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  • Joshua Chapter 10

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The Amorite kings

10 The king of Jerusalem was called Adoni-Zedek. He heard how Joshua had taken Ai city, as he had also taken Jericho city. He heard that Joshua had destroyed those cities and their kings. He also heard that the Israelites had made an agreement with the Gibeonites. They promised that they would not attack the Gibeonites. He knew that the Gibeonites now lived among the Israelites.

2 The king and the people of Jerusalem were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city. It was bigger than Ai, like a city with a king. All its men were brave soldiers. 3 So King Adoni-Zedek asked some other kings to join with him to attack Gibeon. They were Hoham, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmuth, Japhia, king of Lachish and Debir, king of Eglon. 4 Adoni-Zedek said to them, ‘The Gibeonites have made an agreement with Joshua and the Israelites not to fight them. So please come and help me to attack Gibeon.’

5 So the five Amorite kings with their armies met together. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. They put their soldiers near Gibeon city, and they began to attack it.

6 The Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua at Gilgal. They said, ‘Please sir, do not refuse to help us! Come quickly and save us. All the Amorite kings from the hills have joined together to attack us.’

7 So Joshua took his whole army and they marched up from Gilgal. He had all his best soldiers with him. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them. I will cause you to win against their armies. They will not be strong enough to fight against you.’

9 The Israelite soldiers marched all night from Gilgal. When they reached Gibeon, they quickly attacked the Amorite armies by surprise. 10 The Lord caused the Amorites to become confused when they saw the Israelite army. So the Israelites won a great battle there at Gibeon. They chased their enemies along the road to Beth Horon. They continued to kill the Amorite soldiers as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As the Amorites ran down the hill from Beth Horon, the Lord sent large stones of hail down from the sky. The hail killed them all the way to Azekah. More of the Amorite soldiers died because of the heavy stones of hail, than because the Israelite soldiers killed them.

12 So the Lord caused the Israelites to win the fight against the Amorites. After the battle that day, Joshua stood in front of Israel and he prayed to the Lord . He said,

‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon city.
Moon, stand still over Aijalon valley.’

13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped moving across the sky. They stayed still while the Israelites punished their enemies. People wrote about this in the Scroll of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not go down for about a whole day. 14 A day like that had never happened before, and it has not happened since then. The Lord answered the prayer of a man in such a great way! The Lord himself was fighting the battle on behalf of the Israelites!

15 Then Joshua and all the Israelite army went back to their tents at Gilgal.

The Israelites kill the five Amorite kings

16 The five kings had run away from the Israelite soldiers. They had hidden in a cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua heard that they were hiding there. 18 He said to his men, ‘Take some big stones and cover the front of the cave. Put some men there to watch the cave. [ a ] 19 But you must continue to chase after your enemies. Do not stop now! Catch them! Do not let them reach their cities where they will be safe. Remember that the Lord your God has caused you to win against them.’

20 So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed nearly all the Amorite armies. But a few of the Amorites escaped and they reached their strong cities. 21 Then the whole Israelite army returned to Joshua at Makkedah. All the people in the land were too afraid to speak against the Israelites.

22 Then Joshua said to his men, ‘Take away the stones to open the cave where the five kings are. Bring them out here to me.’ 23 So they brought the five kings to Joshua. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he called the men of Israel to meet there. He said to the officers of his army, ‘Put your feet on the necks of these kings.’ They did as he told them.

25 Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Be very strong and brave. Look at these kings! This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies that you will fight against.’ 26 Then Joshua killed the five kings with his sword. He hung their bodies on five trees. They remained there until evening time.

27 At sunset, Joshua told his men to take the kings down from the trees. They threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. They put big stones over the front of the cave. The stones are still there today.

Joshua attacks other cities [ b ]

28 That day, Joshua attacked Makkedah city. He took it, together with its king. He destroyed everyone who lived in it. He did not leave anyone alive. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 After that, Joshua and his army marched from Makkedah to Libnah. They attacked Libnah city. 30 The Lord gave them power over that city and its king. Joshua destroyed the city and everyone who lived in it. He did not leave anyone alive. They did the same thing to Libnah's king as they had done to the king of Jericho.

31 After this, Joshua and all the Israelite army marched from Libnah to Lachish. They attacked Lachish city from all sides. 32 The Lord gave them power over the city. They fought for two days and then they took the city. They killed everyone who lived in it, as they had done at Libnah. 33 Then Horam, king of Gezer, came to help the people of Lachish. But Joshua's army fought against him and his army. He killed them all, with nobody left alive.

