Joshua
10
- Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard
that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king
as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had
made a treaty of peace with Israel and were living near them.
- 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.
- So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed
to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and
Debir king of Eglon.
- "Come up and help me attack Gibeon,"
he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites."
- Then the five kings of the Amorites -- 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.
- The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua
in the camp at Gilgal: "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."
- So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his
entire army, including all the best fighting men.
- The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be
afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be
able to withstand you."
- After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua
took them by surprise.
- The LORD threw them into confusion before
Israel, who defeated them in a great victory at Gibeon. Israel pursued them
along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah
and Makkedah.
- As they fled before Israel on the road down
from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from
the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the
swords of the Israelites.
- On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over
to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun,
stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
- So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book
of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down
about a full day.
- There has never been a day like it before
or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting
for Israel !
- Then Joshua returned with all Israel to
the camp at Gilgal.
- Now the five kings had fled and hidden in
the cave at Makkedah.
- When Joshua was told that the five kings
had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah,
- he said, "Roll large rocks up to the
mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it.
- 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."
- So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them
completely -- almost to a man -- but the few who were left reached their fortified
cities.
- The whole army then returned safely to Joshua
in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.
- Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the
cave and bring those five kings out to me."
- So they brought the five kings out of the
cave--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon.
- When they had brought these kings 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 on the necks of these kings."
So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.
- Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will
do to all the enemies you are going to fight."
- Then Joshua struck and killed the kings
and hung them on five trees, and they were left hanging on the trees until
evening.
- At sunset Joshua gave the order and they
took them down from the trees 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.
- 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. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king
of Jericho.
- Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved
on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.
- 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.
- Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved
on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it.
- The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel,
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.
- Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come
up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army--until no survivors
were left.
- Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved
on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it.
- 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.
- Then Joshua and all Israel with him went
up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it.
- They took the city and put it to the sword,
together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors.
Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.
- Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned
around and attacked Debir.
- 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.
- So Joshua subdued the whole region, including
the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes,
together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed
all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.
- Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to
Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon.
- All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered
in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- Then Joshua returned with all Israel to
the camp at Gilgal.
Back |
Home |
Next