God of Israel. All the people complain give the leaders about am,

¹⁹ But dem answer say, “We don promise them in the name of the LORD God of Israel. We no fit harm them.

²⁰ We must allow them live because of our promise; if we no do am, God go punish us.

²¹ Make una allow them live, but dem go dey cut wood and carry water for us.” Na the idea wey the leaders give be this.

²² Joshua say make dem bring people of Gibeon to him, and he ask them say, “Why una deceive us and tell us say una come from far place, but una dey live for here?

²³ Because of wetin una do, God don condemn una. una people go always be slaves wey go dey cut wood and carry water for the sanctuary of my God.”

²⁴ Dem answer say, “Sir, we do am because we find out na true e be say the LORD una God don command him servant Moses to give una the whole land and kill the people wey dey live for there as una dey go. We do am because we dey fear una; we dey fear for our lives.

²⁵ Now we dey una hand, make una do wetin una think say e dey right to us.”

²⁶ So na wetin Joshua do be this: he protect them and he no allow the people of Israel kill them.

²⁷ But that time he make them slaves, to dey cut wood and carry water for the people of Israel and for altar of God. Till this day dem don continue to dey this work for the place where God don choose for them to dey worship him.