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Joshua 10
New English Translation

Israel Defeats an Amorite Coalition

10 Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho and its king.[a] He also heard how[b] the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived among them. 2 All Jerusalem was terrified[c] because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai and all its men were warriors. 3 So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: 4 “Come to my aid[d] so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5 So the five Amorite kings (the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) and all their troops gathered together and advanced. They deployed their troops and fought against Gibeon.[e]

6 The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, “Do not abandon[f] your subjects![g] Come up here quickly and rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us.”[h] 7 So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from Gilgal.[i] 8 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for I am handing them over to you.[j] Not one of them can resist you.”[k] 9 Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal.[l] 10 The Lord routed[m] them before Israel. Israel[n] thoroughly defeated them[o] at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass[p] of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from[q] Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky,[r] all the way to Azekah. They died—in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

12 The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel:[s]

“O sun, stand still over Gibeon;
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!”

13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One.[t] The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day.[u] 14 There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord listened to a human being, for the Lord fought for Israel! 15 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

16 The five Amorite kings[v] ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it.[w] 19 But don’t you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them.[x] Don’t allow them to retreat to[y] their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you.”[z] 20 Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities.[aa] 21 Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah.[ab] No one[ac] dared threaten the Israelites.[ad] 22 Joshua said, “Open the cave’s mouth and bring the five kings[ae] out of the cave to me.” 23 They did as ordered;[af] they brought the five kings[ag] out of the cave to him—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he[ah] summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, “Come here[ai] and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came up[aj] and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic![ak] Be strong and brave, for the Lord will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight.” 26 Then Joshua executed them[al] and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging on the trees until evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take them down from the trees.[am] They threw them into the cave where they had hidden and piled large stones over the mouth of the cave. (They remain to this very day.)[an]

Joshua Launches a Southern Campaign

28 That day Joshua captured Makkedah and put the sword to it and its king. He annihilated everyone who lived in it; he left no survivors. He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against it.[ao] 30 The Lord handed it and its king over to Israel, and Israel[ap] put the sword to all who lived there; they[aq] left no survivors. They did to its king what they had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish. He deployed his troops[ar] and fought against it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel, and they[as] captured it on the second day. They put the sword to all who lived there, just as they had done to Libnah. 33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down, as well as his army,[at] until no survivors remained.

34 Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon. They deployed troops[au] and fought against it. 35 That day they captured it and put the sword to all who lived there. That day they[av] annihilated it just as they had done to Lachish.

36 Joshua and all Israel marched up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37 They captured it and put the sword to its king, all its surrounding cities, and all who lived in it; they[aw] left no survivors. As they had done at Eglon, they annihilated it and all who lived there.

38 Joshua and all Israel turned to Debir and fought against it. 39 They[ax] captured it, its king, and all its surrounding cities and put the sword to them. They annihilated everyone who lived there; they[ay] left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king what they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.[az]

