³ The people of Gibeon had also heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai. ⁴ So they decided that some of their men should pretend to be messengers to Israel from a faraway country.^[a] The men put worn-out bags on their donkeys and found some old wineskins that had cracked and had been sewn back together. ⁵ Their sandals were old and patched, and their clothes were worn out. They even took along some dry and crumbly bread.