Even after the setback at Ai, the Israelites were a force to be reckoned with, inspiring dread in the hearts of the Canaanite peoples.

And that's where the story of the Gibeonites comes in. They were clever, these Gibeonites. Instead of fighting, they decided to try a different approach: forming an alliance with the Israelites through trickery.

But before we get to the trickery, let's rewind a bit. According to the legends, before Joshua even began his campaign, he made three proclamations. Ginzberg, in his masterful Legends of the Jews, tells us that Joshua declared: first, any nation wanting to leave Canaan could do so without being stopped. Second, any nation wanting to make peace with the Israelites should do so immediately. And third, any nation choosing war should prepare for it.

Think about that for a moment. A chance for peace, a chance to leave. But the Canaanites? They wanted to see what kind of enemy they were up against. Pride, perhaps, or maybe just disbelief, led them to prepare for war. If the Gibeonites had simply asked for peace when they first heard Joshua's proclamation, things would have been very different. No need for deception. But they waited, and the stage was set for a cunning plan.

The consequences were devastating. The thirty-one kings of Palestine perished. And not just them! Even the satraps – the governors – of many foreign kings, who were proud to have land in the Holy Land, met their end. It's a stark reminder of the cost of choosing war over peace.

There was, however, one exception: the Girgashites. They chose a different path. They departed from Palestine. And according to the legends, as a reward for their willingness to yield – their docility, as Ginzberg puts it – God gave them Africa as an inheritance. What an incredible turn of events, right? A whole continent as a reward for choosing peace.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? About choices, about consequences, and about the enduring power of stories to teach us valuable lessons. These ancient narratives, passed down through generations, continue to resonate with us today. What would we have done in their place?