7. And the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you are living among us; how can we make a covenant with you?”
8. They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and from where do you come?”
9. And they said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far land because of the name of Yahweh your God; we have heard of his reputation, of all that he did in Egypt,
10. and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth.
11. So our elders said to us and all the inhabitants of our land, ‘Take in your hand provisions for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; so then make a covenant with us.” ’
12. This is our bread; it was hot when we took it from our houses as provisions on the day we set out to come to you. But now, look, it is dry and crumbled.
13. These are the wineskins that we filled new, but look, they have burst; and these are our clothes and sandals that have worn out from the very long journey.”
14. So the leaders took from their provisions, but they did not ask direction from Yahweh.
15. And Joshua made peace with them, and he made a covenant with them to allow them to live happily, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
16. And it happened that at the end of three days, after they made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and living among them.
17. And the Israelites set out and went to their cities on the third day (their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim).
18. But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh the God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against their leaders.