The remaining cities in the Promised Land tremble in fear at what happened at Jericho and Ai. One of whom, the Gibeonites hatch, a plan to save themselves.
They bring gifts to the Israelites and say that they are from a very far off land and do no mention they live in Gibeon, one of the cities slated to be destroyed. They request from Joshua a peace truce, which he gives them but without first consulting God.
A few days later, the Israelites discover the ruse, but they honor the arrangement in that the Israelites will not kill them, but they will forever be servants of the Israelites. They "are still there to this day", as of the writing of Joshua 9.
Compare and contrast what happened with Rahab - it is quite possible that God would have let the Gibeonites surrender without the ruse. Rahab's entire family was saved based on her actions. Could an entire city have been spared? I think it would have been likely, at least for the inhabitants, if not their property.
Also, the Gibeonites make a comment that they believe that God promised the land to Moses and that's why the Israelites are winning the battles and having miracles. In short, they recognize the supremacy of God over their local deities. So, why don't they say "we will no longer serve Baal, we want to serve your God, Joshua.". I don't know if they considered as a possibility.
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