Di Gibeon People Deceive God Im People
The Gibeonites come with old sandals and bread wey don spoil, dey talk say dem travel from far. Israel check their food but dem no ask our Papa, and dem swear treaty. Three days after, the lie come out — and the oath still stand, so dem turn people wey dey cut wood.
9 1When all di kings wey dey for di oda side of Jordan—for di hill country, di lowland, and along di whole coast of di Great Sea wey dey face Lebanon—di Hittite people, Amorite people, Canaanite people, Perizzite people, Hivite people, and Jebusite people hear dis tin, 2dem gada togeda as one, to fight against Joshua and Israel. 3But when di people of Gibeon hear wetin Joshua don do to Jericho and to Ai, 4dem too use cunning: dem comot go disguise like say dem be messengers, dem carry sacks wey don tear-tear and old wineskins wey don burst and dem patch am, put for dia donkeys, 5dem wear sandals wey don wear-out and dem patch am for dia leg, and torn-torn clothes for dia body; all dia bread don dry and dey crumble. 6Dem go meet Joshua for di Gilgal camp and tell am and di Israel people, “We comot from far-far land; so now make Covenant with us.”
7But di men of Israel tell di Hivite people, “Maybe una dey live right for our midst. How we go take make Covenant with una?”
8Dem tell Joshua, “We be your servants.” Joshua ask, “Who una be, and where una comot from?”
9Dem tell am, “Your servants comot from land wey far well-well, because of di name of Oga your God, because we don hear im fame—all wetin e do for Egypt, 10and all wetin e do to di two Amorite kings wey dey for di oda side of Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan, wey bin dey rule for Ashtaroth. 11So our elders and all our people talk say, ‘Take food for di journey, go meet dem, and tell dem, “We be your servants; so now make Covenant with us.”’ 12Our bread bin still warm when we pack am for house di day wey we comot to come meet una; but now, look—e don dry and dey crumble. 13Dis wineskins bin be new when we fill dem—now dem don burst. And our clothes and sandals don wear-out from di journey wey long well-well.”
14So di men taste dia food but dem no ask our Papa for counsel. 15Then Joshua make peace with dem and cut Covenant to let dem live, and di leaders of di congregation swear oath give dem. a a v15 ‘Cut Covenant’ na old idiom: for those days, dem dey confirm formal agriment by killing animals and dividing dem between di two parties. 16Three days after, when dem don already make di Covenant with dem, dem hear say dis people na neighbours wey dey live for dia midst. 17Di Israel people comot and reach dia towns for di third day. Dia towns na: Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim. 18But Israel no attack dem, because di leaders of di assembly don swear give dem by our Papa, di God of Israel. And di whole assembly begin complain against di leaders. 19But all di leaders tell di whole congregation, “We don swear give dem by our Papa, di God of Israel, so now we no fit touch dem. 20Na dis we go do dem: make we let dem live, so dat anger no go fall on us because of di oath wey we swear give dem.” 21Di leaders tell dem, “Make dem live.” So dem come be di people wey dey cut wood and carry water for di whole community, just as di leaders bin promise.
22Then Joshua call dem come: “Why una deceive us, dey talk say, ‘We dey live far well-well from una,’ when una dey live right for our midst? 23So now curse dey on una: una go be servants forever—di people wey dey cut wood and carry water for di house of my Papa.”
24Dem answer Joshua, “Dem tell your servants clear-clear say Oga your God don command im servant Moses to give una di whole land and to wipe out all di people wey dey live inside am for una front. So, because we fear well-well for our life because of una, na im make we do dis tin. 25Now we dey for your hand. Do us wetin good and correct for your eye.”
26So na so e do dem, e save dem from di hand of di people of Israel, and dem no kill dem. 27Dat day Joshua make dem di people wey dey cut wood and carry water for di congregation and for di altar of our Papa for di place wey e go choose—and e still dey so till today.