40 Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev,[ba] the foothills,[bb] the slopes,[bc] and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered the area between Kadesh Barnea and Gaza and the whole region of Goshen, all the way to Gibeon.[bd] 42 Joshua captured in one campaign[be] all these kings and their lands, for the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:1 tn Heb “as he had done to Jericho and to its king, so he did to Ai and to its king.”
  2. Joshua 10:1 tn Heb “and how.”
  3. Joshua 10:2 tn This statement is subordinated to v. 1 in the Hebrew text, which reads literally, “When Adoni-Zedek…they feared greatly.” The subject of the plural verb at the beginning of v. 2 is probably the residents of Jerusalem.
  4. Joshua 10:4 tn Heb “Come up to me and help me.”
  5. Joshua 10:5 tn Heb “and they camped against Gibeon and fought against it.”
  6. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “do not let your hand drop from us.”
  7. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “your servants!”
  8. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “have gathered against us.”
  9. Joshua 10:7 tn Heb “And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the brave warriors.”
  10. Joshua 10:8 tn Heb “I have given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.
  11. Joshua 10:8 tn Heb “and not a man [or “one”] of them will stand before you.”
  12. Joshua 10:9 tn Heb “Joshua came upon them suddenly, all the night he went up from Gilgal.”
  13. Joshua 10:10 tn Or “caused to panic.”
  14. Joshua 10:10 tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Israel (mentioned at the end of the previous sentence in the verse; cf. NIV, NRSV), but it is also possible that the Lord should be understood as the referent (cf. NASB “and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon”), or even Joshua (cf. NEB “and Joshua defeated them utterly in Gibeon”).
  15. Joshua 10:10 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
  16. Joshua 10:10 tn Or “ascent.”
  17. Joshua 10:11 tn Heb “on the descent of.”
  18. Joshua 10:11 tn Or “heaven” (also in v. 13). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  19. Joshua 10:12 tn Heb “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day the Lord placed the Amorites before the sons of Israel and he said in the eyes of Israel.” It is uncertain whether the phrase “before the sons of Israel” modifies the verb “placed” (as in the present translation, “delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites”) or the verb “spoke” (“Joshua spoke to the Lord before the sons of Israel in the day the Lord delivered over the Amorites”).
  20. Joshua 10:13 tn Heb “Is it not written down in the Scroll of the Upright One?” Many modern translations render this as “the Book of Jashar.” Yashar (יָשָׁר) means “Upright One.”sn The Scroll of the Upright One was apparently an ancient Israelite collection of songs and prayers (see also 2 Sam 1:18), but it has not been preserved.
  21. Joshua 10:13 tn Heb “and did not hurry to set [for] about a full day.”sn The nature of the event described here is debated. Various options have been suggested, including (1) the earth stopped rotating, (2) the light of the sun somehow shone longer than normal, (3) the light of the sun was blocked by an eclipse, (4) the position of the sun and moon in the sky was interpreted as an omen, or (5) the language is figurative and metaphorical, describing the battle in poetic terms. For a good discussion of these options, see D. M. Howard, Jr., Joshua (NAC), 241-49.
  22. Joshua 10:16 tn Heb “these five kings.”
  23. Joshua 10:18 tn Heb “and appoint by it men to guard them.”
  24. Joshua 10:19 tn Heb “But [as for] you, don’t stand still, chase after your enemies and attack them from the rear.”
  25. Joshua 10:19 tn Or “enter into.”
  26. Joshua 10:19 tn Heb “has given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.
  27. Joshua 10:20 tn Heb “When Joshua and the sons of Israel finished defeating them with a very great defeat until they were destroyed (now the survivors escaped to the fortified cities).” In the Hebrew text the initial temporal clause (“when Joshua…finished”) is subordinated to v. 21 (“the whole army returned”).
  28. Joshua 10:21 tn Heb “all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua [at] Makkedah [in] peace.”
  29. Joshua 10:21 tc Heb “No man.” The lamed (ל) prefixed to אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”) is probably dittographic (note the immediately preceding יִשְׂרָאֵל [yisraʾel] which ends in lamed, ל); cf. the LXX.
  30. Joshua 10:21 tn Heb “no man sharpened [or perhaps, “pointed”] his tongue against the sons of Israel.” Cf. NEB “not a man of the Israelites suffered so much as a scratch on his tongue,” which understands “sharpened” as “scratched” (referring to a minor wound). Most modern translations understand the Hebrew expression “sharpened his tongue” figuratively for opposition or threats against the Israelites.
  31. Joshua 10:22 tn Heb “these five kings.”
  32. Joshua 10:23 tn Heb “they did so.”
  33. Joshua 10:23 tn Heb “these five kings.”
  34. Joshua 10:24 tn Heb “Joshua.” The translation has replaced the proper name with the pronoun (“he”) because a repetition of the proper name here would be redundant according to English style.
  35. Joshua 10:24 tn Or “Draw near.”
  36. Joshua 10:24 tn Or “drew near.”
  37. Joshua 10:25 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
  38. Joshua 10:26 tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”
  39. Joshua 10:27 sn For the legal background of the removal of the corpses before sundown, see Deut 21:22-23.
  40. Joshua 10:27 tn Heb “to this very day.” The words “They remain” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  41. Joshua 10:29 tn Heb “Libnah.” Repetition of the proper name here would be redundant according to English style, so the pronoun (“it”) has been employed in the translation.
  42. Joshua 10:30 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).
  43. Joshua 10:30 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army). So also for “They did to its king” and “they had done.”
  44. Joshua 10:31 tn Heb “encamped against it.”
  45. Joshua 10:32 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).
  46. Joshua 10:33 tn Heb “people.”
  47. Joshua 10:34 tn Heb “they encamped against it.”
  48. Joshua 10:35 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army). So also for “they had done to Lachish.”
  49. Joshua 10:37 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army). So also for “they had done” and “they annihilated.”
  50. Joshua 10:39 tn Heb “He”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army).
  51. Joshua 10:39 tn Heb “he”; the implied subject may be Israel, or Joshua (as the commanding general of the army). So also for “They did to Debir” and “they had done to Libnah.”
  52. Joshua 10:39 tn Heb “as he did to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, and as he did to Libnah and its king.” The clauses have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  53. Joshua 10:40 sn The Negev is an area of central southern Judah, south of the hill country and west of the rift valley. As a geographic feature it is a depression extending south to the Gulf of Aqabah, but the biblical reference is probably to the northern portion of the region.
  54. Joshua 10:40 sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, shephelah) are the transition region from the hill country to the Mediterranean coastal plains.
  55. Joshua 10:40 sn In contrast to the foothills on the western side of the hill country, the slopes are on the eastern side leading down to the rift valley of the Dead Sea and Jordan river.
  56. Joshua 10:41 tn Heb “and Joshua struck them down, from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, even to Gibeon.”
  57. Joshua 10:42 tn Heb “at one time.”
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Joshua 10
Common English Bible

