JOS 9:4 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Καὶ ἐποίησαν καί γε αὐτοὶ μετὰ πανουργίας· καὶ ἐλθόντες ἐπεσιτίσαντο καὶ ἡτοιμάσαντο· καὶ λαβόντες σάκκους παλαιοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀσκοὺς οἴνου παλαιοὺς καὶ κατεῤῥωγότας ἀποδεδεμένους,
(Kai epoiaʸsan kai ge autoi meta panourgias; kai elthontes epesitisanto kai haʸtoimasanto; kai labontes sakkous palaious epi tōn ōmōn autōn, kai askous oinou palaious kai kateɽɽōgotas apodedemenous, )

BrTr And they also wrought craftily, and they went and made provision and prepared themselves; and having taken old sacks on their shoulders, and old and rent and patched bottles of wine,

ULT And they acted, they also, with cunning. And they went and acted as envoys and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and worn-out and torn and mended skins of wine,

UST they decided to act differently toward the Israelites than the other kings had. The Gibeonites decided to trick the Israelites. They sent some of their men to be ambassadors for their people. These men gathered old packs and old leather wine bags that people had mended after they had cracked. Then they put these on the backs of their donkeys.

OEB they went to work craftily. They took provisions in old sacks on their donkeys, and old mended wineskins,

WEBBE they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and old, torn-up and bound up wineskins,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET they did something clever. They collected some provisions and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched.

LSV and they work, even they, with subtlety, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for their donkeys, and wine-bottles, old, and split, and bound up,

FBV they decided on a cunning plan. They sent messengers to Joshua, their donkeys wearing worn-out saddles and carrying old wineskins that were torn and patched.

T4T they decided to trick the Israelis. They gathered some old sacks and some old leather wine bags that had been mended after they were cracked, and they put these on the backs of their donkeys.

LEB and they acted on their part with cunning: they went and prepared provisions,[fn] and took worn-out sacks[fn] for their donkeys and old wineskins that were torn and mended.

9:4 The Hebrew is difficult here. Some ancient manuscripts read, “they sent out a delegation/an envoy”

9:4 Or “sackcloths”

BBE Acting with deceit, got food together as if for a long journey; and took old food-bags for their asses, and old and cracked wine-skins kept together with cord;

Moff they went to work craftily. They took provisions in old sacks on their asses, and old mended wineskins,

JPS they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine skins, worn and rent and patched up;

ASV they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up,

DRA Cunningly devising took for themselves provisions, laying old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles rent and sewed up again,

YLT and they work, even they, with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up,

Drby then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up;

RV they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wineskins, old and rent and bound up;
(they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wineskins, old and rent/tear and bound up; )

SLT And they will do in guile, and will go and will lay snares, and will take sacking worn out, for their asses, and leather sacks of wine worn out, and being rent and bound up;

Wbstr They did work craftily, and went and made as if they had been embassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

KJB-1769 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;

KJB-1611 They did worke wilily, and went and made as if they had beene embassadours, and tooke old sackes vpon their asses, and wine-bottels, old, and rent, and bound vp,
(They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-bottels, old, and rent, and bound up,)

Bshps And they dyd worke wylylye, & went and made them selues embassadours, and toke olde sackes vpon their asses, & wine bottels old, both rent & boude vp:
(And they did work wylylye, and went and made themselves ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles old, both rent/tear and boude up:)

Gnva And therefore they wrought craftily: for they went, and fayned themselues ambassadours, and tooke olde sackes vpon their asses, and olde bottels for wine, both rent and bound vp,
(And therefore they wrought/done craftily: for they went, and fayned themselves ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and old bottles for wine, both rent/tear and bound up, )

Cvdl they dealte craftely, wete on their waie, and made a message, and toke olde sackes vpon their asses, and olde rente wyne botels,
(they dealt craftily, went on their way, and made a message, and took old sacks upon their asses, and old rent/tear wine botels,)

