²³ Now are you accursed: every one of you shall always be a slave, hewers of wood and drawers of water, for the house of my God.” ²⁴ They answered Joshua, “Your servants were fully informed of how the Lord, your God, commanded Moses his servant that you be given the entire land and that all its inhabitants be destroyed before you. Since, therefore, at your advance, we were in great fear for our lives, we acted as we did.^{(A) 25} And now that we are in your power, do with us what is good and right in your eyes.” ^26 [a]Joshua did what he had decided: while he saved them from being killed by the Israelites, ²⁷ on that day he made them, as they still are, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the community and for the altar of the Lord, in the place the Lord would choose.

¹⁹ With the exception of the Hivites who lived in Gibeon, no city made peace with the Israelites; all were taken in battle.^(A)

¹⁹ When Hadadezer’s vassal kings saw themselves vanquished by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became their subjects. After this, the Arameans were afraid to give further aid to the Ammonites.