NET Bible
"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!"
— Joshua 9:19, NET Bible
“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.”
“But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by Jehovah, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. ”
“But all the princes said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.”
“And they answered them: We have sworn to them in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, and therefore we may not touch them.”
“But all the chiefs said to the people, We have taken an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and so we may not put our hands on them.”
“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.”
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.
The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the LORD God of Israel. The whole community criticized the leaders,
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!
We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to 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?