Joshua

9 When all the kings wey be dey the west side of River Jordan hear wetin don happen, the ones for the area wey mountains dey for She·pheʹlah, wey dey the whole area wey near the Great Sea,* and for front of Lebʹa·non—Hitʹtite people, Amʹor·ite people, Caʹnaan people, Perʹiz·zite people, Hiʹvite people, and Jeʹbus people— 2 them join together make agreement to fight against Joshua and Israel.

3 The people wey de live for Gibʹe·on still hear wetin Joshua don do Jerʹi·cho and Aʹi. 4 So them use sense and put food for inside old tear-tear bags and put-am ontop their donkeys, together with old wine bags wey don burst and wey them don sew; 5 them still wear old patch-patch sandals for their leg and them wear tear-tear cloths. All the bread wey them carry don dry and e de scatter. 6 Then, them go meet Joshua for the camp wey dey Gilʹgal, and tell-am and the men of Israel say: “Na land wey far we come from. So make agreement with us.” 7 But the men of Israel tell the Hiʹvite people say: “E fit be say una de stay near us. So how we fit make agreement with una?” 8 Them answer Joshua say: “We be your servants.”*

Then Joshua ask them say: “Who una be, and where una come from?” 9 With this one, them tell-am say: “Na land wey far well-well your servants come from, because of the respect wey we get for the name of Jehovah your God, because we don hear about im story and about everything wey e do inside Egypt 10 and about everything wey e do the two kings of Amʹor·ite people wey be dey the other side* of River Jordan, King Siʹhon of Heshʹbon and King Og of Baʹshan, wey be dey Ashʹta·roth. 11 So our elders and all the people wey de live for our land tell us say, ‘Make una carry food wey una go need for the journey and go meet them. Tell them say: “We go be una servants; so make agreement with us.”’ 12 This bread wey we take as our food still hot the day wey we comot from our house come here come meet una. Now una fit see-am say e don dry and de scatter. 13 And this wine bags be dey new when we full them, but now them don burst and our cloths and sandals don tear because the journey really long.”

14 So the men take* some of their food, but them no ask Jehovah wetin them go do. 15 So Joshua make peace with them and make agreement with them say e no go kill them, and na wetin the chiefs of the people swear and promise them.

16 When three days don pass after them don make agreement with them, them hear say them de stay near them, for their area. 17 Then Israel people comot and reach their cities for the third day. Their cities na Gibʹe·on, Che·phiʹrah, Be·erʹoth, and Kirʹi·ath-jeʹa·rim. 18 But Israel people no attack them because the chiefs of the people be don use the name of Jehovah the God of Israel to swear and promise them. So Israel people* start to complain against the chiefs. 19 With this one, all the chiefs tell all the people say: “Since we don use the name of Jehovah the God of Israel to swear and promise them, we no go fit attack them. 20 This one na wetin we go do: We no go kill them, so that God no go vex for us because we don swear to them.” 21 And the chiefs still talk say: “Make we no kill them, but make them be people wey go de gather wood and de fetch water for all the people.” This one na wetin the chiefs promise them.

22 So Joshua call them and tell them say: “Why una deceive us as una talk say, ‘We come from place wey really far from una,’ when e be say una just de stay near us? 23 From now, una be people wey them don curse, and una go always be slave wey go de gather wood and de fetch water for the house of my God.” 24 Them answer Joshua say: “Na because them tell your servants clear say Jehovah your God don command Moses im servant to give una all the land and to destroy all the people wey de live for there comot from una front. So we be de fear for our life* because of una, na im make we do this thing wey we do. 25 Now we dey your hand. Make you do us anything wey you think say dey good and dey correct.” 26 And that one na wetin e do with them; e save them from the hand of Israel people and them no kill them. 27 But that day, Joshua make them to be people wey de gather wood and de fetch water for the people and for Jehovah altar for the place wey E choose, and na so them continue to do till today.