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Joshua 10
New Living Translation

Israel Defeats the Southern Armies

10 Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and completely destroyed[a] Ai and killed its king, just as he had destroyed the town of Jericho and killed its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel and were now their allies. 2 He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.

3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. 4 “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” 5 So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon.

6 The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.”

7 So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. 8 “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.”

9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said,

“Let the sun stand still over Gibeon,
    and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”

13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.

Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar[b]? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.[c] 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!

15 Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal.

Joshua Kills the Five Southern Kings

16 During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua heard that they had been found, 18 he issued this command: “Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks, and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside. 19 The rest of you continue chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don’t give them a chance to get back to their towns, for the Lord your God has given you victory over them.”

20 So Joshua and the Israelite army continued the slaughter and completely crushed the enemy. They totally wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified towns. 21 Then the Israelites returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. After that, no one dared to speak even a word against Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Remove the rocks covering the opening of the cave, and bring the five kings to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24 When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told.

25 “Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.” 26 Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening.

27 As the sun was going down, Joshua gave instructions for the bodies of the kings to be taken down from the poles and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding. Then they covered the opening of the cave with a pile of large rocks, which remains to this very day.

Israel Destroys the Southern Towns

28 That same day Joshua captured and destroyed the town of Makkedah. He killed everyone in it, including the king, leaving no survivors. He destroyed them all, and he killed the king of Makkedah as he had killed the king of Jericho. 29 Then Joshua and the Israelites went to Libnah and attacked it. 30 There, too, the Lord gave them the town and its king. He killed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. Then Joshua killed the king of Libnah as he had killed the king of Jericho.

31 From Libnah, Joshua and the Israelites went to Lachish and attacked it. 32 Here again, the Lord gave them Lachish. Joshua took it on the second day and killed everyone in it, just as he had done at Libnah. 33 During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to help defend the town. But Joshua’s men killed him and his army, leaving no survivors.

34 Then Joshua and the Israelite army went on to Eglon and attacked it. 35 They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He completely destroyed everyone, just as he had done at Lachish. 36 From Eglon, Joshua and the Israelite army went up to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They captured the town and killed everyone in it, including its king, leaving no survivors. They did the same thing to all of its surrounding villages. And just as he had done at Eglon, he completely destroyed the entire population.

38 Then Joshua and the Israelites turned back and attacked Debir. 39 He captured the town, its king, and all of its surrounding villages. He completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He did to Debir and its king just what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered the whole region—the kings and people of the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills,[d] and the mountain slopes. He completely destroyed everyone in the land, leaving no survivors, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua slaughtered them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and from the region around the town of Goshen up to Gibeon. 42 Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people.

43 Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in 10:28, 35, 37, 39, 40.
  2. 10:13a Or The Book of the Upright.
  3. 10:13b Or did not set for about a whole day.
  4. 10:40 Hebrew the Shephelah.
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Joshua 10
Lexham English Bible

The Sun Stands Still at Gibeon

10 And it happened that when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua captured Ai and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he did to Ai and its king) and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, 2 he[a] became very afraid because Gibeon was a very large city, like one of the royal cities,[b] and because it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hohman king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”[c] 5 And the five kings of the Amorites,[d] the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they and all their forces, and they laid siege to Gibeon[e] and made war against it.

6 And the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon[f] your servant. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, for all the kings of the Amorites[g] who dwell in the hill country have gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting men[h] with him, all the best warriors.[i] 8 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand; no one will withstand you.[j] 9 Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching up[k] all night from Gilgal. 10 And Yahweh threw them into panic before Israel, who[l] struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they were fleeing from Israel, they were on the slope of Beth-horon, and Yahweh threw huge stones from the heavens on them as far as Azekah; and more died by the hail stones than those whom the Israelites[m] killed by the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh, on the day Yahweh gave the Amorites[n] over to the Israelites,[o] and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun in Gibeon, stand still,
    and moon, in the valley of Aijalon.”
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
    until the nation took vengeance on its enemies.

Is it not written in the scroll of Jashar? The sun stood still in the middle of the heaven and was not in haste to set for about a full day. 14 There has not been a day like this before it or after, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel. 15 And Joshua returned and all Israel with him to the camp at Gilgal.

The Kings of the Amorites Are Killed

16 But these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And it was told to Joshua, saying, “The five kings were found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men in front of it to guard them. 19 But do not stay there; pursue after your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not allow them to go into their cities, for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand.” 20 When Joshua and the Israelites[p] had finished striking them with a very great blow, until they perished, those of them who survived[q] went into the fortified cities, 21 and all the people returned to the camp safely[r] to Joshua at Makkedah. No one spoke[s] against the Israelites.[t]

22 And Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring to me those five kings from the cave.” 23 And they did so, and brought him these five kings from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 And when they brought these kings to Joshua, Joshua called all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the fighting men[u] who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. 25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed! Be strong and bold, for thus Yahweh will do to all your enemies whom you are about to fight. 26 And after this Joshua struck them down and killed them, and he hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until the evening. 27 And it happened at the time of sunset,[v] Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they put large stones against the mouth of the cave, which are there to this very day.

28 Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and he struck it and its king with the edge of the sword;[w] he utterly destroyed it and everyone that was in it. He did not leave behind a survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah just as he did to the king of Jericho.

Joshua’s Conquest of the South

29 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Makkedah to Libnah, and he fought against Libnah. 30 And Yahweh also gave it into the hand of Israel, and its king and all the people in it he struck with the edge of the sword.[x] He left in it no survivor. He did to its king just as he did to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Libnah to Lachish, and he laid siege to it[y] and fought against it. 32 And Yahweh gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day. He struck it with the edge of the sword,[z] and everyone in it, just as he did to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people until he left no survivor behind.