Gibeonites under attack

10 Jerusalem’s King Adoni-zedek heard that Joshua had captured Ai and had wiped it out as something reserved for God. Joshua did the same thing to Ai and its king that he had done to Jericho and its king. He also heard that the population of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them. 2 Adoni-zedek and his people[a] were very afraid, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai. All its men were soldiers. 3 So Jerusalem’s King Adoni-zedek sent word to Hebron’s King Hoham, Jarmuth’s King Piram, Lachish’s King Japhia, and Eglon’s King Debir: 4 “Come up and help me. We will strike at Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.” 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites gathered. These were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. They went up with all their armies, camped against Gibeon, and attacked it. 6 The people of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: “Don’t desert your servants! Come to us quickly. Rescue us! Help us! All the Amorite kings from the highlands have assembled together against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal with the entire army and all the bravest soldiers.

The Lord fights for Israel

8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them. I have given them into your power. Not a single one of them can stand up against you.” 9 Joshua quickly attacked them, having come up overnight from Gilgal. 10 Then the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel. Joshua struck a mighty blow against them at Gibeon. He chased them on the way up to Beth-horon and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 When they were fleeing from Israel and were on the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from the sky all the way to Azekah. So they died. More died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites into the power of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of the Israelites:

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon!
        and Moon, at the Aijalon Valley!”
13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless
        until a nation took revenge on its enemies.

Isn’t this written in the Jashar scroll? So the sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky. For a whole day, it was in no hurry to go down. 14 There hasn’t been a day like it before or since, when the Lord responded to a human voice. The Lord fought for Israel. 15 Then Joshua along with all Israel came back to the camp at Gilgal.

Israel executes five kings

16 Then those five kings fled and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was reported to Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”

18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave. Station some men by it to guard them, 19 but don’t you stay there. Chase after your enemies and attack them from the rear. Don’t let them enter their cities, because the Lord your God has given them into your power.” 20 Joshua and the Israelites finished dealing them a stunning blow until they were finished off. Some survivors among them escaped into the fortified cities. 21 Then the whole people came back safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a single person threatened the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, “Open up the mouth of the cave. Bring those five kings out of the cave to me.” 23 They did so. They brought the five kings out of the cave to him: the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for every Israelite. He said to the military commanders who had gone out with him, “Come forward. Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they went forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid or terrified. Be brave and strong, because this is how the Lord will deal with all the enemies you fight.” 26 Next, Joshua struck them down. He put them to death and then hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until evening. 27 At sundown, Joshua gave an order, and they took them down from the trees. They threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones over the mouth of the cave. The stones are still there to this very day.

Victories in the south

28 On that day, Joshua captured Makkedah. With a sword, he struck it and its king without mercy. He wiped them out, treating everyone in the city as something reserved for God. He left no survivors. He did to the king of Makkedah exactly as he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua along with all Israel moved on from Makkedah to Libnah. They attacked Libnah. 30 The Lord also gave it and its king into the power of Israel. With a sword, he struck it and everyone in it without mercy. He left no survivors in it. He did to its king exactly as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Joshua along with all Israel moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They camped near it and attacked it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the power of Israel. Joshua captured it on the second day. With a sword, he struck it and everyone in it without mercy, just exactly as he had done to Libnah. 33 Then Gezer’s King Horam came up to help Lachish. But Joshua struck him and his people down, until no survivors were left.

34 Joshua along with all Israel moved on from Lachish to Eglon. They camped against it and attacked it. 35 They captured it on the same day and struck it down without mercy. On that day, he wiped out everyone in it as something reserved for God, just exactly as he had done to Lachish.

36 Joshua along with all Israel went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured it and struck it down without mercy, along with its king, all its towns, and everyone in it. He left no survivors, just exactly as he had done to Eglon. He wiped out the city and everyone in it as something reserved for God.

38 Joshua along with all Israel turned back to Debir and attacked it. 39 He captured it along with its king and all its cities. They struck them down without mercy and wiped out everyone in it as something reserved for God. He left no survivors. Exactly as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king—exactly as he had done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck at the whole land: the highlands, the arid southern plains, the lowlands, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He wiped out everything that breathed as something reserved for God, exactly as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them down from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their land all at the same time. This was because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua along with all Israel came back to the camp at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:2 Or they
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