Quibus auditis, cuncti reges trans Jordanem, qui versabantur in montanis et campestribus, in maritimis ac littore magni maris, hi quoque qui habitabant juxta Libanum, Hethæus et Amorrhæus, Chananæus, Pherezæus, et Hevæus, et Jebusæus,

Now when these things were heard of, all the kings beyond the Jordan, that dwelt in the mountains and in the plains, in the places near the sea, and on the coasts of the great sea, they also that dwell by Libanus, the Hethite and the Amorrhite, the Chanaanite, the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite,

News of this was brought to all the other kings that lived west of Jordan, some in the hill country, some down on the plains, some on the coast by the shores of the open sea, or on the spurs of Lebanon. And all of them, Hethite and Amorrhite, Chanaanite and Pherezite, Hevite and Jebusite,

congregati sunt pariter, ut pugnarent contra Josue et Israël uno animo, eademque sententia.

Gathered themselves together, to fight against Josue and Israel with one mind, and one resolution.

made common cause against Josue and the people of Israel; all were minded to offer a common resistance,

At hi qui habitabant in Gabaon, audientes cuncta quæ fecerat Josue Jericho, et Hai,

But they that dwelt in Gabaon, hearing all that Josue had done to Jericho and Hai:

except the people of Gabaon. These, when they learned how Josue had destroyed Jericho and Hai,

et callide cogitantes, tulerunt sibi cibaria, saccos veteres asinis imponentes, et utres vinarios scissos atque consutos,

Cunningly devising took for themselves provisions, laying old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles rent and sewed up again,

devised a policy of their own, and a crafty one. They provided themselves with food as if for a long journey, and this they put into old sacks, and their wine into skins that were tattered and patched, and loaded up their beasts with such things.

calceamentaque perantiqua quæ ad indicium vetustatis pittaciis consuta erant, induti veteribus vestimentis: panes quoque, quos portabant ob viaticum, duri erant, et in frustra comminuti:

And very old shoes, which for a show of age were clouted with patches, and old garments upon them: the loaves also, which they carried for provisions by the way, were hard, and broken into pieces:

Their shoes were worn out, and cobbled as old shoes would be, their clothes threadbare, the very bread they took with them for the journey dry and crumbling.

perrexeruntque ad Josue, qui tunc morabatur in castris Galgalæ, et dixerunt ei, atque simul omni Israëli: De terra longinqua venimus, pacem vobiscum facere cupientes. Responderuntque viri Israël ad eos, atque dixerunt:

And they went to Josue, who then abode in the camp at Galgal, and said to him, and to all Israel with him: We are come from a far country, desiring to make peace with you. And the children of Israel answered them, and said:

In such guise, they made their way into the presence of Josue, who was then in camp at Galgal.To him, and to the assembly of Israel, they gave out that they had come from far away, to make an alliance. The Israelites were in doubt of them;

Ne forte in terra, quæ nobis sorte debetur, habitetis, et non possimus fœdus inire vobiscum.

Perhaps you dwell in the land which falls to our lot; if so, we can make no league with you.

Neighbours more like, they said, dwelling in this land which is our home; we can have no alliance with you.

At illi ad Josue: Servi, inquiunt, tui sumus. Quibus Josue ait: Quinam estis vos? et unde venistis?

But they said to Josue: We are thy servants. Josue said to them: Who are you? and whence came you?

So they turned to Josue and said, We await thy commands. And when he asked who they were and whence they had come,

Responderunt: De terra longinqua valde venerunt servi tui in nomine Domini Dei tui. Audivimus enim famam potentiæ ejus, cuncta quæ fecit in Ægypto,

They answered: From a very far country thy servants are come in the name of the Lord thy God. For we have heard the fame of his power, all the things that he did in Egypt.

they answered, My Lord, we have come from a land far away, to do honour to the name of the Lord thy God. How strong a God, we learned from the story of all he did in Egypt,

et duobus regibus Amorrhæorum qui fuerunt trans Jordanem, Sehon regi Hesebon, et Og regi Basan, qui erat in Astaroth:

And to the two kings of the Amorrhites that were beyond the Jordan, Sehon king of Hesebon, and Og king of Basan, that was in Astaroth:

of all that befell the two Amorrhite kings beyond Jordan, Sehon king of Hesebon, and Og king of Basan, who reigned once at Astaroth.

dixeruntque nobis seniores, et omnes habitatores terræ nostræ: Tollite in manibus cibaria ob longissimam viam, et occurrite eis, et dicite: Servi vestri sumus: fœdus inite nobiscum.

And our ancients, and all the inhabitants of our country said to us: Take with you victuals for a long way, and go meet them, and say: We are your servants, make ye a league with us.

So the elders and the rest of our fellow-citizens bade us take provisions to last us through our travels, and come to meet you, assuring you of our humble duty and begging for an alliance.

En panes quando egressi sumus de domibus nostris, ut veniremus ad vos, calidos sumpsimus; nunc sicci facti sunt, et vetustate nimia comminuti.

Behold, these loaves we took hot, when we set out from our houses to come to you, now they are become dry, and broken in pieces, by being exceeding old.

Only look at the bread we took with us, hot from the oven at home, when we set out to find you, how dry it is, how it crumbles after being kept so long!

Utres vini novos implevimus; nunc rupti sunt et soluti. Vestes et calceamenta quibus induimur, et quæ habemus in pedibus, ob longitudinem longioris viæ trita sunt, et pene consumpta.

