Joshua 9:23
Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
Joshua 9:23 belongs to the account in which the Gibeonites resorted to a stratagem to preserve their lives, and Israel entered into a treaty with them without first seeking counsel from God. In connection with that preservation of life they pledged to renounce idolatry and worship Jehovah, having renounced heathenism, recognized God's authority, and joined Israel. Their submission to Israel's God is what preserved their lives from destruction.
After thus joining Israel they shared in the blessings of God's covenant. Because of their deception, however, perpetual servitude was imposed upon them as bondmen to cut wood and draw water for the house of God. Their dishonesty brought disgrace and a lasting mark of servitude, so that their condition testified through the generations to God's hatred of falsehood. Had they dealt honestly with Israel, they could have been received as resident strangers and shared the covenant's blessings and privileges. Even in cutting wood and drawing water they still performed useful service, showing that workers in their proper place can be acceptable and successful where others with different abilities would fail.