Wycl and token to hem silf metis, and puttyden elde sackis on assis, and wyn botels brokun and sewid, and ful elde schoon,
(and token to himself meats, and puttyden old sackis on assis, and wine botels broken and sewid, and full old shoen,)

Luth gingen hin und schickten eine Botschaft und nahmen alte Säcke auf ihre Esel
(went there/therefore and sent a/one message/news and took old sackcloth on/in/to their/her donkey)

ClVg et callide cogitantes, tulerunt sibi cibaria, saccos veteres asinis imponentes, et utres vinarios scissos atque consutos,
(and callide they_thinkes, they_took to_himself food, bags old_people donkeys imposentes, and bottles vinarios scissos and_yet consutos, )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:1–27 The Gibeonites deceived the Israelites

The Gibeonite people lived near Ai. When they heard that Joshua had defeated Ai, they were afraid that he would conquer and kill them too. So, they sent messengers who pretended they had come from a long distance away. They deceived the Israelites and made a treaty of friendship with them.

Later, the Israelites learned that the Gibeonites lied to them, and that they lived quite close to them. They could not kill them because of the treaty, so they made them be water carriers and woodcutters for the Israelites.

Here are some other possible section headings:

The people of Gibeon

The Gibeon people tricked the Israelites and made a treaty with them

9:4a-b

acted deceptively and set out as envoys: There is a Hebrew phrase near the beginning of this verse, which the BSB leaves implicit, that can be translated as “also they.” This phrase contrasts the Gibeonites with the kings mentioned in 9:1–2. Translate this phrase with whatever lexical or grammatical means is most natural to show this contrast.

9:4a

acted deceptively

they decided to deceive the Israelites.
So they used a deception.

acted deceptively: The phrase acted deceptively indicates that the Gibeonites deceived the Israelites.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

they deceived the Israelites

they did a trick/deception/scheme

9:4b

and set out as envoys,

They packed up food for a journey
They got together some food

set out as envoys: There is a textual issue with the phrase set out as envoys.

Some Hebrew manuscripts have a verb that means “made ready provisions.” For example:
they provided themselves with supplies (NJB) (NJB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NAB, NCV, NET, GNT)
The Hebrew Masoretic Text uses a verb that occurs only here. Some scholars think this verb means “to act as an ambassador,” but the meaning is uncertain. The NIV is an example of an English version that follows this interpretation:
they went as a delegation (NIV) (BSB, NIV, CEV, GW, NASB, NLT, BSB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with a majority of English versions.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

they packed food to take on a journey

They went and got some food (GNT)

9:4c

carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks

and put it in old sacks for their donkeys to carry,
and used old bags to put it in on their donkeys.

carrying on their donkeys: The phrase on their donkeys means that they carried the sacks on the backs of their donkeys.

donkeys: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as donkeys is translated “asses” in some English versions. The word “ass” is from old English.9:4 The word “ass” can have vulgar connotations in English.

worn-out sacks: The phrase worn-out sacks indicates that they used old sacks to carry things on their donkeys. The sacks were worn thin from much use.

9:4d

and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

They put wine in old wineskins that were torn and mended.
Their leather bags for wine were old and torn and mended.

and old wineskins, cracked and mended: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as wineskins refers to leather bags that were used to carry wine. The wineskins, like the sacks, were old and in poor condition.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וַ⁠יַּעֲשׂ֤וּ גַם־הֵ֨מָּה֙ בְּ⁠עָרְמָ֔ה

and=they_made also/even they(emph) with,cunning

The word also does not indicate that the other kings had acted with cunning and the people of Gibeon did the same. Rather, the idea is that the other kings acted by joining forces to fight the Israelites, and the people of Gibeon also acted, but with cunning rather than by fighting. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: [And they also took action, but unlike the other kings, they did not prepare to fight; they used cunning]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְּ⁠עָרְמָ֔ה

with,cunning