1-2. Why we mon get interest in the thing dem the Bible say about the Gibeonites?

 FORTY years after the Israelite dem move from Egypt, they enter the land da Jehovah promise to give them. Jehovah help them to win plenty wars against the people living in Jericho and Ai. But later on, something da they wor not expecting happen. One group of people from some area dem in Canaan come to the Israelites to make peace agreement with them. And they say they wor coming from far place.

² They call da group the Gibeonites. Da the first time for the Bible to talk about the Gibeonite dem but it not the last time. The Bible show da the Gibeonites live among the Israelite dem for plenty years. We can learn plenty good-good lessons from the Gibeonite dem and from the way Jehovah treat them.

WE MON GET FAITH AND WE MON BE HUMBLE

3. (a) Who wor the Gibeonites? (b) Why they beg the Israelite dem to make peace with them?

³ When the Israelite dem enter the Promise Land, they wor having seven nations in Canaan to fight war with. And this nation dem wor big-big pass the nation of Israel and they wor having plenty soldier people. (Deut. 7:1) One of this nation wor the Hivite nation and the Gibeonites wor part of the Hivite nation. The Gibeonites wor living in Gibeon and this city wor having fence around it da wor protecting it. They wor also having plenty soldier people. (Josh. 10:2) The other Canaanite dem wanted to fight the Israelite dem but the  Gibeonites not wanted to do it. And da because they knew da they wor not coming to win when they fight war against the Israelite dem. The Gibeonite dem also knew da Jehovah wor helping his people to win all their wars because he promise da he wor coming give them the land of Canaan. (Ex. 34:11; Josh. 9:24) So after the Israelite dem win the war against Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites send some men dem a to Joshua in Gilgal. They beg Joshua to allow the Gibeonite dem to live among the people of Israel.

4. (a) According to Joshua 9:​8-13, how the Gibeonites fool the Israelite dem to make peace agreement with them? (Also see the picture.) (b) Wetin happen when the Israelite dem get to know da the Gibeonites lie to them?

⁴ Read Joshua 9:​8-13. The Gibeonites lie to Joshua and say da they wor coming from far off. They say da they knew da Jehovah help the Israelite dem to win the war against Egypt and the two Amorite King dem name Sihon and Og. But the Gibeonite dem wor clever so they not talk about the war the Israelite dem just win against Jericho and Ai. If they wor coming talk about it, the Israelite dem wor coming know da they not come from far off. And da because the time wor too short for the news to reach far off. Joshua and the men dem who wor taking the lead believe the story the Gibeonites tell them and they make the agreement without asking Jehovah wetin they mon do. (Josh. 9:​14, 15) It not stay long, the Israelite dem get to know da the Gibeonites lie to them. But the Israelite dem keep their promise because they make this promise in Jehovah name. (Josh. 9:​16-19) So the Israelite dem say da the Gibeonites can live among them but they mon be doing slave work. So the Gibeonites use to haul wood and draw water for the  Israelite dem and for Jehovah house.—Josh. 9:27.

5. How the Gibeonites show da they wor having faith in Jehovah?

⁵ Five Amorite kings hear da the Gibeonites make friend with the Israelite dem, so they come together to attack the city of Gibeon. The Gibeonites beg Joshua to help them fight this five king dem. (Josh. 10:​3-7) So, Joshua and his army go to the city of Gibeon to fight this five king dem and Jehovah help them to win the war. Jehovah even make big-big hailstones to fall down on the Canaanite dem. And he make the sun to continue shining until the Israelite dem win the war. (Josh. 10:​9-14) The Gibeonites show da they wor having faith in Jehovah when they try hard to make friend with the Israelite dem and when they ask for help. They wor convince da Jehovah wor coming to keep his promise and protect them.

6. Wetin we learn about Jehovah from the way he treat the Gibeonites?

⁶ Wetin this story teach us about Jehovah? It teach us da Jehovah humble and merciful. Jehovah tell the Israelite dem to kill all the people in the land of Canaan. The Gibeonites wor also part of the people they suppose to destroy. (Num. 33:​51, 52) But because the Israelites promise the Gibeonites da they will not kill them, Jehovah show mercy and allow the Gibeonites to live. Jehovah show mercy even though the Israelite dem not ask him before they make the agreement. And later on, Jehovah even use his power to help the Israelite dem to keep their promise and protect the Gibeonites.—Josh. 9:26; 11:19.