These bottles of wine when we filled them were new, now they are rent and burst. These garments we have on, and the shoes we have on our feet, by reason of the very long journey are worn out, and almost consumed.

The new wine-skins we filled are all torn and leaking; the very clothes we wear, the very shoes on our feet, have worn out in our travels, and all but worn away.

Susceperunt igitur de cibariis eorum, et os Domini non interrogaverunt.

They took therefore of their victuals, and consulted not the mouth of the Lord.

The victuals passed from hand to hand, and the Lord was never asked for guidance.

Fecitque Josue cum eis pacem, et inito fœdere pollicitus est quod non occiderentur: principes quoque multitudinis juraverunt eis.

And Josue made peace with them, and entering into a league promised that they should not be slain: the princes also of the multitude swore to them.

Josue gave them terms of peace, and made an alliance with them, promising that their lives should be spared; the chieftains, too, bound themselves to it by an oath,

Post dies autem tres initi fœderis, audierunt quod in vicino habitarent, et inter eos futuri essent.

Now three days after the league was made, they heard that they dwelt nigh, and they should be among them.

and it was not till the treaty had been three days in force, that they learned these men were close neighbours, and would share the land with them.

Moveruntque castra filii Israël, et venerunt in civitates eorum die tertio, quarum hæc vocabula sunt: Gabaon, et Caphira, et Beroth, et Cariathiarim.

And the children of Israel removed the camp, and came into their cities on the third day, the names of which are Gabaon, and Caphira, and Beroth, and Cariathiarim.

The Israelites moved camp, and reached, two days later, the cities where these men dwelt, Gabaon and Caphira and Beroth and Cariathiarim.

Et non percusserunt eos, eo quod jurassent eis principes multitudinis in nomine Domini Dei Israël. Murmuravit itaque omne vulgus contra principes.

And they slew them not, because the princes of the multitude had sworn in the name of the Lord the God of Israel. Then all the common people murmured against the princes.

Shed blood they might not; had not the chieftains pledged themselves by an oath in the name of the Lord God of Israel? When the common folk assailed them with reproaches,

Qui responderunt eis: Juravimus illis in nomine Domini Dei Israël, et idcirco non possumus eos contingere.

And they answered them: We have sworn to them in the name of the Lord the God of Israel, and therefore we may not touch them.

the chieftains could only answer, We have taken an oath in the name of the Lord God of Israel; how can we touch them?

Sed hoc faciemus eis: reserventur quidem ut vivant, ne contra nos ira Domini concitetur, si pejeraverimus:

But this we will do to them: Let their lives be saved, lest the wrath of the Lord be stirred up against us, if we should be forsworn.

Only one way is left; we must keep them alive, so as not to provoke the Lord’s anger by forswearing ourselves,

sed sic vivant, ut in usus universæ multitudinis ligna cædant, aquasque comportent. Quibus hæc loquentibus,

But so let them live, as to serve the whole multitude in hewing wood, and bringing in water. As they were speaking these things,

but they must live to hew wood and draw water for the needs of our company.Such was the voice they gave;

vocavit Gabaonitas Josue, et dixit eis: Cur nos decipere fraude voluistis, ut diceretis: Procul valde habitamus a vobis, cum in medio nostri sitis?

Jouse called the Gabaonites and said to them: Why would you impose upon us, saying: We dwell far off from you, whereas you are in the midst of us?

and thereupon Josue summoned the Gabaonites into his presence. What means this trick you have played on us, he asked, telling us you lived far away, when you are in truth our near neighbours?

itaque sub maledictione eritis, et non deficiet de stirpe vestra ligna cædens, aquasque comportans in domum Dei mei.

Therefore you shall be under a curse, and your race shall always be hewers of wood, and carriers of water unto the house of my God.

You shall lie under a ban; it shall ever be men of your race that hew wood and draw water for the house of the God whom I serve.

Qui responderunt: Nuntiatum est nobis servis tuis, quod promisisset Dominus Deus tuus Moysi servo suo ut traderet vobis omnem terram, et disperderet cunctos habitatores ejus. Timuimus igitur valde, et providimus animabus nostris, vestro terrore compulsi, et hoc consilium inivimus.

They answered: It was told us thy servants, that the Lord thy God had promised his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants thereof. Therefore we feared exceedingly and provided for our lives compelled by the dread we had of you and we took this counsel.

And they answered, My Lord, we had heard of the promise made by the Lord thy God to his servant Moses, that he would give you all these lands for your own, and dispossess the inhabitants. In terror of our lives at your approach, we devised this stratagem.

Nunc autem in manu tua sumus: quod tibi bonum et rectum videtur, fac nobis.

And now we are in thy hand: deal with us as it seemeth good and right unto thee.

Now we are at thy mercy; do what seems best, do what seems right to thee.

Fecit ergo Josue ut dixerat, et liberavit eos de manu filiorum Israël, ut non occiderentur.

So Josue did as he had said, and delivered them from the hand of the children of Israel, that they should not be slain.

So Josue made good his word; he would not let Israel slay them,

Decrevitque in illo die eos esse in ministerio cuncti populi, et altaris Domini, cædentes ligna, et aquas comportantes, usque in præsens tempus, in loco quem Dominus elegisset.

And he gave orders in that day that they should be in the service of all the people, and of the altar of the Lord, hewing wood and carrying water, until this present time, in the place which the Lord hath chosen.

but there and then he decreed that they should undertake the service of the Lord’s altar on behalf of the whole people, in the place of his choice, hewing wood and drawing water as they do to this day.