Joshua 9:4 — Compare Translations

28 translations compared side by side

English (YLT) 1898 Young's Literal Translation by Robert Young

and they work, even they, with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up,

English ASV

they also did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-skins, old and rent and bound up,

English Amplified

They worked cunningly, and went pretending to be ambassadors and took [provisions and] old sacks on their donkeys and wineskins, old, torn, and mended,

English Amplified Classic Bible 1987

They worked cunningly, and went pretending to be ambassadors and took [provisions and] old sacks on their donkeys and wineskins, old, torn, and mended,

English Berean Standard Bible (BSB) 2025

acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

English CSB 2017 - Christian Standard Bible

they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

English Darby 1890 : Public Domain

then they also acted with craft, and they went prepared as on a journey, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine-flasks, old and rent and tied up;

English EASY 2024

So they had a clever idea. Some men took old bags of food and broken bags of wine that had holes in them. They put these things on their donkeys.

English ERV 2006 - Only For Website

So they decided to try to trick the Israelites. This was their plan: They gathered together old wineskins that were cracked and broken. They put these old wineskins on the backs of their animals. They put old pieces of cloth on their animals to look as if they had traveled from far away.

they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,

English GNT (Good News Translation)

and they decided to deceive him. They went and got some food and loaded their donkeys with worn-out sacks and patched-up wineskins.

English God's Word - GW 1995

they devised a scheme. They posed as messengers. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys. Their wineskins were old, split, and patched.

English HCSB 2004 - Copyrighted Only For Website

they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

English KJV 1611

They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

English LSB

So they also acted craftily and went and traveled as envoys and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended,

English MEV 2014 (Modern English Version)

they acted craftily, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and old wineskins, torn and mended,

English NASB (New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995)

they also acted craftily and set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and mended,

English NASU 1989 - New American Standard Update - Only for Website

put into effect a device of their own. They chose provisions for a journey, making use of old sacks for their asses, and old wineskins, torn and mended.

English NET Bible - 2005 (New English Translation)

they did something clever. They collected some provisions and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched.

English NIRV 1996 - Copyrighted only for Website

So they decided to trick the people of Israel. They packed supplies as if they were going on a long trip. They loaded their donkeys with old sacks and old wineskins. The wineskins were cracked but had been mended.

English NIV

they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

English NKJ 1982

they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended,

English NLT

they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old patched wineskins.

English NRSV 1989 - Only for website

they on their part acted with cunning: they went and prepared provisions, and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,

English Passion Translation Bible 2020

they resorted to a ruse: They sent a delegation disguised as messengers from a distant land. They loaded their donkeys with worn-out sacks and old, patched wineskins.

English RSV (Revised Standard Version)

they on their part acted with cunning, and went and made ready provisions, and took worn-out sacks upon their asses, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,

English TL (The Living Bible) (1971)

they resorted to trickery to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua

English Tyndale 1537

they played wilily, and went and sent ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their Asses, and wine bottles old and rent and knit together again,