Joshua 10:16-27

Expanded Bible

¹⁶ During the fight the five kings ran away and hid in a cave ·near [at] Makkedah, ¹⁷ but someone found them hiding in the cave at Makkedah and told Joshua. ¹⁸ So he said, “·Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks [^LRoll large stones against the mouth of the cave]. Put some men there to guard it, ¹⁹ but don’t stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don’t let them get to their cities, because the Lord your God will ·hand them over to you [^Lgive them into your hand].”

²⁰ So Joshua and the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] ·killed the enemy [^Lfinished slaying them with a very great slaughter], but a ·few [remnant; few survivors] were able to get back to their strong, walled cities. ²¹ After the fighting, Joshua’s men came back safely to him at Makkedah. No one ·was brave enough to say a word against [or suffered even a scratch on his tongue; ^Cthe Hebrew idiom “sharpened/scratched his tongue” may mean to threaten with words or to suffer a minor injury] the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel].

²² Joshua said, “Move the ·rocks that are covering the opening [^Lmouth] of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” ²³ So Joshua’s men brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. ²⁴ When they brought the five kings out to Joshua, he called for all his men. He said to the commanders of his army, “Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came close and put their feet on their necks [^Ca gesture of triumph and dominance; 2 Sam. 22:41; Ps. 18:41].

²⁵ Joshua said to his men, “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid or ·discouraged [dismayed; 1:9; 8:1], because I will show you what the Lord will do to the enemies you will fight in the future.” ²⁶ Then Joshua killed the five kings and hung their bodies on five trees [^Can act of humiliation and shame; Deut. 21:23], where he left them until evening.

²⁷ At sunset Joshua ·told [commanded] his men to take the bodies down from the trees. Then they threw them into the same cave where they had been hiding and covered the opening of the cave with large rocks, which are still there today.