¹ But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:² Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.³ And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.⁴ For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.⁵ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.⁶ And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.⁷ Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.⁸ And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.⁹ And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,¹⁰ And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.¹¹ Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.¹² Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.¹³ Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.¹⁴ And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.¹⁵ For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;¹⁶ (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:)¹⁷ That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.¹⁸ And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt; which gave him an house, and appointed him victuals, and gave him land.¹⁹ And Hadad found great favour in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.²⁰ And the sister of Tahpenes bare him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house: and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh.²¹ And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to mine own country.²² Then Pharaoh said unto him, But what hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, Nothing: howbeit let me go in any wise.²³ And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:²⁴ And he gathered men unto him, and became captain over a band, when David slew them of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.²⁵ And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.²⁶ And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.²⁷ And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.²⁸ And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.²⁹ And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:³⁰ And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:³² (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)³³ Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.³⁴ Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:³⁵ But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.³⁶ And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.³⁷ And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.³⁸ And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.³⁹ And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.⁴⁰ Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.⁴¹ And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?⁴² And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.⁴³ And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

¹ In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.² And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.³ Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;⁴ And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?⁶ So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.⁷ And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.⁸ Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.⁹ And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.¹⁰ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.¹¹ And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.¹² And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.¹³ And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.¹⁴ And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.¹⁵ And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.¹⁶ And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.¹⁷ And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.¹⁸ Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.¹⁹ And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.²⁰ For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

¹ And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.² And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.³ And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.⁴ And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.⁵ And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.⁶ So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.⁷ And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.⁸ And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:⁹ And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.¹¹ Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.¹² But the captain of the guard left of the door of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.¹³ And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.¹⁴ And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.¹⁵ And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.¹⁶ The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.¹⁷ The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.¹⁸ And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:¹⁹ And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:²⁰ And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:²¹ And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.²² And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.²³ And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.²⁴ And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.²⁵ But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.²⁶ And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.²⁷ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;²⁸ And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;²⁹ And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.³⁰ And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

¹ And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.² And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.³ And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying,⁴ Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.⁵ And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.⁶ And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?⁷ And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.⁸ But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.⁹ And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?¹⁰ And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.¹¹ For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.¹³ And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,¹⁴ And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.¹⁵ So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.¹⁶ And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.¹⁷ But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.¹⁸ Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.¹⁹ And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

¹ And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.² But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,³ Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,⁴ Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam.⁵ And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.⁶ He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa,⁷ And Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam,⁸ And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,⁹ And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,¹⁰ And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities.¹¹ And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.¹² And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.¹³ And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.¹⁴ For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD:¹⁵ And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.¹⁶ And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.¹⁸ And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;¹⁹ Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.²⁰ And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)²² And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.²³ And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many wives.

¹ And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.² And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.³ And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.⁴ And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam.⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:⁶ And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.⁷ Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.⁸ So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.⁹ And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.¹¹ So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.¹² And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.¹³ And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law.¹⁴ And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month:¹⁵ And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.¹⁶ So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.¹⁷ And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.¹⁸ Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.

¹ Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,² Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;³ When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;⁴ As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;⁵ When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;⁶ When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;⁷ When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!⁸ The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.⁹ The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.¹⁰ The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.¹¹ When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:¹² Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.¹³ The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.¹⁴ I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.¹⁵ I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.¹⁶ I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.¹⁷ And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.¹⁸ Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.¹⁹ My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.²⁰ My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.²¹ Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.²² After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.²³ And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.²⁴ If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.²⁵ I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

¹ But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.² Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?³ For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.⁴ Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.⁵ They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)⁶ To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.⁷ Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.⁸ They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.⁹ And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.¹⁰ They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.¹¹ Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.¹² Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.¹³ They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.¹⁴ They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.¹⁵ Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.¹⁶ And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.¹⁷ My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.¹⁸ By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.¹⁹ He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.²⁰ I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.²¹ Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.²² Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.²³ For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.²⁴ Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.²⁵ Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?²⁶ When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.²⁷ My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.²⁸ I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.²⁹ I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.³⁰ My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.³¹ My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

