打败北方诸王

11 夏琐王耶宾听见这些消息,就派人去见玛顿王约巴、伸仑王、押煞王, 还有北方山区、基尼烈南面的亚拉巴、西部丘陵和多珥高原的各王, 以及东西两面的迦南人、山区的亚摩利人、赫人、比利洗人、耶布斯人和黑门山麓米斯巴地区的希未人。 这些王便率领自己的军队,带着许多马匹和战车倾巢出动,人数多如海边的沙。 他们在米伦河会师,一同扎营,要跟以色列人交战。

耶和华对约书亚说:“你不要惧怕他们。明天这个时候,我必把他们全部交给以色列人杀戮,你要砍断他们马匹的蹄筋,烧毁他们的战车。” 于是,约书亚率领所有的军兵在米伦河边突袭敌军。 耶和华把敌军交在以色列人手中,以色列人打败了他们,追杀他们直到西顿大城、米斯利弗·玛音和东面的米斯巴谷,全部消灭了他们,一个没留。 约书亚照耶和华的吩咐,砍断他们马匹的蹄筋,烧毁他们的战车。

10 然后,约书亚回师攻陷夏琐,杀了夏琐王。夏琐在诸国中为首。 11 以色列人杀了城内的人,一个没留。约书亚放火烧了夏琐。 12 约书亚攻占了诸王所有的城池,擒获诸王。他照耶和华的仆人摩西的吩咐,将诸王全部杀死,毁掉城池。 13 以色列人只烧毁了夏琐,没有烧建在山丘上的其他城池。 14 他们杀掉城内所有的居民,一个没留,掳掠了城内所有的财物和牲畜。 15 耶和华怎样吩咐祂的仆人摩西,摩西也怎样吩咐约书亚,约书亚都一一照办,没有遗漏任何耶和华吩咐摩西的事。

16 约书亚占领了整个地区,包括山区、南地、歌珊全境、丘陵、亚拉巴和以色列山区及平原, 17 从哈拉山起到西珥,直到黑门山山麓黎巴嫩山谷的巴力·迦得城。约书亚擒获了各城的王,杀死了他们。 18 约书亚跟这些地区的诸王争战了很久。 19 除了基遍的希未人以外,其他没有一城向以色列人求和,以色列人全部攻占了这些城。 20 原来耶和华使他们心里刚硬,跟以色列人作战,好让他们遭受无情的毁灭,正如耶和华对摩西的吩咐。

21 那时,约书亚又出兵把希伯仑、底璧、亚拿伯、以色列和犹大各山区的亚衲人和他们的城邑全部毁灭。 22 除了在迦萨、迦特和亚实突有一些残余之外,以色列境内没有亚衲人了。 23 约书亚照耶和华对摩西的指示,夺取整个地区,把土地按照支派分给以色列人作产业。于是境内国泰民安,没有战事了。

11 1-3 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of all this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the king of Shimron; to the king of Acshaph; to all the kings in the northern mountains; to the kings in the valley south of Kinnereth; to the kings in the western foothills and Naphoth Dor; to the Canaanites both east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah.

4-5 They came out in full force, all their troops massed together—a huge army, in number like sand on an ocean beach—to say nothing of all the horses and chariots. All these kings met and set up camp together at the Waters of Merom, ready to fight against Israel.

God said to Joshua: “Don’t worry about them. This time tomorrow I’ll hand them over to Israel, all dead. You’ll hamstring their horses. You’ll set fire to their chariots.”

7-9 Joshua, his entire army with him, took them by surprise, falling on them at the Waters of Merom. God gave them to Israel, who struck and chased them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and then to the Valley of Mizpah on the east. No survivors. Joshua treated them following God’s instructions: he hamstrung their horses; he burned up their chariots.

10-11 Then Joshua came back and took Hazor, killing its king. Early on Hazor had been head of all these kingdoms. They killed every person there, carrying out the holy curse—not a breath of life left anywhere. Then he burned down Hazor.

12-14 Joshua captured and massacred all the royal towns with their kings, the holy curse commanded by Moses the servant of God. But Israel didn’t burn the cities that were built on mounds, except for Hazor—Joshua did burn down Hazor. The People of Israel plundered all the loot, including the cattle, from these towns for themselves. But they killed the people—total destruction. They left nothing human that breathed.

15 Just as God commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it. He didn’t leave incomplete one thing that God had commanded Moses.

* * *

16-20 Joshua took the whole country: the mountains, the southern desert, all of Goshen, the foothills, the valley (the Arabah), and the Israel mountains with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which towers over the region of Seir, all the way to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon in the shadows of Mount Hermon. He captured their kings and then killed them. Joshua fought against these kings for a long time. Not one town made peace with the People of Israel, with the one exception of the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. Israel fought and took all the rest. It was God’s idea that they all would stubbornly fight the Israelites so he could put them under the holy curse without mercy. That way he could destroy them just as God had commanded Moses.