34 Then Joshua and his army marched from Lachish to Eglon. They attacked Eglon city from all sides. 35 They took it on the same day. They killed everyone who lived in that city, as they had done at Lachish.

36 After this, Joshua and all the Israelite army marched up from Eglon to Hebron. They attacked Hebron city. 37 They took the city and they killed its king. They killed all the people who lived there, and the people in the towns near to it. They destroyed the whole city, as they had done at Eglon. They did not leave anyone alive.

38 Then Joshua and his army turned round and they marched to Debir. They attacked Debir city. 39 They took the city, its king and all the towns near to it. They killed everyone who lived there. They did the same thing to Debir and its king as they had done to Hebron, and to Libnah and its king.

40 In that way, Joshua took the whole land and all the kings who ruled there. He took the hill country, the Negev in the south, the low hills in the west and the mountains in the east. He killed all the people who lived there. He did not leave anyone alive. The Lord God of Israel had told him to do this. 41 Joshua took the whole region, from Kadesh-Barnea in the south to Gaza near the sea. This included all of Goshen, as far as Gibeon in the north. 42 Joshua won all these battles in one long fight. He won against all these kings and their lands. He won because the Lord , Israel's God, was fighting on Israel's behalf.

43 After this, Joshua and all Israel's army went back to their tents at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. 10:18 Joshua wanted to wait until his army had finished chasing the Amorites.
  2. 10:28 Joshua had destroyed the cities that were near to Gilgal. Now he attacked the cities that were far away.

The Day the Sun Stood Still

10 At this time Adoni Zedek was the king of Jerusalem. He heard that Joshua had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it. The king learned that Joshua had done the same thing to Jericho and its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace agreement with Israel and that they lived very near Jerusalem. 2 So Adoni Zedek and his people were very frightened. Gibeon was not a small town like Ai. It was a very big city—as big as any royal city. [ a ] And all the men in that city were good fighters, so the king was afraid. 3 King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem talked with King Hoham of Hebron. He also talked with King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. The king of Jerusalem begged these men, 4 “Come with me and help me attack Gibeon. Gibeon has made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites.”

5 So these five Amorite kings joined their armies together. (The five kings were the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.) Their armies went to Gibeon, surrounded the city, and began fighting against it.

6 The people in the city of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua at his camp at Gilgal: “We are your servants! Don’t leave us alone. Come and help us! Hurry! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the hill country have brought their armies together to fight against us.”

7 So Joshua marched out of Gilgal with his whole army. His best fighting men were with him. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of those armies. I will allow you to defeat them. None of them will be able to defeat you.”

9 Joshua and his army marched all night to Gibeon, so it was a complete surprise when he attacked them.

10 The Lord caused those armies to be very confused when Israel attacked. So Israel defeated them and won a great victory. Israel chased the enemy from Gibeon along the road going up to Beth Horon. The army of Israel killed men all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 Then they chased the enemy down the road from Beth Horon to Azekah. While they were chasing the enemy, the Lord caused large hailstones to fall from the sky. Many of the enemy were killed by these large hailstones. More men were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the soldiers of Israel.

12 On that day the Lord gave Israel the victory against the Amorites. Joshua stood before all the Israelites and said to the Lord :

“Sun, stop over Gibeon.
Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 So the sun did not move, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. This story is written in the Book of Jashar . The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not move for a full day. 14 That had never happened before, and it has never happened again. That was the day the Lord obeyed a man. The Lord really was fighting for Israel!

15 After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal. 16 But during the fight, the five kings ran away. They hid in a cave near Makkedah, 17 but someone found them hiding in that cave. Joshua learned about this. 18 He said, “Cover the entrance to the cave with large rocks. Put some men there to guard the cave. 19 But don’t stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don’t let the enemy get back to their cities. The Lord your God has given you the victory over them.”

20 So Joshua and the Israelites killed the enemy. But some of them were able to go to their cities that had tall walls around them and hide. These men were not killed. 21 After the fighting, Joshua’s men came back to him at Makkedah. Not one of the people in that country was brave enough to say anything against the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, “Move the rocks that are covering the entrance to the cave. Bring the five kings to me.” 23 So Joshua’s men brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they brought the five kings to Joshua, he called all his men to come to that place. He said to the officers of his army, “Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the officers of Joshua’s army came close and put their feet on the necks of the kings.

25 Then Joshua said to his men, “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid. I will show you what the Lord will do to all the enemies you will fight in the future.”

