Joshua 9:14

New Century Version

The men of Israel tasted the bread, but they did not ask the Lord what to do.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s decision.

Hebrew Names Version
The men took of their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

King James Version
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord .

Lexham English Bible
So the leaders took from their provisions, but they did not ask direction from Yahweh.

English Standard Version
So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord .

New English Translation
The men examined some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the Lord 's advice.

Amplified Bible
So the men [of Israel] took some of their own provisions [and offered them in friendship], and [foolishly] did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the men accepted their tale concerning their vittailes, and counselled not with the mouth of the Lord.

Legacy Standard Bible
So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not ask for the command of Yahweh.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites tried some of the food, but they did not ask the Lord if he wanted them to make a treaty.

Complete Jewish Bible
The men sampled some of their food but didn't seek the advice of Adonai ,

Darby Translation
And the men took of their victuals, but they did not inquire at the mouth of Jehovah.

Easy-to-Read Version
The men of Israel wanted to know if these men were telling the truth. So they tasted the bread—but they did not ask the Lord what they should do.

George Lamsa Translation
And the men took of their provisions and went away, and the Israelites did not ask counsel from the LORD.

Good News Translation
The Israelites accepted some food from them, but did not consult the Lord about it.

Literal Translation
And the men took of their provision, and did not ask at the mouth of Jehovah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the captaynes toke their vytayles, and axed not the mouth of the LORDE.

American Standard Version
And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
And the men took some of their food, without requesting directions from the Lord.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the men toke of theyr vitayles, & counseled not with the mouth of the Lorde.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

King James Version (1611)
And the men tooke of their victuals, and asked not counsell at the mouth of the Lord.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the chiefs took of their provision, and asked not counsel of the Lord.

English Revised Version
And the men took of their provision, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor `the sones of Israel token of the metis of hem, and thei axiden not `the mouth of the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
And the men take of their provision, and the mouth of Jehovah have not asked;

Update Bible Version
And the men took of their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of Yahweh.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the men took of their provisions, and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the LORD.

World English Bible
The men took of their provision, and didn't ask counsel at the mouth of Yahweh.

New King James Version
Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD.

New Living Translation
So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord .

New Life Bible
So the men of Israel took some of their food. They did not ask the Lord what they should do.

New Revised Standard
So the leaders partook of their provisions, and did not ask direction from the Lord .

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the men took of their provision, - but, the bidding of Yahweh, had they not asked.

Douay-Rheims Bible
They took therefore of their victuals, and consulted not the mouth of the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
So the men partook of their provisions, and did not ask direction from the LORD.

THE MESSAGE
The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn't ask God about it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

Contextual Overview

³ When the people of Gibeon heard how Joshua had defeated Jericho and Ai, ⁴ they decided to trick the Israelites. They gathered old sacks and old leather wine bags that were cracked and mended, and they put them on the backs of their donkeys. ⁵ They put old sandals on their feet and wore old clothes, and they took some dry, moldy bread. ⁶ Then they went to Joshua in the camp near Gilgal. The men said to Joshua and the Israelites, "We have traveled from a faraway country. Make a peace agreement with us." ⁷ The Israelites said to these Hivites, "Maybe you live near us. How can we make a peace agreement with you?" ⁸ The Hivites said to Joshua, "We are your servants." But Joshua asked, "Who are you? Where do you come from?" ⁹ The men answered, "We are your servants who have come from a far country, because we heard of the fame of the Lord your God. We heard about what he has done and everything he did in Egypt. ¹⁰ We heard that he defeated the two kings of the Amorites from the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan who ruled in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ So our elders and our people said to us, ‘Take food for your journey and go and meet the Israelites. Tell them, "We are your servants. Make a peace agreement with us."' ¹² "Look at our bread. On the day we left home to come to you it was warm and fresh, but now it is dry and moldy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the men took of their victuals: or, they received the men by reason of their victuals

asked not: Exodus 28:30, Numbers 27:21, Judges 1:1, Judges 20:18, Judges 20:28, 1 Samuel 14:18, 1 Samuel 14:19, 1 Samuel 22:10, 1 Samuel 23:9-12, 1 Samuel 30:7, 1 Samuel 30:8, 2 Samuel 2:1, 2 Samuel 5:19, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 1 Chronicles 10:14, Ezra 8:21, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:6, Isaiah 30:1, Isaiah 30:2, James 1:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:32 - shalt make Judges 20:7 - give here 1 Samuel 23:2 - inquired 1 Samuel 25:13 - Gird ye 1 Kings 22:5 - Inquire 2 Kings 3:11 - that we may 1 Chronicles 17:2 - Do all 2 Chronicles 35:22 - the mouth Luke 9:50 - Forbid 1 Timothy 5:22 - suddenly

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the men took of their victuals,.... That is, the princes of Israel took thereof; not to eat of them, for it cannot be thought that such personages would eat of such dry and mouldy bread, and especially as they were now in a plentiful country, and possessed of the fruits of it; but to see whether it was in such a plight and condition as they said, whereby they might judge of the truth of what they said; and they learned and knew, as R. Jonah observes, from the dryness of their food, that it was truth they said; and so the Targum, the men hearkened to their words; and so Jarchi, they believed what they said on sight of their provisions; but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, they ate with them, to confirm the covenant they made with them; but had this been the case, as it sometimes was a custom to eat together at making covenants, see Genesis 26:30; the princes would doubtless have provided a better entertainment for such a purpose: the "margin" of our Bibles leads to the other sense,

"they received the men by reason of their victuals:''

and asked not [counsel] at the mouth of the Lord; as they might and should have done, by desiring the high priest to inquire of the Lord by Urim and Thummim; but this they neglected, which, had they attended to, the fraud would have been discovered; or however, they would have had the mind of God about making peace with the Gibeonites, which in all likelihood he would not have disapproved of, they becoming proselytes, and giving up their possessions to Israel; but this did not excuse their neglect.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The elders of Israel Joshua 9:18, tasting what was offered them by the Gibeonites, pledged themselves according to the usage of Eastern nations to peace and friendship with them. They credited the story at once, instead of seeking the direction of God in the matter. The rendering of the margin is not to be preferred to that of the text.

At the mouth of the Lord - i. e. by the Urim and Thummim Exodus 28:30.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 9:14. The men took of their victuals — This was done in all probability in the way of friendship; for, from time immemorial to the present day, eating together, in the Asiatic countries, is considered a token of unalterable friendship; and those who eat even salt together, feel themselves bound thereby in a perpetual covenant. But the marginal reading of this clause should not be hastily rejected.

And asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. — They made the covenant with the Gibeonites without consulting God by Urim and Thummim, which was highly reprehensible in them, as it was a state transaction in which the interests and honour of God their king were intimately concerned.