* * *

21-22 Joshua came out at that time also to root out the Anakim from the hills, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from the mountains of Judah, from the mountains of Israel. Joshua carried out the holy curse on them and their cities. No Anakim were left in the land of the People of Israel, except in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod—there were a few left there.

23 Joshua took the whole region. He did everything that God had told Moses. Then he parceled it out as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribes.

And Israel had rest from war.

11 1-3 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent urgent messages to the following kings:

King Jobab of Madon;

The king of Shimron;

The king of Achshaph;

All the kings of the northern hill country;

The kings in the Arabah, south of Chinneroth;

Those in the lowland;

The kings in the mountain areas of Dor, on the west;

The kings of Canaan, both east and west;

The kings of the Amorites;

The kings of the Hittites;

The kings of the Perizzites;

The kings in the Jebusite hill country;

The Hivite kings in the cities on the slopes of Mount Hermon, in the land of Mizpah.

All these kings responded by mobilizing their armies and uniting to crush Israel. Their combined troops, along with a vast array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape around the springs of Merom as far as one could see; for they established their camp at the springs of Merom.

But the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow they will all be dead! Hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.” Joshua and his troops arrived suddenly at the springs of Merom and attacked. And the Lord gave all that vast army to the Israelis, who chased them as far as Great Sidon and a place called the Salt Pits, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah; so not one enemy troop survived the battle. Then Joshua and his men did as the Lord had instructed, for they hamstrung the horses and burned all the chariots.

10 On the way back, Joshua captured Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had at one time been the capital of the federation of all those kingdoms.) 11 Every person there was killed and the city was burned.

12 Then he attacked and destroyed all the other cities of those kings. All the people were slaughtered, just as Moses had commanded long before. 13 (However, Joshua did not burn any of the cities built on mounds except for Hazor.) 14 All the loot and cattle of the ravaged cities were taken by the Israelis for themselves, but they killed all the people. 15 For so the Lord had commanded his disciple Moses; and Moses had passed the commandment on to Joshua, who did as he had been told: he carefully obeyed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses.

16 So Joshua conquered the entire land—the hill country, the Negeb, the land of Goshen, the lowlands, the Arabah, and the hills and lowlands of Israel. 17 The Israeli territory now extended all the way from Mount Halak, near Seir, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, at the foot of Mount Hermon. And Joshua killed all the kings of those territories. 18 It took seven years[a] of war to accomplish all of this. 19 None of the cities was given a peace treaty except the Hivites of Gibeon; all of the others were destroyed. 20 For the Lord made the enemy kings want to fight the Israelis instead of asking for peace; so they were mercilessly killed, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 During this period Joshua routed all of the giants—the descendants of Anak who lived in the hill country in Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel; he killed them all and completely destroyed their cities. 22 None was left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the entire land just as the Lord had instructed Moses; and he gave it to the people of Israel as their inheritance, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally rested from its war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 11:18 It took seven years, implied in other text, literally, “a long time.”

Northern Kings Defeated

11 When Jabin(A) king of Hazor(B) heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron(C) and Akshaph,(D) and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah(E) south of Kinnereth,(F) in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor(G) on the west; to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites(H) and Jebusites in the hill country;(I) and to the Hivites(J) below Hermon(K) in the region of Mizpah.(L) They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.(M) All these kings joined forces(N) and made camp together at the Waters of Merom(O) to fight against Israel.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand(P) all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring(Q) their horses and burn their chariots.”(R)

So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon,(S) to Misrephoth Maim,(T) and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword.(U) (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) 11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed[a] them,(V) not sparing anyone that breathed,(W) and he burned(X) Hazor itself.

12 Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.(Y) 13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed.(Z) 15 As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.(AA)

16 So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country,(AB) all the Negev,(AC) the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills,(AD) the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir,(AE) to Baal Gad(AF) in the Valley of Lebanon(AG) below Mount Hermon.(AH) He captured all their kings and put them to death.(AI) 18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. 19 Except for the Hivites(AJ) living in Gibeon,(AK) not one city made a treaty of peace(AL) with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts(AM) to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(AN)

21 At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites(AO) from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir(AP) and Anab,(AQ) from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. 22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza,(AR) Gath(AS) and Ashdod(AT) did any survive.

23 So Joshua took the entire land,(AU) just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance(AV) to Israel according to their tribal divisions.(AW) Then the land had rest(AX) from war.(AY)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 11:11 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 12, 20 and 21.