Joshua 10

¹ It happened, when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem 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 he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as 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 to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, ⁴ “Come up to me, and help me, and let’s strike Gibeon; for it has 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, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it. ⁶ The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, “Don’t forsake your servants. Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us.”

⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. ⁸ Yahweh said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them; for I have delivered them into your hand. Not a man of them shall stand before you.” ⁹ Joshua therefore came on them suddenly. He went up from Gilgal all night.

¹⁰ Yahweh confused them before Israel, and he struck them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah, and to Makkedah. ¹¹ It happened, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, that Yahweh cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.

¹² Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon; moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” ¹³ The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn’t this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and didn’t hurry to go down about a whole day. ¹⁴ There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel.

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

¹⁶ But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷ It was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” ¹⁸ Joshua said, “Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them; ¹⁹ but don’t stay there yourselves. Pursue after your enemies, and strike the hindmost of them. Don’t allow them to enter into their cities; for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand.”

²⁰ It happened, when Joshua and the children of Israel had finished striking them with a very great slaughter, until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, ²¹ that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me out of the cave.” ²³ They did so, and brought those five kings out to 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 It happened, when they brought those kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, “Come near. Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” They came near, and put their feet on their necks. ²⁵ Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and courageous; for Yahweh will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight.”

²⁶ Afterward Joshua struck them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until evening. ²⁷ It happened 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 in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the cave’s mouth, to this very day.

²⁸ Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed it, and its king, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah. ³⁰ Yahweh delivered it also, and its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it. ³² Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah. ³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none remaining.

³⁴ Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against it. ³⁵ They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

³⁶ Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it. ³⁷ They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king, and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.

³⁸ Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it. ³⁹ He took it, and its king, and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah and to her king.

⁴⁰ So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, and the South, and the lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded. ⁴¹ Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon. ⁴² Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. ⁴³ Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.