1. All the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these things. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They lived in the mountains and on the western mountain slopes. They also lived along the whole Mediterranean Sea coast.
2. All these kings gathered to fight Joshua and the Israelites.
3. The people of Gibeon heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai.
4. So they decided to trick the Israelites. They gathered old leather wine bags that were cracked and mended. They put them on the backs of their donkeys. They also put old sacks on their donkeys.
5. The men put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. They took some dry, moldy bread.
6. Then they went to Joshua in the camp near Gilgal.The men spoke to Joshua and the men of Israel. They said, “We have traveled from a faraway country. Make a peace agreement with us.”
7. The men of Israel said to these Hivites, “Maybe you live near us. How can we make a peace agreement with you?”