26 Then Joshua killed the five kings and hanged their bodies on five trees. He left them hanging in the trees until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua told his men to take the bodies down from the trees. So they threw the bodies into the cave where the kings had been hiding and covered the entrance of the cave with large rocks. Their bodies are still in that cave today.

28 That day Joshua defeated Makkedah. He killed the king and the people in that city. No one was left alive. Joshua did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

Taking the Southern Cities

29 Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked that city. 30 The Lord allowed the Israelites to defeat that city and its king. They killed everyone in the city. No one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king as they had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua and all the Israelites left Libnah and went to Lachish. Joshua and his army camped around that city and attacked it. 32 The Lord allowed them to defeat the city of Lachish. They defeated it on the second day. The Israelites killed everyone in the city, just as they had done in Libnah. 33 King Horam of Gezer came to help Lachish, but Joshua also defeated him and his army. No one was left alive.

34 Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Lachish to Eglon. They camped around Eglon and attacked it. 35 That day they captured the city and killed everyone in the city. This was the same thing they had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured the city and all the small towns near Hebron. The Israelites killed everyone in the city, just as they did to Eglon. No one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the Lord.

38 Then Joshua and all the Israelites went back to Debir and attacked it. 39 They captured the city, its king, and all the towns near Debir. They killed everyone in the city, just as they had done to Libnah and its king. No one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the Lord.

40 So Joshua defeated all the kings of the cities of the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills, and the eastern foothills. The Lord , the God of Israel, had told Joshua to kill all the people, so Joshua did not leave anyone alive in those places.

41 Joshua captured all the cities from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza. He captured all the cities from Goshen [ b ] to Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these cities and their kings in one series of battles. He did this because the Lord , the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43 Then Joshua and all the Israelites returned to their camp at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:2 royal city A strong, well-protected city that controlled smaller towns nearby.
  2. Joshua 10:41 Goshen The northeastern part of Egypt.

10 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

3 Wherefore Adonizedec king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.

8 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.

10 And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12 Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

17 And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.

18 And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:

19 And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand.

20 And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced cities.

21 And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave.

23 And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

27 And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day.

28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:

30 And the Lord delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:

32 And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.

34 And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:

35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:

37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.

38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:

39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.

40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.

41 And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.

43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

Five Kings Attack Gibeon

10 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had [ a ] utterly destroyed it (just ( A ) as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had ( B ) made peace with Israel and were [ b ] within their land, 2 that [ c ] he ( C ) feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word ( D ) to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up to me and help me, and let’s [ d ] attack Gibeon, for it has ( E ) made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” 5 So the five kings of ( F ) the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

6 Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not [ e ] abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and ( G ) all the people of war with him, and all the valiant warriors. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, “ ( H ) Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not [ f ] one of them will stand against you.” 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly [ g ] by marching all night from Gilgal. 10 ( I ) And the Lord brought them into confusion before Israel, and He struck them down in a great defeat at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent to Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled from Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, ( J ) the Lord hurled large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died [ h ] from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord turned the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

( K ) Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And moon, at the Valley of Aijalon!”
13 ( L ) So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in ( M ) the Book of Jashar? And ( N ) the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for ( O ) the Lord fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp [ i ] at Gilgal.

Victory at Makkedah

16 Now these ( P ) five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And it was told to Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men by it to guard them, 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and [ j ] attack them from behind. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 20 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them down in a very great defeat, ( Q ) until they were destroyed, and the survivors of them who escaped [ k ] had entered the fortified cities, 21 that all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one [ l ] uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so, and ( R ) brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the leaders of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come forward, ( S ) put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua then said to them, “ ( T ) Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all your enemies with whom you fight.” 26 So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he ( U ) hanged them on five [ m ] trees; and they were hung on the [ n ] trees until evening. 27 Then it came about at [ o ] sunset that Joshua gave the command, and ( V ) they took them down from the [ p ] trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.

28 Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; ( W ) he [ q ] utterly destroyed [ r ] it and every [ s ] person who was in it. He left no survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah ( X ) just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Joshua’s Conquest of Southern Canaan

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to ( Y ) Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30 And the Lord also handed it over to Israel, with its king, and he struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor in it. So he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish, and they camped by it and fought against it. 32 And the Lord handed Lachish over to Israel; and he captured it on the second day, and struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of ( Z ) Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua [ t ] defeated him and his people until he had left him no survivor.

