He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’

At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.”

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” So that place is called Gilgal even to this day.

The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, along with its king and its warriors.

The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, “Give the battle cry, for the Lord is handing the city over to you!

I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.

The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us. So how can we make a treaty with you?”

They told him, “Your subjects have come from a very distant land because of the reputation of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt

This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you, but now it is dry and hard.

Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby.

So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities – Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt them!

The leaders then added, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided.

Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said to them, “Why did you trick us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby?

and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.)

“Come to my aid so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for I am handing them over to you. Not one of them can resist you.”

But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don’t allow them to retreat to their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.”

Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities.

Joshua said, “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings out of the cave to me.”