Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

Chapter 47
A Canaanite Tribe Deceives Israel
This chapter is based on Joshua 9 and 10.
From Shechem the Israelites returned to their camp at Gilgal.
Here a strange delegation visited them, claiming that they had come
from a distant country. This seemed to be confirmed by the way
they looked. Their clothing was old and worn, their sandals patched,
their food moldy, and the skins that they used for wine bottles were
torn and patched, as if hastily repaired on the journey.
In their "far off" home--supposedly a long way from Palestine--
they had heard of the wonders that God had performed and had sent
to make a treaty with Israel. The Hebrews had been specially
warned against entering into any treaty with the idolaters of Canaan,
and a doubt arose in the minds of the leaders about the truth of the
strangers' words.
"Perhaps you dwell among us," they said. To this the
ambassadors replied, "We are your servants." But when Joshua
directly demanded of them, "Who are you, and where do you come
from?" they added, "This bread of ours we took hot for our
provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you.
But now look, it is dry and moldy. And these wineskins which we
filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and
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