34 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon, and they camped by it and fought against it. 35 They captured it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; and he [ u ] utterly destroyed on that day every person who was in it, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to ( AA ) Hebron, and they fought against it. 37 And they captured it and struck it and its king and all its cities and all the persons who were in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor, according to all that he had done to Eglon. And he [ v ] utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to ( AB ) Debir, and they fought against it. 39 He captured it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and [ w ] utterly destroyed every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Just as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had also done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck all the land, ( AC ) the hill country and the [ x ] Negev and the lowland and the slopes, and ( AD ) all their kings. He left no survivor, but ( AE ) he [ y ] utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord , the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of ( AF ) Goshen even as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because ( AG ) the Lord , the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp [ z ] at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:1 Or put under the ban
  2. Joshua 10:1 Lit among them
  3. Joshua 10:2 Lit they
  4. Joshua 10:4 Lit strike
  5. Joshua 10:6 Lit slacken your hands from
  6. Joshua 10:8 Lit a man
  7. Joshua 10:9 Lit he went up
  8. Joshua 10:11 Lit with
  9. Joshua 10:15 Lit to Gilgal
  10. Joshua 10:19 Lit strike their tail
  11. Joshua 10:20 Lit and had
  12. Joshua 10:21 Lit moved his tongue
  13. Joshua 10:26 Or wooden posts
  14. Joshua 10:26 Or wooden posts
  15. Joshua 10:27 Lit the time of the going of the sun
  16. Joshua 10:27 Or wooden posts
  17. Joshua 10:28 Lit put under the ban
  18. Joshua 10:28 Some mss them
  19. Joshua 10:28 Lit soul , and so throughout the ch
  20. Joshua 10:33 Lit struck
  21. Joshua 10:35 Lit put under the ban
  22. Joshua 10:37 Lit put it under the ban
  23. Joshua 10:39 Lit put under the ban
  24. Joshua 10:40 I.e., South country
  25. Joshua 10:40 Lit put under the ban
  26. Joshua 10:43 Lit to Gilgal

The Sun Stands Still

10 Now Adoni-Zedek ( A ) king of Jerusalem ( B ) heard that Joshua had taken Ai ( C ) and totally destroyed [ a ] ( D ) it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon ( E ) had made a treaty of peace ( F ) with Israel and had become their allies. 2 He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, ( G ) Piram king of Jarmuth, ( H ) Japhia king of Lachish ( I ) and Debir ( J ) king of Eglon. ( K ) 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace ( L ) with Joshua and the Israelites.”

5 Then the five kings ( M ) of the Amorites ( N ) —the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon—joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it.

6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: ( O ) “Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us.”

7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, ( P ) including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid ( Q ) of them; I have given them into your hand. ( R ) Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” ( S )

9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion ( T ) before Israel, ( U ) so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. ( V ) Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon ( W ) and cut them down all the way to Azekah ( X ) and Makkedah. ( Y ) 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones ( Z ) down on them, ( AA ) and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites ( AB ) over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon. ( AC )
13 So the sun stood still, ( AD )
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on [ b ] its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar. ( AE )

The sun stopped ( AF ) in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting ( AG ) for Israel!

15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. ( AH )

Five Amorite Kings Killed

16 Now the five kings had fled ( AI ) and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19 But don’t stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don’t let them reach their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”

20 So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, ( AJ ) but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities. ( AK ) 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings ( AL ) to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, “Come here and put your feet ( AM ) on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet ( AN ) on their necks.

25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. ( AO ) This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” 26 Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.

27 At sunset ( AP ) Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day. ( AQ )

Southern Cities Conquered

28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. ( AR ) And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. ( AS )

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah ( AT ) and attacked it. 30 The Lord also gave that city and its king into Israel’s hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; ( AU ) he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into Israel’s hands, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33 Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer ( AV ) had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left.

34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; ( AW ) they took up positions against it and attacked it. 35 They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron ( AX ) and attacked it. 37 They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone ( AY ) in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. ( AZ ) 39 They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. ( BA )

40 So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, ( BB ) the western foothills and the mountain slopes, ( BC ) together with all their kings. ( BD ) He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord , the God of Israel, had commanded. ( BE ) 41 Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea ( BF ) to Gaza ( BG ) and from the whole region of Goshen ( BH ) to Gibeon. 42 All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord , the God of Israel, fought ( BI ) for Israel.

43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. ( BJ )

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord , often by totally destroying them; also in verses 28, 35, 37, 39 and 40.
  2. Joshua 10:13 Or nation triumphed over