multitude that came out of Egypt with them—all alike were to hear it. No doubt they listened and wondered how any one could be likely to be so senseless as to turn aside from such a God as theirs and to become in danger of such horrors.

And the prophecy is still read by the Jews,—but how? In general they think it an honourable thing to read the lessons from the Scripture in a loud voice in the synagogue, and in some places sums of money are offered for the privilege of reading them; but when this one comes in course, no one can bear to hear or read it. A very poor beggar is therefore paid to come and stand close by the appointed reader, who mutters it into his ear, so that no one else may have the pain of hearing the exile foretold that they are still suffering. The veil is on their hearts indeed, since they will not yet own why that curse has come on them. But if we know their punishment, let us beware that we are not cast out of our promised land for the like unbelief.

LESSON XI.

THE GIBEONITES.

B.C. 1451.-JOSHUA ix. 1-15.

over

And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;

That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

They did work wilily,† and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, § old, and rent, and bound up;

And old 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.

The Mediterranean.
Skin bags.

+ Cunningly.
Mended.

↑ Messengers.
Promise of friendship.

And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

And Joshua said unto

And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

:

And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

:

COMMENT.-When the tidings of the ruin of Ai reached the other kings of Canaan, they supposed that these invaders might be driven back by the united forces of all the nations, and began to muster their forces against them. One tribe of the Hivites, however, who lived in the midst of the high hills afterwards given to Benjamin, perceived that it was vain to fight, and resolved to make terms for themselves. Their name, Gibeonites, means "dwellers on a height," but they saw that their fastnesses would not avail before this terrible conquering power. They did not, however, go honestly to work. They were afraid they should not be spared if the Israelites knew that they lived in the midst of them, so they pretended to belong to a distant country, and to have been brought by the fame and terror of the name of Israel. The messengers came to the camp at Gilgal, whither Joshua had returned after the great commination at Shechem, with every token of having come from a long journey, with worn-out sandals and garments, mouldy bread, and the goatskins in which wine was carried old and patched; and these they showed to the people of Israel, to prove that they had travelled from a far country, whither the fame of these great miracles and

victories had penetrated. Probably the Israelites were flattered by supposing their name to have spread so far, for they asked no counsel from the Urim and Thummim, but at once promised their alliance to the Gibeonites, and engaged to let them live. All the elders took an oath to that effect, and thus the trick secured the lives of the people. If they had dealt openly, no doubt they would, like other strangers from time to time, who owned the God of Israel, have been gradually gathered into the tribes among whom they dwelt, and received into the cominonwealth of the chosen people; but their half-trust and their deceit were to have their punishment.

LESSON XII.

THE LEAGUE AGAINST GIBEON.

B.C. 1451.-JOSHUA ix. 16-x. 5.

And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.

And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.

And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?

Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.

And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.

And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

Wherefore Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,

Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

COMMENT.-When the deceit of the Gibeonites was found out, there was of course great indignation; but here is a great example, that however rash a promise may have been, and however inconvenient, it must be kept: even as in the 15th Psalm we find that the good man is "he that sweareth unto his neighbour and disappointeth him not, though it be to his own hindrance." Yet the deceit of the Gibeonites was punished. If they had held five strong cities in the heart of the land, they would have been able to keep up idolatry, and do infinite harm to the Israelites. Therefore they were to be reduced to a sort of easy slavery, for the service of the Sanctuary, under the care of the priests, who would thus instruct them in the worship of the God whom they had ignorantly and blindly accepted in their fear. And we shall find that their lives were in after times

so sacred, that heavy vengeance fell on Saul's family for the slaying of them. Under the name of Nethinim, or "dedicated" they were

given to the priests (1 Chron. ix. 2), and with them (Ezra viii. 20) they came back from the captivity at Babylon, after which their constancy seems to have outworn their long doom of subjection, for we hear no more of them separately, and they must have been reckoned among the Jews.

At first, however, they were in great danger, for the nations of the surrounding country, who had already been preparing to unite their forces against Joshua, were greatly dismayed and angered at hearing that one of the strongest cities in the whole land had made terms with the enemy, and were determined first to use their arms, not in attacking the invaders, but in avenging the defection of their friends. So the five kings of the chief Amorite cities came round Gibeon, intending to besiege and make an example of it.

For when people are turning to the Lord they are sure to be cruelly and fiercely opposed by the world which they are forsaking. It is well for them if, like the Gibeonites, they look to the right quarter for help.

LESSON XIII.

THE BATTLE OF BETH-HORON.

B.C. 1451.-JOSHUA X. 16-27.

And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand* from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee. Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

And the LORD discomfited+ them before Israel, and slew them with a ↑ Defeated.

* Be not slow, lose not a moment.