The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-01-18
Ieague Win Israel and thus sayo our

league with Israel and shcs save our
lives and our city.
but" quickly i~nterposed feverai
voices, .shaye YOU not head that Is
Fraei will make 10 league with any OF
the inhabitants of the land, saying
that their God has forbidden IT."
True" assented the old sage, un-
perturbed by the seemingly insur-
mountable difficulty, "but let us dis
| guise ourselves and come to them az
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 WI come to them, and tell them
that we have heard In the far
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 VIII
hear MS and will make league with
MS"
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 mel 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,
P~eradventure ye dwell among us"
May, but from a 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 Amorites that were
beyond Jordan, to Sthon king of
Hesbon, and Og king of Bashan,
which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore
our elders and all the inhabitants
spake to us, saying: Take yictuals
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.
May" 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 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 1t 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,
for they have become old and ragged
by reason Of the very long journey"
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.
Joshua therefore made peace with
them, and made a league with them to
let them live. And the men gathered
with him, the princes Of the congrega-
ton, ratified the league.
During all this time the people Of
Israel were talking one with another
concerning the coming Of these
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,
a thing which had not occurred to
Joshua or to the princes with him
to do. ~
AS a result on the third Tag when
these men returned. they reported that
the. strangers had dealt with them de-
lSceitfully and had not come from a
far country, but were really their
neighbors living only a short distance
from Gilgal. And they were wroth
with Joshua and the princes for max
ing the league and were for going at
once against the GIbeonites. for, said
they: "There is rich spoil in their
cities which should be ours" But
Joshua and the princes because OF
their oath which had been given,
would not permit them so to do, but
made the Gibeonites servants, that
they would work for them continually