7. How we can follow the Gibeonite dem example? (Also see the picture.)

⁷ How we can follow the Gibeonite dem example? We can do it by making sure da we get strong faith in Jehovah. We know more about Jehovah quality dem pass the Gibeonites, so we get more reasons to trust in Jehovah with our whole heart. (Ps. 40:​4, 5) We can also follow the Gibeonite dem example when we willing to do small-small work dem for Jehovah. (Josh. 9:​23, 27) One young brother name Luke who working in Bethel can remember how one older brother who also working in Bethel, show da he humble. This older brother wor having plenty important work to do in Bethel. But when they wor building the Kingdom Hall, the older brother wor willing to mind the place in the night. Luke say: “I learn da we can’t just think da we humble but we mon show da we humble by what we can do.” Let all of us show da we get faith in Jehovah by relying on him when we face problem and show da we humble by doing any work they give us to do in Jehovah Organization.

WAIT FOR JEHOVAH TO HELP YOU WHEN SOMEBODY NOT TREAT YOU FAIR

8. How King Saul treat the Gibeonite dem?

⁸ The Bible talk about the Gibeonite dem again after plenty years. During da time, King Saul try to kill all the Gibeonite dem da wor living in Israel. b (2 Sam. 21:​2, 5, 6) King Saul really act wicked to the Gibeonite dem! He not keep the peace agreement da wor between Israel and the Gibeonite dem.

9. What time Jehovah take action for the way the Israelites treat the Gibeonite dem?

⁹ Jehovah not take action right away for the bad thing the Israelite dem do to the Gibeonites. It wor during the time da King  David wor ruling when Jehovah stop the rain from falling in Israel for three years. And because of da, food business wor hard bad way. So David ask Jehovah about why food business wor hard. Jehovah tell David say da he wor vex because Saul and some men dem in his family kill plenty Gibeonite dem some years ago.—2 Sam. 21:1.

10. According to 2 Samuel 21:​3-6, how the Gibeonites show respect for God Law from the way they answer David?

¹⁰ Read 2 Samuel 21:​3-6. David talk with the Gibeonite dem. He ask them what he mon do to pay for the crime da Saul commit against them. You think the Gibeonite dem wor coming ask David for plenty money? The Gibeonite dem knew God Law good-good. The Law say da when somebody kill, they mon kill them too because money can’t bring somebody life back. (Num. 35:​30, 31) They also knew da they can’t kill somebody except the King say they mon do it. So, David tell the Gibeonites to kill seven men dem from Saul family who maybe help Saul to kill the Gibeonite dem. After some time, the rain start falling and food business wor not hard again. This one show da Jehovah wor not vex again for the way the Israelites treat the Gibeonite dem.—2 Sam. 21:​9, 10, 14.

11. Wetin we can learn about Jehovah from this story?

¹¹ Wetin this story teach us about Jehovah? It clear from this story da Jehovah da fair God. (Ps. 37:28) Plenty people can’t treat other people fair because they come from different country or they different from them. But Jehovah want for us to treat each other fair. Also, people can persecute plenty of Jehovah people or treat them bad. But Jehovah say da in the future, he will bless his people and nobody will treat them bad again. We also learn da when we make promise, Jehovah expect us to keep it the same way he wor expecting the Israelite dem to keep their promise to the Gibeonites.—Compare Amos 1:9.

12. How we can follow the Gibeonite dem example when people not treat us fair?

¹² How we can follow the Gibeonite dem example? Even when our brother and sister dem not treat us fair, we mon be patient and wait for Jehovah. When we do it, we will show da we trust Jehovah da he will do something about it the right time. Let look at one Sister name Laura French, example. In 1926,  she started working in Bethel in Canada. After ten years, something happen and they not treat her fair. Some brother and sister dem say da she wor part of one group who wor in Bethel before, but became apostates. So they move her from Bethel. Wetin she do? Even though it hurt her bad way, she not complain. But she continue busy preaching as pioneer for four years. Then in 1940, she wor surprise and happy when the brother dem invite her to go serve in Bethel again. She continue serving in Bethel for 50 years and remain faithful until she die. Like Sister French, when people not treat us fair, we want continue doing the right thing until Jehovah solve the problem at the right time.—Isa. 26:​3, 4.

