Joshua 10
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
10 When 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,
2 He 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.
3 So 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,
4 Come up to me and help me, and let us smite Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.
5 Then 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.
6 And 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.
7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the warriors with him and all the mighty men of valor.
8 And 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.
9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having gone up from Gilgal all night.
10 And 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.
11 As 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.
12 Then 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!
13 And 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.
14 There was no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man. For the Lord fought for Israel.
15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
16 Those five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave of Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua, The five kings are hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
18 Joshua said, Roll great stones to the cave’s mouth, and set men to guard them.
19 But 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.
20 When Joshua and the Israelites had ended slaying them until they were wiped out and the remnant remaining of them had entered into fortified cities,
21 All the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; none moved his tongue against any of the Israelites.
22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.
23 They brought the five kings out of the cave to him—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 When 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.
25 Joshua 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.
26 Afterward Joshua smote and slew them and hanged their bodies on five trees, and they hung on the trees until evening.
27 At 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.
28 Joshua 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)
29 Then Joshua and all Israel went from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked Libnah.
30 And 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.
31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish and encamped against it and attacked it.
32 And 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.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua smote him and his people—until he had left none remaining.
34 From Lachish Joshua and all Israel went on to Eglon, laid siege to it, and attacked it.
35 And 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.
36 Then Joshua with all Israel went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they attacked it
37 And 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.
38 And Joshua and all Israel with him returned to Debir and attacked it.
39 And 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.
40 So 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)
41 And Joshua smote 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 the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
Footnotes
- Joshua 10:40 As the presence of “the Prince of the Lord’s host” (Josh. 5:13-15) indicates, the Lord will take part in this conflict not as an ally or an adversary but as Commander In Chief. It is not Israel’s quarrel, in which they are to ask divine assistance. It is the Lord’s own quarrel, and Israel and Joshua are but a division in His host. The wars of Israel in Canaan are always presented by the Old Testament as “the wars of the Lord.” The conquest of Canaan is too often treated as an enterprise of the Israelites, carried out with great cruelties, for which they claimed divine sanction. The Old Testament presents the matter in an entirely different light. The Lord fights for His own right hand, and Israel is but a fragment of His army. “The sun stood still”(Josh. 10:13), the stars in their courses fought against His foes (Judg. 5:20) (Charles Ellicott, A Bible Commentary).
Joshua 10
International Standard Version
The Sun Stands Still
10 King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem eventually heard how Joshua had conquered Ai, utterly destroying it, doing to Ai and its king the same thing that he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were now living among them. 2 So they[a] were terrified, since Gibeon was a large city, comparable to one of the royal cities, was larger than Ai, and all of its men had been warriors.
3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent word to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. He told them, 4 “Come over and help me, and let’s attack Gibeon, because it made a peace treaty with Joshua and the Israelis.” 5 So 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 their armies together and advanced with all of their armies toward Gideon, camped there, and laid siege to it.
6 The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal: “Don’t abandon your servants. Come quickly, save us, and help us, because all of the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country have attacked us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, along with his entire fighting force of mighty warriors with him.
8 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t fear them, because I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will withstand you.” 9 So after an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua attacked them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw the Amorites[b] into a panic right in front of the army[c] of Israel, which then slaughtered many of them at Gibeon. The Israeli army[d] chased them along the road that goes up to Beth-horon, striking them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 While they were fleeing in front of Israel and descending the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord rained down huge hailstones on them as far as Azekah, and they died. More died because of the hailstones than were killed by the Israelis in battle.[e] 12 Later that day, Joshua spoke to the Lord while the Lord was delivering the Amorites to the Israelis. This is what he said in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, be still over Gibeon!
Moon, stand in place[f] in the Aijalon Valley!”
13 So the sun remained still
and the moon stood in place
until the nation settled their score with their enemies.
This is recorded, is it not, in the book of Jashar?[g]
The sun stood in place
in the middle of the sky
and seemed not to be in a hurry
to set for nearly an entire day.
14 There has never been a day like it before or since, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, because the Lord was fighting on behalf of Israel.
15 After this, Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal with the entire fighting force of[h] Israel.
Defeat of the Five Kings
16 Meanwhile, the five kings had fled and hidden themselves inside a cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was informed, “The five kings have been discovered hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 So Joshua gave an order, “Roll large stones up against the mouth of the cave and assign men to stand guard there, 19 but don’t stay there yourselves. Instead, pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Don’t allow them to enter their cities, because the Lord your God has delivered them into your control.”
