The Book of Joshua

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- Chapter 10 -

Adoni-Zedek, the king of the city of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua’s army had captured Ai and had completely destroyed everything in the town. He heard that they had done to the people of Ai and to their king the same thing that they had done to the people of Jericho and their king. He also heard that the people of the city of Gibeon had made peace with the Israelite people and that they were now living among the Israelites.

The people of Jerusalem became very afraid because Gibeon was an important city, like the other cities that were so important that they had their own kings. Gibeon was larger than Ai, and all its soldiers were experienced.

So King Adoni-Zedek sent a message to Hosham the king of Hebron, to Piram the king of Jarmuth, to Japhia the king of Lachish, and to Debir the king of Eglon.

In the message he said, “Please come up and help me attack Gibeon, because the people of Gibeon have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

So those five kings who ruled all the groups who were descendants of Amor, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Debir, came to Gibeon with all of their soldiers and surrounded the city, to fight against it.

The people of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua while he was in the camp at Gilgal. They said, “We are your servants. So do not forsake us. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because the kings of the Amorites and their armies have joined their forces together to attack us!”

So Joshua and all his army, including the soldiers and his best fighting men, marched up from Gilgal.

Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of those armies! I will enable your army to defeat them. None of their soldiers will resist you.”

Joshua’s army marched all night and arrived very early in the morning.

And Yahweh caused their enemies to become confused when they saw the Israelite army. Joshua led the army and he killed them, a great number of them were killed at Gibeon, and he came after the rest of them as they were going up the road to Beth Horon. He also killed them along the road that goes to the cities of Azekah and Makkedah.

As they fled in front of the Israelite army, Yahweh threw down on them huge stones from the sky. More of them died from hailstones than died by the swords of the army of Israel.

On the day that Yahweh enabled the Israelite army to defeat the Amorites, Joshua said to Yahweh while the Israelite people were watching, ”Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, be still over the Valley of Aijalon.”

And the sun stood still and the moon did not move, until the Israelite army killed their enemies. Was this not written in the Book of Jashar? “The sun stopped while it was in the middle of the sky, and did not set for about a whole day.”

On that day, Yahweh performed a great miracle. There was never a day like that previously, and there has never been a day like that since, when Yahweh did this kind of thing because a human being asked him to. On that day, Yahweh truly went to war for Israel.

Joshua and all Israel with him returned to their camp at Gilgal.

The Victory at Makkedah

Now the five kings ran away and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

Then someone told Joshua, “We found those five kings, hiding in a cave at Makkedah!”

When Joshua heard that, he said, “Roll some very large stones over the entrance of the cave, and leave some soldiers there to guard them.

But do not stay there! Pursue your enemies! Attack them from behind! Do not allow them to escape to their cities, because Yahweh, your God, will help you triumph over them.”

So Joshua’s army did what he told them to do. They killed almost all of the enemy soldiers, but a few of them survived and were able to reach their cities.

Then Joshua’s army returned to Joshua, who was still in their camp at Makkedah. No one in the land dared any longer to criticize the Israelites.

Then Joshua said, “Open the entrance of the cave and bring out to me those five kings!”

So the soldiers brought those five kings out of the cave, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

When they brought those kings to Joshua and forced them to lie on the ground, he summoned all the Israelite soldiers and he said to the army commanders, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings!” So the commanders did that.

Then Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid of any of our enemies! Never be discouraged! Be strong and courageous. This is what Yahweh will do to all the enemies you will fight!”

Then Joshua killed each of the five kings with his sword and hung their bodies from five trees. He left their bodies to hang on the trees until sunset.

At sunset, Joshua told them to take the bodies down from the trees and throw them into the cave where they were hiding. So the soldiers did that, and then they put those large rocks at the entrance of the cave again. And the bones of the kings are in that cave even to this day.

That is how Joshua’s army attacked and captured Makkedah. They killed the king and everyone else in the city. They did not leave even any living creature alive. They did to the king of Makkedah the same thing that they had done to the king of Jericho.

Conquest of the Southern Cities

Then Joshua and all Israel went southwest from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.

Yahweh enabled the Israelites to conquer that city and its king. Joshua killed everything that lived in the city; he did not spare even one person. Joshua killed the king of Libnah just as he had killed the king of Jericho.

Then Joshua and his army went south from Libnah to Lachish. He surrounded the city and waged war against it.

On the second day of the battle, Yahweh gave the city to the Israelites, and they conquered it. They killed everything that lived in it, including all the people. He did at Lachish the same thing that he had done at Libnah.

King Horam from Gezer and his army came to help the soldiers of Lachish, but Joshua’s army defeated Horam and his army, and did not allow even one of them to remain alive.

Then Joshua and his army went west from Lachish to the city of Eglon. They surrounded it and attacked it.

On that same day, they captured the city and killed everyone in it, just as they had done at Lachish.

Then Joshua and his army marched from Eglon up into the hills to the city of Hebron. They waged war against it

and captured it. They killed the king and every living thing, as they had done at Eglon. They did not leave one person alive.

Then Joshua and his army turned and went to the city of Debir and waged war against it.

They captured the city and its king, and they also captured the nearby villages. Then they killed every living thing in it; they did not allow even one person to stay alive. They did to these people the same as they had done at Hebron and Libnah.

In this way, Joshua and his army conquered the entire southern part of Canaan. They defeated the kings who ruled the hill country, the southern Judean wilderness, the lowlands, and the foothills. They killed every living thing in those places, just as Yahweh, the God of Israel commanded them.

Joshua’s soldiers killed people in all the cities from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, including all the country of Goshen to Gibeon.

In one campaign, Joshua’s army conquered all the kings and took possession of all their territory, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, was fighting for them.

Then Joshua and his army returned to their camp at Gilgal.

Now 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,

they were very afraid, 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.

Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,

“Come up to me and help me. Let’s strike Gibeon; for they have made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”

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.

The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Don’t abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us.”

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and the whole army with him, including all the mighty men of valor.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you.”

Joshua therefore came to them suddenly. He marched from Gilgal all night.

The LORD confused them before Israel. He killed 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.

As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, the LORD hurled down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!”

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.

There was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

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

The Victory at Makkedah

These five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

Joshua was told, saying, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”

Joshua said, “Roll large stones to cover the cave’s entrance, and set men by it to guard them;

but don’t stay there. Pursue your enemies, and attack them from the rear. Don’t allow them to enter into their cities; for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”

When Joshua and the children of Israel had finished killing them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,

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

Then Joshua said, “Open the cave entrance, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.”

They did so, and brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

When they brought those kings out to Joshua, 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.

Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight.”

Afterward Joshua struck them, put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.

At the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and threw them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed it and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Conquest of the Southern Cities

Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

The LORD delivered it also, with 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 no one remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.

The LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him no one remaining.

Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it and fought against it.

They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it.

They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left no one remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.

Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.

He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left no one 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 its king.

So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, the South, the lowland, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no one remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded.

Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.

Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

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