shoes and clouted upon their feet, and
old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and
mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto
him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country, now
therefore make ye a league with us." At first the Israelites seem to
have suspected trickery, but when the supposed ambassadors produced
their mouldy bread, and declared that it was taken hot from the oven on
the morning of their departure from their own country, and that their
wine bottles were new, now so shrunk and torn, and pointed to their
shoes and garments quite worn out by the length of the journey; and
told their pitiful story, and in their humility stooped to any terms if
they might only be permitted to make a covenant, Joshua and his elders
were completely deceived, and without stopping to ask counsel of the
Lord, "they made peace with them, and made a league with them to let
them live."

The Lord abhors treachery, and although his people had greatly erred in
this act, and although these Hivites were among the nations whom he had
commanded them to destroy, yet since a covenant had been made with them,
it must be kept on peril of his stern displeasure and severe judgments.
Only three days elapsed before the Israelites discovered that the crafty
ambassadors were their near neighbors, and were called upon to come to
their defense against the other inhabitants of the land, who having
heard of the transaction at Gilgal, had gathered together to smite their
principal city, Gibeon, and destroy them because they had made peace
with Joshua. Before the walls of that mighty city, and in behalf of
these idolaters, because Jehovah would have his people keep faith with
those to whom they had vowed, was fought that memorable battle, the like
of which was never known before or since, when to aid the cause, the
laws of Nature were suspended upon human intercession--when Joshua said,
"Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, moon, in the valley of
Ajalon." "So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not
to go down about a whole day."

The tribes gained their inheritance, and their enemies were mostly
driven out of the land, but in their midst ever dwelt the Gibeonites,
safe from molestation, though the menial services of the tabernacle were
performed by them, because of the deceit by which they purchased their
lives, and they were contented to be thus reduced to