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.
Now therefore you are cursed, and none of you will ever be freed from being servants, you will cut wood and carry water for the house of my God.
Joshua is telling the Gibeonites that because of their deception, they will serve as permanent workers at God's house as their punishment.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites were conquering the Promised Land as God had commanded, and they were instructed to destroy the inhabitants of the region to claim it fully. The Gibeonites, a local group fearing destruction, deceived Joshua and the Israelite leaders by pretending to be from a distant land, leading to a binding peace treaty. When the deception was uncovered, Joshua imposed a curse on them, making them servants as hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God, while still honoring the oath to spare their lives.
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