¹ And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.² And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death:³ Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;⁴ And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.⁵ And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.⁶ And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,⁷ Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.⁸ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.⁹ Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:¹⁰ And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.¹¹ And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man:¹² My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.¹³ And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them.¹⁴ And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved.¹⁵ And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:¹⁶ And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck:¹⁷ And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.¹⁸ And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?¹⁹ And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy first born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.²⁰ And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.²¹ And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.²² And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.²³ And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.²⁴ And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.²⁵ And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.²⁶ And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.²⁷ And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:²⁸ Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:²⁹ Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.³⁰ And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.³¹ And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.³² And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.³³ And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.³⁴ And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.³⁵ And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing.³⁶ And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?³⁷ And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?³⁸ And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.³⁹ And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;⁴⁰ And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.⁴¹ And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.⁴² And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee.⁴³ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;⁴⁴ And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;⁴⁵ Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?⁴⁶ And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?

¹ And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.² And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof: his horns shall be of the same: and thou shalt overlay it with brass.³ And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels, and his basons, and his fleshhooks, and his firepans: all the vessels thereof thou shalt make of brass.⁴ And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof.⁵ And thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net may be even to the midst of the altar.⁶ And thou shalt make staves for the altar, staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with brass.⁷ And the staves shall be put into the rings, and the staves shall be upon the two sides of the altar, to bear it.⁸ Hollow with boards shalt thou make it: as it was shewed thee in the mount, so shall they make it.⁹ And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side:¹⁰ And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver.¹¹ And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.¹² And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten.¹³ And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits.¹⁴ The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.¹⁵ And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.¹⁶ And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four.¹⁷ All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass.¹⁸ The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass.¹⁹ All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass.²⁰ And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.²¹ In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel.

¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,² Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;³ From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.⁴ And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.⁵ And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.⁶ Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.⁷ Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab.⁸ Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.⁹ Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.¹⁰ Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.¹¹ Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.¹² Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.¹³ Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.¹⁴ Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.¹⁵ Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.¹⁶ These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.¹⁷ And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:¹⁸ And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.¹⁹ As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.²⁰ And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;²¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.²² Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;²³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.²⁴ Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;²⁵ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.²⁶ Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;²⁷ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.²⁸ Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;²⁹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.³⁰ Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;³¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.³² Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;³³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.³⁴ Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;³⁵ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.³⁶ Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;³⁷ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.³⁸ Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;³⁹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.⁴⁰ Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;⁴¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.⁴² Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;⁴³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.⁴⁴ These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.⁴⁵ So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;⁴⁶ Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.⁴⁷ But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.⁴⁸ For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,⁴⁹ Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:⁵⁰ But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.⁵¹ And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.⁵² And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.⁵³ But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.⁵⁴ And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.

¹ Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.² Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.³ Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.⁴ But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.⁵ Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.⁶ Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.⁷ For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?⁸ And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?⁹ Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;¹⁰ Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.¹¹ And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.¹² And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.¹³ And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.¹⁴ And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.¹⁵ Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:¹⁶ Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,¹⁷ The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,¹⁸ The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:¹⁹ And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.²⁰ But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.²¹ Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance:²² But I must die in this land, I must not go over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land.²³ Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.²⁴ For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.²⁵ When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger:²⁶ I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.²⁷ And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.²⁸ And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.²⁹ But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.³⁰ When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;³¹ (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.³² For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?³³ Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?³⁴ Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?³⁵ Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.³⁶ Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.³⁷ And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;³⁸ To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.³⁹ Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.⁴⁰ Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.⁴¹ Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;⁴² That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live:⁴³ Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.⁴⁴ And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:⁴⁵ These are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt.⁴⁶ On this side Jordan, in the valley over against Bethpeor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, after they were come forth out of Egypt:⁴⁷ And they possessed his land, and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, which were on this side Jordan toward the sunrising;⁴⁸ From Aroer, which is by the bank of the river Arnon, even unto mount Sion, which is Hermon,⁴⁹ And all the plain on this side Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the plain, under the springs of Pisgah.

¹ 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 over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;² That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.³ And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,⁴ 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;⁵ And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.⁶ 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.⁷ And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?⁸ And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?⁹ 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,¹⁰ 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.¹¹ 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.¹² 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:¹³ 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.¹⁴ And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.¹⁵ 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.¹⁶ 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.¹⁷ 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 Kirjathjearim.¹⁸ 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.¹⁹ 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.²⁰ 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.²¹ 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.²² 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?²³ 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.²⁴ 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.²⁵ And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do.²⁶ And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.²⁷ 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.