CONTINUE TO BE FAITHFUL TO JEHOVAH

13. The “Nethinim” da wor who and wetin they do when the Jews dem wor free from Babylon?

¹³ About 500 years after King David time, the Bible talk about the Gibeonite dem again. Da time, the Jews dem na spend 70 years in Babylon as slaves. And the first group just went back home to Jerusalem along with Governor Zerubbabel. (Ezra 2:​1, 2, 58) Then after some years, another group went back with Ezra the copyist. (Ezra 7:​1-7) The people dem who went back with Zerubbabel or Ezra wor not plenty. But they wor having some “Nethinim” family dem who went with them. (See footnotes on Ezra 2:58 and 7:7.) The Nethinim dem da wor who? They wor people who wor servants in the temple, but they wor not Israelites. And it like plenty of them wor related to the Gibeonites.—See Glossary, “Nethinim.”

14. How the Gibeonites show da they wor loyal to Jehovah? (1 Chronicles 9:2 and footnote)

¹⁴ Read 1 Chronicles 9:2 and footnote. “The temple servants” wor among the first group of people who went back to Jerusalem. This one here important because it not all the Jews dem who wor slave in Babylon went back. Plenty of the Jews dem in Babylon wor living good life. So they never wanted to leave their good life to go back to Jerusalem to help with the work there. But the Jews dem who wor faithful and some people who wor related to the Gibeonites, really wanted to go back and build the temple to start worshiping Jehovah the right way again. So they make the sacrifice to go back. The Jews dem wor having land for theirself in Israel but the Gibeonites wor not having anything there. But they wor still willing to go back and start their work in the temple and to even help to build Jerusalem wall back.—Neh. 3:26.

15. Wetin this story about the Gibeonite dem teach us about Jehovah?

¹⁵ Wetin this story teach us about Jehovah? We learn da our God can be happy with those who loyal to him and he can always take care of them. After Jehovah save the Gibeonites during Joshua time, he continue to bless their family dem for long time. When the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem, Jehovah save the family of the Gibeonite dem. And when they left from Babylon and went back to Israel, Jehovah also continue to use the Gibeonite dem to do work in the temple with the Levites. Maybe some of them wor even living near the temple. (Ezra 2:70; Neh. 11:21) And because they wor working in the temple, the King of Persia say they mon not pay any tax.—Ezra 7:24.

16. How we can remain faithful like the Gibeonite dem?

¹⁶ How we can follow the Gibeonite dem example? We ourself too want do our best to  worship Jehovah and help other people to do the same thing. Sometime, we will need to make sacrifice to do it. But we can do it because we love Jehovah and want make him happy. Da just what one brother name Alwin, who living in the Philippines do. He wor working with one oil company and he wor making plenty money. But he wanted to do more for Jehovah. So any time the circuit overseer use to visit his congregation, Alwin use to take time from work to support the visit and do more in the field service. After Alwin pray plenty time, he decide to leave his job and find different one da will allow him to regular pioneer. He knew da if he change his job, he will not make plenty money like before. But he still do it. His wife started pioneering too and the two of them na help 21 people to learn the truth. We sure da Jehovah really value the effort this brother and his wife make to do more for him. We too can be convince da Jehovah can be happy with any sacrifice we make to serve him. And because of da, he will always take care of us.—Matt. 6:33.

17. What some thing dem we na learn from the story about the Gibeonites?

¹⁷ We na learn plenty things about Jehovah good-good ways from the story about the Gibeonites. We learn da Jehovah humble, merciful, fair, and loyal. He can always bless those who can remain faithful to him. We also learn some important lesson dem we can apply. For example, like the Gibeonites, we want get strong faith in Jehovah and rely on him when we going through serious problem. We also want be humble like them and be willing to do anything for Jehovah. And when people not treat us fair, we want wait for Jehovah to solve the problem the right time. And we want do our best to support true worship and remain loyal to Jehovah. When we do it, it will show da we value the lesson dem we na learn from the Gibeonites.