1. Now all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about what had happened. These were the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who lived in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far north as the Lebanon mountains.
2. These kings combined their armies to fight as one against Joshua and the Israelites.
3. But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,
4. they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins.
5. They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy.
6. When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us.”
7. The Israelites replied to these Hivites, “How do we know you don’t live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you.”
8. They replied, “We are your servants.”“But who are you?” Joshua demanded. “Where do you come from?”