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

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “do not let your hand drop from us.”
  2. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “your servants!”
  3. Joshua 10:6 tn Heb “have gathered against us.”
  4. 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.”
  5. 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.
  6. Joshua 10:8 tn Heb “and not a man [or “one”] of them will stand before you.”
  7. Joshua 10:9 tn Heb “Joshua came upon them suddenly, all the night he went up from Gilgal.”
  8. Joshua 10:10 tn Or “caused to panic.”
  9. 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”).
  10. Joshua 10:10 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”
  11. Joshua 10:10 tn Or “ascent.”
  12. Joshua 10:11 tn Heb “on the descent of.”
  13. 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.

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.”

So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. “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.”

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.

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