St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-02-02

llVeS and our city.
But" quickly interposed Eeveral
voices, have you not heard that IS
rael will make no league with any of
the inhabitants of the land, saying
that their God has forbidden it?"
True" assented the old sage, I'M
perturbad by the seemingly insur-
mountable difficulty, but let us dis |
guise ourselves and come to them as |
from a far country. We shall put |
old sacks upon our asses, and old |
shoes and cid garments upon US, and
we shall take old and rent wine bot
ties and dry and moldy bread, and
we VII come to them, and tell them
that we have heard in the far coun-
| try the fame of their God and how
nightly he has wrought and we have
come to pay homage to him and to
worship him. Peradventure they will
hear us and will make league with
u.s."
This plan at once met the approval
| of the chief men of Gideon, and the
next morning when they had sent the
messengers of the kings away they at
once began preparations to carry out
the plan.
And they went to Joshua unto the
camp at Gilgal. Their arrival created
no little stir, and quickly Joshua and
the chief men assembled, and the
strangers were admitted to their pres
ence, and to the statement that they
had come from a far country, Joshua
made answer:
"Our God has commanded Us saying
that we should not make league with
any of the inhabitants Of the land.
Peradventure We dwell among u.s.
Nay, but from far country are
thy servants come" they replied. "Be-
cause of the name of the Lord thy
God are we come 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 Anorites that were
beyond Jordan, to Sihon king OF
Hesbon, and Og king Of Bashah,
which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore
. our elders and all the inhabitants
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 a league with u.s.
; "Nay," interrupted Joshua, "but
how do we know that We have come
from a far country?'
Dramatically they turned, and lift
{ ing the covers from their provision
baskets, they said:
Behold the evidence Of our long
! Journey. See this our bread we took
hot out of the ovens on the day we
came forth to come hither, and behold
now it is dry and moldy. See these
bottles of wine! When they were
filled as we started they were new.
! and behold, now they be rent. And
behold our garments and our shoes,
7 for they have become old and ragged
by reason OF the very long journey.
7 Such seemingly indisputable evil
: dence quickly swept away all doubt
: from the minds of the men who stood
with Joshua, and they persuaded him
that it would be well at once to make
league with these people.
7 Joshua therefore made peace with
them, and made a league with them to
7 let them live. And the men gathered
! with him, the princes Of the congrega
Z ton, ratified the league.
! During all this time the people OF
Z Israel were talking one with another
! concerning the coming of these
z strangers, and as they saw them depart
: and learned that a league had been
{ made with them, they selected some
: of their number to follow these men
Z a thing which had not occurred tc
: Joshua or to the princes with hin
! to do.
y AS a result on the third day wher
these men returned they reported tina
"a the strangers had dealt with them de
70 ceitfully and had not come from
A. far country, but were really thei
u nefghbors living only short distance
w from Gilgal. And they were ,wrotl
20 with Joshua and the princes for max
NJ ing the league and were for going a
"a once against the Gibeonites, for, SAT-
"A they: There is rich spoil in thei
"a cities which should be ours" Blu
# Joshua and the princes because o
of their oath which had been given
W. would not permit them so to do, bu
,b made the Gibeonites servants, tina
H. they would work for them continually