34 And Joshua passed on, and all of Israel with him, from Lachish to Eglon, and they laid siege to it[aa] and fought against it. 35 And they captured it on that day, and he struck it with the edge of the sword,[ab] and all the people that were in it on that day he utterly destroyed as he had done to Lachish.

36 And Joshua went up, and all Israel with him, from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it 37 and captured it, and they struck it with the edge of the sword,[ac] its king and all its cities, and all the people that were in it; he left behind no survivor, as he had done to Eglon, and he utterly destroyed it and all the people that were in it. 38 Then Joshua returned to Debir, and all of Israel with him, and they fought against it, 39 and he captured it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with the the edge of the sword,[ad] and they utterly destroyed all the people that were in it; he left behind no survivor, just as he had done to Hebron. Thus he did to Debir and its king what he had done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck all the land—the hill country, the Negev,[ae] the Shephelah,[af] and the slopes[ag]—and all their kings; he left behind no survivor, and all that breathed[ah] he utterly destroyed as Yahweh the God of Israel commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza, and all the land of Goshen up to Gibeon; 42 all of these kings and their land Joshua captured at one time, because Yahweh the God of Israel fought for Israel. 43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:2 Hebrew “they”
  2. Joshua 10:2 Literally “like one of the cities of the kingship”
  3. Joshua 10:4 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  4. Joshua 10:5 Hebrew “Amorite”
  5. Joshua 10:5 Literally “they camped against Gibeon”; see Josh 10:31
  6. Joshua 10:6 Literally “do not release your hands from”
  7. Joshua 10:6 Hebrew “Amorite”
  8. Joshua 10:7 Literally “all the people of the war”
  9. Joshua 10:7 Literally “all the mighty warriors of the army”
  10. Joshua 10:8 Literally “not a man of them will stand in your presence”
  11. Joshua 10:9 Literally “he went up”
  12. Joshua 10:10 Hebrew “he”
  13. Joshua 10:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  14. Joshua 10:12 Hebrew “Amorite”
  15. Joshua 10:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Joshua 10:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  17. Joshua 10:20 Literally “the survivors who survived”
  18. Joshua 10:21 Or “in peace”
  19. Joshua 10:21 Literally “No one moved his tongue”
  20. Joshua 10:21 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  21. Joshua 10:24 Literally “the men of war”
  22. Joshua 10:27 Literally “at the time of the going of the sun”
  23. Joshua 10:28 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  24. Joshua 10:30 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  25. Joshua 10:31 Literally “he camped opposite it”
  26. Joshua 10:32 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  27. Joshua 10:34 Literally “they camped opposite it”
  28. Joshua 10:35 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  29. Joshua 10:37 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  30. Joshua 10:39 Literally “the mouth of the sword”
  31. Joshua 10:40 An arid region south of the Judaean hills
  32. Joshua 10:40 Or “lowlands”; a geographical region on the western edge of the hills of Judea
  33. Joshua 10:40 The slopes of the hills of the western Jordan to the Dead Sea region
  34. Joshua 10:40 Literally “all of the breath”
Listen to Joshua 10
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Joshua 10
New International Version

The Sun Stands Still

10 Now Adoni-Zedek(A) king of Jerusalem(B) heard that Joshua had taken Ai(C) and totally destroyed[a](D) it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon(E) had made a treaty of peace(F) with Israel and had become their allies. 2 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. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron,(G) Piram king of Jarmuth,(H) Japhia king of Lachish(I) and Debir(J) king of Eglon.(K) 4 “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace(L) with Joshua and the Israelites.”

5 Then the five kings(M) of the Amorites(N)—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.

6 The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal:(O) “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.”

7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army,(P) including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid(Q) of them; I have given them into your hand.(R) Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”(S)

9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion(T) before Israel,(U) so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon.(V) Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon(W) and cut them down all the way to Azekah(X) and Makkedah.(Y) 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones(Z) down on them,(AA) and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites(AB) over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.(AC)”
13 So the sun stood still,(AD)
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on[b] its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.(AE)

The sun stopped(AF) in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting(AG) for Israel!

15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.(AH)

Five Amorite Kings Killed

16 Now the five kings had fled(AI) and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17 When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, 18 he said, “Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. 19 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.”

20 So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely,(AJ) but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities.(AK) 21 The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites.

22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23 So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 When they had brought these kings(AL) 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(AM) on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet(AN) on their necks.

25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.(AO) This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.” 26 Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.

27 At sunset(AP) Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles 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.(AQ)

Southern Cities Conquered

28 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.(AR) And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.(AS)

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah(AT) and attacked it. 30 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.

31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish;(AU) he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into Israel’s hands, 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. 33 Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer(AV) had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army—until no survivors were left.

34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon;(AW) they took up positions against it and attacked it. 35 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.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron(AX) and attacked it. 37 They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone(AY) in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir.(AZ) 39 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.(BA)

40 So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev,(BB) the western foothills and the mountain slopes,(BC) together with all their kings.(BD) He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.(BE) 41 Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea(BF) to Gaza(BG) and from the whole region of Goshen(BH) to Gibeon. 42 All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought(BI) for Israel.

43 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.(BJ)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 28, 35, 37, 39 and 40.
  2. Joshua 10:13 Or nation triumphed over
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New Living Translation (NLT)

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