20 Now it came about that after Joshua and the Israelis had finished the battle,[i] destroying and scattering their survivors, who retreated into their fortified cities, 21 the entire army returned safely to Joshua’s encampment at Makkedah. No one could speak so much as a single word against any of the Israelis.
22 Then Joshua gave this order: “Unseal the mouth of the cave and bring out these five kings to me from the cave.”
23 So they did. They brought out these five kings to him from within the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel and spoke to the leaders of the men who had gone out to war along with him, “Come close and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks.
25 Joshua told the army,[j] “Don’t fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, because this is how the Lord will treat all of your enemies whom you fight.”
26 After this, Joshua struck those kings[k] down, executing them, and hanged them on five gallows[l] until sunset. 27 When evening had come, Joshua gave a command to remove the bodies[m] from the gallows[n] and bury them in the cave where they had hidden. The army[o] sealed the mouth of the cave with large stones that remain there to this very day.
The Southern Campaign
28 Joshua captured Makkedah that very day, and attacked both it and its king with swords, utterly destroying it along with every person in it, leaving no survivors. He dealt with the king of Makkedah the same way he had dealt with the king of Jericho.
29 Afterward, Joshua and all of Israel passed on from Makkedah to Libnah, where they fought against Libnah. 30 The Lord gave both it and its king into the control of Israel, and Joshua[p] executed both its king[q] and every person in it with swords, leaving no survivors. He dealt with the king the same way he had dealt with the king of Jericho.
31 Then Joshua and all of Israel passed from Libnah to Lachish, camped near it, and attacked it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the control of Israel, and Joshua captured it the next day. He declared war on the city and executed[r] everyone in it, the same way he had treated Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer appeared to help Lachish. So Joshua attacked him and his army, until he left no one remaining. 34 After this, Joshua, accompanied by all of Israel, proceeded from Lachish to Eglon, laid siege to it, and attacked it. 35 They captured it on that day, attacking it in battle. Then Joshua completely destroyed it that day, the same way he had dealt with Lachish.
36 Then Joshua, accompanied by all of Israel, left Eglon for Hebron, where they attacked it, 37 captured it, and executed its inhabitants—its king, all of its cities, and every person in it, leaving no one remaining, the same way he had dealt with Eglon. He completely destroyed it, along with everyone in it.
38 Then Joshua returned, accompanied by the entire fighting force of[s] Israel, to Debir, where they attacked it, 39 captured it, its king, and all of its villages. They executed them, totally destroying it and everyone in it, leaving no one remaining. He dealt with Debir and its king just as he had dealt with Hebron, treating them the same way he had dealt with Libnah and its king.
40 So Joshua conquered the entire land, the hill country, the Negev,[t] the Shephelah,[u] and the wilderness highlands, along with all of their kings. He left none of them remaining, but completely destroyed every living person, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, including the entire territory of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua conquered all of these kings and their territories in one campaign, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, along with the entire fighting force of[v] Israel.
Footnotes
- Joshua 10:2 I.e. the inhabitants of Jerusalem
- Joshua 10:10 Lit. threw them
- Joshua 10:10 The Heb. lacks the army
- Joshua 10:10 Lit. They
- Joshua 10:11 Lit. Israelis by the sword
- Joshua 10:12 The Heb. lacks stand in place
- Joshua 10:13 Lit. the Book of the Upright; i.e. an ancient chronicle of Israel, apparently now lost. The first half of v. 13 rather than the quatrain following may be the citation.
- Joshua 10:15 The Heb. lacks fighting force of
- Joshua 10:20 Lit. slaughter
- Joshua 10:25 Lit. to them
- Joshua 10:26 Lit. struck them
- Joshua 10:26 Or trees
- Joshua 10:27 ;27 Lit. remove them
- Joshua 10:27 Or trees
- Joshua 10:27 Lit. They
- Joshua 10:30 Lit. he
- Joshua 10:30 Lit. both him
- Joshua 10:32 Lit. He struck it with the edge of the sword and
- Joshua 10:38 The Heb. lacks fighting force of
- Joshua 10:40 I.e. the southern region of Israel
- Joshua 10:40 I.e. the verdant central lowlands of Israel; and so throughout the book
- Joshua 10:43 The Heb. lacks fighting force of
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