⁴⁷ “‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves^(A) to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan,

¹⁶ But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you,

¹⁷ then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.

¹¹ And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ ¹² This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. ¹³ And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

¹⁴ The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire^(A) of the Lord. ¹⁵ Then Joshua made a treaty of peace^(B) with them to let them live,^(C) and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

¹⁶ Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near^(D) them. ¹⁷ So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth^(E) and Kiriath Jearim.^{(F) 18} But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath^(G) to them by the Lord, the God of Israel.

The whole assembly grumbled^(H) against the leaders, ¹⁹ but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. ²⁰ This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath^(I) we swore to them.” ²¹ They continued, “Let them live,^(J) but let them be woodcutters and water carriers^(K) in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.