In verse 26 the use of a colon makes Good News Translation unnecessarily cumbersome. For economy of words it may be translated, “So Joshua protected the Gibeonites and did not allow the people of Israel to kill them.”

Once again the Gibeonites’ punishment is described: to cut wood and carry water for the people of Israel and for the LORD’s altar. In place of this infinitive clause, a new sentence may be more natural: “But at the same time he made them slaves. They had to cut wood….”

To this day refers to the time when the account was written, and the standard phrase the place where the LORD has chosen to be worshiped (see Deut 12.11, 14, 26; 15.20; 17.8; 31.11) is a way of speaking of Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose as the place where his Temple would be built. In the place may be better expressed as “for the place.” The Gibeonites would have cut the wood before bringing it to the place where the Lord was worshiped, and they would have carried the water to the place.

Where the LORD has chosen to be worshiped may be otherwise formulated: “where the LORD has chosen for his people to worship him.” Or, if the author of the book does have in mind the Temple: “the place which the LORD has chosen for his sanctuary (or, Temple).”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .