Joshua 9-11 (Amplified Bible)

Joshua 9

 ¹WHEN ALL the kings beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland and all along the coast of the Great [Mediterranean] Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites heard this,

    ²They gathered together with one accord to fight Joshua and Israel.

    ³But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

    ⁴They worked cunningly, and went pretending to be ambassadors and took [provisions and] old sacks on their donkeys and wineskins, old, torn, and mended,

    ⁵And old and patched shoes on their feet and wearing old garments; and all their supply of food was dry and moldy.

    ⁶And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, We have come from a far country; so now, make a covenant with us.

    ⁷But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, Perhaps you live among us; how then can we make a covenant with you?

    ⁸They said to Joshua, We are your servants. And Joshua said to them, Who are you? From where have you come?

    ⁹They said to him, From a very far country your servants have come because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt,

    ¹⁰And all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.

    ¹¹So our elders and all the residents of our country said to us, Take provisions for the journey and go to meet [the Israelites] and say to them, We are your servants; and now make a covenant with us.

    ¹²This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we set out to go to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become moldy.

    ¹³These wineskins (bottles) which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey.

    ¹⁴So the [Israelite] men partook of their food and did not consult the Lord.

    ¹⁵Joshua made peace with them, covenanting with them to let them live, and the assembly's leaders swore to them.

    ¹⁶Then three days after they had made a covenant with [the strangers, the Israelites] heard that they were their neighbors and that they dwelt among them.

    ¹⁷And the Israelites set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

    ¹⁸But the Israelites did not slay them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, [to spare them]. And all the assembly murmured against the leaders.

    ¹⁹But all the leaders said to all the assembly, We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, so now we may not touch them.

    ²⁰This we will do to them: we will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.

    ²¹And the leaders said to them, Let them live [and be our slaves]. So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the assembly, just as the leaders had said of them.

    ²²Joshua called the men and said, Why did you deceive us, saying, We live very far from you, when you dwell among us?

    ²³Now therefore you are cursed, and of you there shall always be slaves, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

    ²⁴They answered Joshua, Because it was surely told your servants that the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the land's inhabitants from before you. So we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

    ²⁵And now, behold, we are in your hand; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.

    ²⁶So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the Israelites, so that they did not kill them.

    ²⁷But Joshua then made them hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, in the place which He should choose.

   

Joshua 10

 ¹WHEN ADONI-ZEDEK king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Jericho and its king as he had done to Ai and its king, and how the residents of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,

    ²He 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.

    ³So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

    ⁴Come up to me and help me, and let us smite Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.

    ⁵Then the five kings of the Amorites--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon--gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped before Gibeon to fight against it.

    ⁶And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, Do not relax your hand from 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 are gathered against us.

    ⁷So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him and all the mighty men of valor.

    ⁸And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you.

    ⁹So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having gone up from Gilgal all night.

    ¹⁰And the Lord caused [the enemies] to panic before Israel, who slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-horon and smote them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.

    ¹¹As they fled before Israel, while they were descending [the pass] to Beth-horon, the Lord cast great stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah, killing them. More died because of the hailstones than the Israelites slew with the sword.

    ¹²Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, be silent and stand still at Gibeon, and you, moon, in the Valley of Ajalon!

    ¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.

    ¹⁴There was no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man. For the Lord fought for Israel.

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

    ¹⁶Those five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave of Makkedah.

    ¹⁷And it was told Joshua, The five kings are hidden in the cave at Makkedah.

    ¹⁸Joshua said, Roll great stones to the cave's mouth, and set men to guard them.

    ¹⁹But do not stay. Pursue your enemies and fall upon their rear; do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.

    ²⁰When Joshua and the Israelites had ended slaying them until they were wiped out and the remnant remaining of them had entered into fortified cities,

    ²¹All the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; none moved his tongue against any of the Israelites.

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

    ²³They brought the five kings out of the cave to him--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

    ²⁴When they brought out those kings to Joshua, [he] called for all the Israelites and told the commanders of the men of war who went with him, Come, put your feet on the necks of these kings. And they came and put their feet on the [kings'] necks.

    ²⁵Joshua said to them, Fear not nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage. For thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom you fight.

    ²⁶Afterward Joshua smote and slew them and hanged their bodies on five trees, and they hung on the trees until evening.

    ²⁷At sunset Joshua ordered and they took the bodies down from the trees and cast them into the cave where the kings had hidden and laid great stones on the cave's mouth, which remain to this very day.

    ²⁸Joshua took Makkedah that day and smote it and its king with the sword and utterly destroyed everyone in it. He left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.^(A)

    ²⁹Then Joshua and all Israel went from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked Libnah.

    ³⁰And the Lord gave it also and its king into Israel's hands, and Joshua smote it with the sword, and all the people in it. He left none remaining in it. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

    ³¹And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish and encamped against it and attacked it.

    ³²And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day and smote it with the sword, and all the people in it, as he had done to Libnah.

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

    ³⁴From Lachish Joshua and all Israel went on to Eglon, laid siege to it, and attacked it.

    ³⁵And they took it that day and smote it with the sword and utterly destroyed all who were in it that day, as he had done to Lachish.

    ³⁶Then Joshua with all Israel went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it

    ³⁷And took it and smote it with the sword, and its king and all its towns and everyone in it. He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and utterly destroyed it and all its people.

    ³⁸And Joshua and all Israel with him returned to Debir and attacked it.

    ³⁹And he took it, with its king and all its towns, and they smote them with the sword and utterly destroyed everyone in it. He left none remaining. As he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and its king.

    ⁴⁰So Joshua smote all the land, the hill country, the South, the lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the ^[a]Lord, the God of Israel, commanded.^(B)

    ⁴¹And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen even to Gibeon.

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

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

   

Joshua 11

 ¹WHEN JABIN king of Hazor heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph,

    ²And to the kings who were in the north in the hill country and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth and in the lowland and in the heights of Dor on the west;

    ³To the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below [Mount] Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

    ⁴And they went out with all their hosts, much people, like the sand on the seashore in number, with very many horses and chariots.

    ⁵And all these kings met and came and encamped together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

    ⁶But the Lord said to Joshua, Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow by this time I will give them up all slain to Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.

    ⁷So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the Waters of Merom and fell upon them.

    ⁸And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who smote them and chased them [toward] populous Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpah; they smote them until none remained.

    ⁹And Joshua did to them as the Lord had commanded him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

    ¹⁰And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor and smote its king with the sword; for Hazor previously was the head of all those kingdoms.

    ¹¹They smote all the people in it with the sword, utterly destroying them; none were left alive, and he burned Hazor with fire.

    ¹²And Joshua took all the cities of those kings and all the kings and smote them with the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.^(C)

    ¹³But Israel burned none of the cities that stood [fortified] on their mounds--except Hazor only, which Joshua burned.

    ¹⁴And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock the Israelites took for their booty; but every man they smote with the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none who breathed.

    ¹⁵As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

    ¹⁶So Joshua took all that land: the hill country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah [plain], the hill country of Israel and its lowland,

    ¹⁷From Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and slew them.

    ¹⁸Joshua had waged war a long time [at least five years] with all those kings.

    ¹⁹Not a city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites, the people of Gibeon; all the others they took in battle.

    ²⁰For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, that [Israel] might ^[b]destroy them utterly, and that without favor and mercy, as the Lord commanded Moses.

    ²¹Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim [large in stature] from the hill country: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and the hill country of Israel. Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.

    ²²None of the Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod [of Philistia] did some remain.

    ²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their allotments by tribes. And the land had rest from war.