1tnHeb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”
2tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
3tnHeb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
4tnHeb “in front of.”
5tnHeb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”
6map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.
7tcHeb “and they went and [?].” The root and meaning of the verb form יִצְטַיָּרוּ (yitstayyaru) are uncertain. The form is most likely a corruption of יִצְטַיָּדוּ (yitstayyadu), read by some Hebrew mss and ancient versions, from the root צוּד (tsud, “take provisions,” BDB 845 s.v. II צוד) which also occurs in v. 11. Note NRSV “they went and prepared provisions”; cf. NEB “They went and disguised themselves”; NIV “they went as a delegation.”
8tnHeb “all the bread of their provisions.”
9tn Or “moldy.”
10tnHeb “in our midst.”
11tnHeb “we are your servants.”
12tn Or “servants.”
13tnHeb “name.”
14tnHeb “the report about him, all that he did in Egypt.”
15tnHeb “your servants.”
16tnHeb “in the day we went out to come to you.”
17tn Or “moldy.”
18tnHeb “took.” This probably means they tasted some of the food to make sure it was stale.
19tnHeb “but they did not ask the mouth of the Lord.” This refers to seeking the Lord’s will and guidance through an oracle.
20tn Or “assembly.”
21tnHeb “Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.”
22tnHeb “At the end of three days, after they made the treaty with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and in their midst they were living.”
23tnHeb “by the Lord God of Israel.”
24tn Or “grumbled against.”
25tnHeb “to them by….”
26tn Or “touch.”
27tnHeb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”
28tcHeb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”
29tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.
30tnHeb “as the leaders said to them.”
31sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.
32tnHeb “them.”
33tn Or “deceive.”
34tnHeb “live in our midst?”
35tnHeb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
36tnHeb “your servants.”
37tn Or “we were very afraid.”
38tnHeb “so now, look, we are in your hand.”
39tnHeb “according to what is good and according to what is upright in your eyes to do us, do.”
40tnHeb “And he did to them so and he rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel and they did not kill them.”
41tnHeb “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the Lord to this day at the place which he chooses.”