Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept. New Living Translation Let them live.” So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community, as the Israelite leaders directed. English Standard Version And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them. Berean Standard Bible They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise. King James Bible And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. New King James Version And the rulers said to them, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers had promised them.” New American Standard Bible So the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” And they became gatherers of firewood and labor to draw water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. NASB 1995 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. NASB 1977 And the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. Legacy Standard Bible So the leaders said to them, “Let them live.” Thus they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them. Amplified Bible The leaders said to them, “Let them live [as our slaves].” So they became the cutters and gatherers of firewood and water carriers for the entire congregation, just as the leaders had said of them. Christian Standard Bible They also said, “Let them live.” So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them. Holman Christian Standard Bible They also said, “Let them live.” So the Gibeonites became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had promised them. American Standard Version And the princes said unto them, Let them live: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken unto them. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And the Princes were saying to the children Israel: “They shall live and they shall be gathering wood and filling water for all of the assembly.” And they were gatherers of wood and drawers of water for all of the congregation, just as the Princes said to them Brenton Septuagint Translation They shall live, and shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation, as the princes said to them. Douay-Rheims Bible But so let them live, as to serve the whole multitude in hewing wood, and bringing in water. As they were speaking these things, English Revised Version And the princes said unto them, Let them live: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had spoken unto them. GOD'S WORD® Translation The leaders said that they should be allowed to live. So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders had said. Good News Translation Let them live, but they will have to cut wood and carry water for us." This was what the leaders suggested. International Standard Version The leaders told them, "Let them live." So they became wood cutters and water carriers for the entire congregation, which is what the leaders had decided concerning them. JPS Tanakh 1917 And the princes said concerning them: 'Let them live'; so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken concerning them. Literal Standard Version And the princes say to them, “They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes spoke to them.” Majority Standard Bible They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise. New American Bible Thus the leaders said to them, “Let them live, and become hewers of wood and drawers of water for the entire community.” So the community did as the leaders advised them. NET Bible The leaders then added, "Let them live." So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. New Revised Standard Version The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them. New Heart English Bible And the leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, and all the congregation did as the leaders had spoken to them. Webster's Bible Translation And the princes said to them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood, and drawers of water to all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. World English Bible The 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. Young's Literal Translation And the princes say unto them, 'They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.' Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Deceit of the Gibeonites…20This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them.” 21They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation.” So the leaders kept their promise. 22Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us?… Cross References Deuteronomy 29:11 your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water-- Joshua 9:20 This is how we will treat them: We will let them live, so that no wrath will fall on us because of the oath we swore to them." Joshua 9:23 Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God." Joshua 9:27 On that day he made them woodcutters and water carriers, as they are to this day for the congregation of the LORD and for the altar at the place He would choose. Jeremiah 46:22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent, for the enemy will advance in force; with axes they will come against her like woodsmen cutting down trees. Treasury of Scripture And the princes said to them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. let them Joshua 9:23,27 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God… Deuteronomy 29:11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 2 Chronicles 2:17,18 And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the land of Israel, after the numbering wherewith David his father had numbered them; and they were found an hundred and fifty thousand and three thousand and six hundred… as the princes Joshua 9:15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. Jump to Previous Assembly Carriers Community Company Congregation Continued Cutters Cutting Drawers Entire Hewers Live Princes Promise Promised Servants Water Whole Wood WoodcuttersJump to Next Assembly Carriers Community Company Congregation Continued Cutters Cutting Drawers Entire Hewers Live Princes Promise Promised Servants Water Whole Wood WoodcuttersJoshua 9 1. The kings combine against Israel3. The Gibeonites by craft obtain a league 22. They are condemned to perpetual bondage Verse 21. - Said unto them, i.e., to the Israelites. But let them be. Rather, and they were, with Rosenmuller and Keil. See Keil in loc. for the force of the Vau conversive. The LXX. and Vulgate render as our version. Hewers of wood and drawers of water. Some amount of casuistry has been displayed upon this passage. But the fairness of the proceeding seems clear enough. The Gibeonites had escaped death by a fraud. For that fraud they deserved punishment. Their lives were spared by virtue of a solemn oath. But equality of rights had never been promised them. They might think themselves well off if they escaped destruction, even though they might be condemned permanently to occupy a servile condition. They appear to have assisted at the tabernacle worship, since they were condemned to serve, not individual Israelites, but the congregation. Such was the office of the נְתִינִים (Nethinhim i.e., the given or devoted) in the later history of Judah (see 1 Chronicles 9:2; Ezra 2:43-54, 58, 70; and Ezra 8:20. See also Drusius and Masius in loc.). The latter discusses the question whether the Nethinim were really the Gibeonites, or whether David, as stated in Ezra 8:20, instituted a new order of persons to take their place. If the latter were the case, then we have a proof that the Book of Joshua was written anterior to the time of David. It seems quite possible that Saul (2 Samuel 21:6) had all but exterminated the Gibeonites, and that David was compelled to institute a new order in their stead. If this suggestion be correct, and it is far from improbable, we have here an undesigned coincidence strongly supporting the credit of the narrative, in the place of Knobel's insinuation, contained in the words, that "the Elohist in Saul's time gives no hint of this, although he took the greatest interest in the persons engaged in God's service." As the princes had promised them. These words as they stand are unintelligible. No such promise had been given. The literal rendering is "as the princes" (see note on ver. 15) "said to them," by the mouth of Joshua, as recorded in ver. 23. The Syriac Version supplies some words here to make up for a supposed deficiency in the text. But this is not necessary. The repetition in vers. 23 and 27 is quite in the manner of the historian. Nor are the words "as the princes said to them" explicable on the supposition that the words after, "let them live," are the words of the princes (see note above). Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Theyהַנְּשִׂיאִ֖ים (han·nə·śî·’îm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5387: An exalted one, a king, sheik, a rising mist continued, וַיֹּאמְר֧וּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say “Let them live, יִֽחְי֑וּ (yiḥ·yū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 2421: To live, to revive but let them be וַ֠יִּֽהְיוּ (way·yih·yū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be woodcutters חֹטְבֵ֨י (ḥō·ṭə·ḇê) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Strong's 2404: To cut or gather wood and water מַ֙יִם֙ (ma·yim) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen carriers וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵי־ (wə·šō·’ă·ḇê-) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Strong's 7579: To bale up water for the whole לְכָל־ (lə·ḵāl) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every congregation.” הָ֣עֵדָ֔ה (hā·‘ê·ḏāh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5712: A stated assemblage So כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר (ka·’ă·šer) Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that the leaders הַנְּשִׂיאִֽים׃ (han·nə·śî·’îm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 5387: An exalted one, a king, sheik, a rising mist kept their promise. דִּבְּר֥וּ (dib·bə·rū) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue Links Joshua 9:21 NIVJoshua 9:21 NLT Joshua 9:21 ESV Joshua 9:21 NASB Joshua 9:21 KJV Joshua 9:21 BibleApps.com Joshua 9:21 Biblia Paralela Joshua 9:21 Chinese Bible Joshua 9:21 French Bible Joshua 9:21 Catholic Bible OT History: Joshua 9:21 The princes said to them Let them (Josh. 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