As word spread west of the Jordan about the conquests of Jericho and Ai by Israel most of the native ethnic groups west of the Jordan sought to create an alliance to defend themselves, but the Ebionites had an alternative deception plan which worked. For the Ebionites sent a delegation to the Israelites in order to make a peace treaty with them by pretending to be a people from afar off. The Ebionite delegation dressed as if they had been travelling from a distant country and everything they carried with them was old, torn and cracked. The ruse worked and Joshua made a peace treaty with them ratified by oath.
3 days later the Israelites discovered that the Gibeonites were in fact their neighbours and were angry, but there was nothing they could do about it as they had sworn an oath. Therefore the Israelites could not attack the Gibeonites, but Joshua cursed them making them serve always as woodcutters and watercarriers for the house of God and for the community perpetually.
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