King James Version

Joshua 9:21

And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

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Hebrew

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וַיֹּאמְר֧וּvayomrvand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and say”, the next action in the storyH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…אֲלֵיהֶ֛םaleyhemamongאֵלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).הַנְּשִׂיאִ֖יםhansiimthe captainנָשִׂיאdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the captain”, the ordinary formH5387properly, an exalted one, i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mistcaptain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.יִֽחְי֑וּyichyvliveחָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “live”, an unfinished actionH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.וַ֠יִּֽהְיוּvayihyvand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.חֹטְבֵ֨יchotevepolishחָטַבverb, qal, participle, construct — “polish”, a verb used as a describing wordH2404to chop or carve woodcut down, hew(-er), polish.עֵצִ֤יםetsimtreeעֵץnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “tree”, the ordinary formH6086a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)[phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.וְשֹֽׁאֲבֵיveshoaveand drawשָׁאַבconjunction, verb, qal, participle, construct — “and draw”, a verb used as a describing wordH7579to bale up water(woman to) draw(-er, water).מַ֨יִם֙mayimwaterמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).לְכָלlekhalto allכֹּלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “to all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הָ֣עֵדָ֔הhaedahthe assemblyעֵדָהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the assembly”, the ordinary formH5712a stated assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family or crowd)assembly, company, congregation, multitude, people, swarm. Compare H5713 (עֵדָה).כַּאֲשֶׁ֛רkaasheras becauseאֲשֶׁרpreposition, particle, relative — “as because”H834who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.[idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever,…דִּבְּר֥וּdibrvspeakדָבַרverb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “speak”, a completed actionH1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdueanswer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, [idiom] well, [idiom] work.לָהֶ֖םlahemtoלָהֶ֖םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “to”toהַנְּשִׂיאִֽיםhansiimthe captainנָשִׂיאdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the captain”, the ordinary formH5387properly, an exalted one, i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mistcaptain, chief, cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the princes said concerning them: 'Let them live'; so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken concerning them.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the princes said unto them, Let them live: so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken unto them.

Young’s Literal Translation

And the princes say unto them, 'They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.'

World English Bible

The princes said to them, “Let them live.” So they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them.

Darby Translation

And the princes said to them, Let them live. And they were hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly; as the princes had said to them.

Douay-Rheims

But so let them live, as to serve the whole multitude in hewing wood, and bringing in water. As they were speaking these things,

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And the princes said concerning them: 'Let them live'; so they became hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had spoken concerning them.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

They shall live, and shall be hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation, as the princes said to them.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ζήσονται, καὶ ἔσονται ξυλοκόποι καὶ ὑδροφόροι πάσῃ τῇ συναγωγῇ, καθάπερ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς οἱ ἄρχοντες.