Beginning
The Deception by Gibeon
9 When all the kings who were west of the Jordan in the hill country,[a] in the Shephelah,[b] and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea[c] as far as Lebanon (the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites) heard what had happened, 2 they gathered together with one purpose: to wage war against Joshua and Israel.
3 However, when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they responded by coming up with a clever scheme: They gathered their provisions as if they were going on a trip.[d] They loaded worn-out sacks on their donkeys and wineskins that were worn-out, split, and mended. 5 They put worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and they put on worn-out clothing. All the bread in their provisions was dried out. It had begun to crumble. 6 Then they came to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal and told him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a land far away. So now, make a treaty with us.”
7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us. How can we make a treaty with you?”
8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.”
So Joshua said to them, “Who are you, and where do you come from?”
9 They said to him, “Because of the Name of the Lord your God, your servants have come from a land very far away. For we heard the report about him and all that he did in Egypt 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were in the area east of the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was in Ashtaroth. 11 Our elders and all the inhabitants of our land said to us, ‘Take in your hand provisions for the journey and go to meet them. You should say to them, “We are your servants, so now make a treaty with us.”’ 12 This bread of ours was hot when we packed for the trip at our houses on the day we set out to come to you. Now, look, it is dried out and has become crumbs! 13 The wineskins were new when we filled them. Look, they have burst! Look at our clothing and our sandals. They wore out because of the great length of the journey.”
14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but they did not seek the word of the Lord. 15 So Joshua made peace with them. He made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.
16 But three days after they had made the treaty with them, the Israelites heard that they were their neighbors, that is, that they were living among them. 17 So the people of Israel set out and came to the Gibeonites’ cities on the third day. Their cities were Gibeon, Kephirah, Be’eroth,[e] and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the people of Israel did not attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. So the whole community grumbled against the leaders.
19 All the leaders said to the community, “We swore an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, so now we are not able to touch them. 20 This is what we should do with them: We will keep them alive so that there will not be anger against us because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 Then the leaders said to the community, “They shall live!” So they became wood cutters and water carriers for the whole community, just as the leaders had advised concerning them.
22 Then Joshua summoned them and said to them, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live very far away from you,’ when in fact you live right among us? 23 So now you are cursed! The name ‘slave’ will never be removed from you. You will always be wood cutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
24 They answered Joshua, “Your servants were told very clearly that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to exterminate all the inhabitants of the land from your presence. We feared greatly for our lives because of you. That is why we did this. 25 So here we are, in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your eyes to do to us, do it.”
26 So that is what he did to them. He saved them from the hand of the people of Israel so that they did not kill them. 27 On that day Joshua designated them as wood cutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord, for the place the Lord would choose, until this very day.
The Southern Campaign
10 When Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction, and that Joshua had done to Ai and its king exactly what he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were allied with them, 2 then he and those with him were very afraid because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal capital cities. It was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon. He said, 4 “Come up, join me, and help me. We must attack Gibeon, because it made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.”
5 So the five kings of the Amorites—namely, 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 with all their divisions.[f] They set up camp around Gibeon and waged war against it.
6 The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not withdraw your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly! Save us! Help us, because all the kings of the Amorites living in the hill country have united themselves against us.”
7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal—he and all the military forces with him, including all the strong warriors.
8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because I have given them into your hand. Not a man among them will be able to stand in your presence.”
9 So Joshua came upon them unexpectedly by marching up from Gilgal all night. 10 The Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, and he struck a powerful blow against them at Gibeon. Then he chased them on the road that goes up to Beth Horon, and he struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 While they were fleeing from Israel on the descent from Beth Horon, the Lord hurled large stones from the heavens on them all the way to Azekah. So they died. Those who died from the hailstones were many more than those whom the Israelites killed by the sword.
12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day that the Lord gave the Amorites into the power of Israel ⎣when he struck them down at Gibeon, and they were struck down before the people of Israel⎦.[g] He said in the sight of Israel:
Sun, rest at Gibeon.
Moon, rest at the Valley of Aijalon.
13 The sun rested,
and the moon stood still
until a nation could avenge itself on its enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?[h] The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. 14 There has never been a day like that day either before it or after it, a day when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, for the Lord was fighting for Israel.
15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
16 Those five kings fled and hid in the cave at Makkedah. 17 It was reported to Joshua: “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and station men over it to guard them. 19 But you—do not stand still. Chase your enemies and attack them from the rear.[i] Do not give them a chance to get to their cities, because the Lord your God has given them into your hand.”
20 When Joshua and the people of Israel had inflicted a devastating blow upon them, to the point that they were almost wiped out (though a small group of survivors escaped into the fortified cities), 21 then all the people returned safely to the camp of Joshua at Makkedah. No one dared to speak a word against[j] the people of Israel—against any one of them!
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so and brought those five kings out to him 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 When they had brought those kings out to Joshua, he summoned every man of Israel and said to the commanders of the fighting men who had gone with him, “Come, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came and put their feet on their necks.
25 Then Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid. Do not be overwhelmed. Be strong and courageous because the Lord will do these same things to all your enemies against whom you are waging war.” 26 Joshua struck them down after that, and after he had killed them, he hung them on five trees. They were hung on the trees until evening.
27 At sunset Joshua gave the command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves. They placed large stones over the mouth of the cave, which remain there to this very day.
28 Joshua captured Makkedah on that day and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword. He devoted it to destruction, together with every living thing that was in it. He did not leave a survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and waged war against Libnah. 30 The Lord gave it into the hand of Israel, together with its king. He struck Libnah with the edge of the sword, together with every living thing that was in it. He did not leave a survivor in it. So he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Next Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. He set up camp against it and waged war against it. 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel. He captured it on the second day, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, together with every living thing that was in it, exactly as he had done to Libnah.
33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him and his people until he did not leave one survivor for him.
34 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved from Lachish to Eglon. They set up camp against it and waged war against it. 35 They captured it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword, together with every living thing that was in it. On that day he devoted it to destruction, exactly as he had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they waged war against it. 37 They captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword together with its king and all its settlements and every living thing that was in it. He did not leave a survivor, exactly as he had done to Eglon. He devoted it to destruction, along with every living thing in it.
38 Next Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and waged war against it. 39 He captured it, together with its king and all its settlements. They struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every living thing that was in it. He did not leave a survivor. Just as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, just as he had done to Libnah and its king.
40 In this way Joshua struck the whole land: the hill country,[k] the Negev,[l] the Shephelah,[m] and the slopes,[n] together with all their kings. He did not leave a survivor. Every breathing thing he devoted to destruction, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea all the way to Gaza and from the whole land of Goshen[o] all the way to Gibeon. 42 All of these kings and their land Joshua captured at one time because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
The Northern Campaign
11 When Jabin king of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Akshaph, 2 and to the kings in the northern hill country, those in the Arabah south of Kinneret,[p] in the Shephelah, and in Naphoth Dor to the west, 3 as well as to the Canaanites in the east and the west, and to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and to the Hivites below Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 They came out—they and all their divisions with them—a people as numerous as the sand on the seashore, together with very many horses and chariots. 5 All these kings gathered together. They came and camped together at the Waters of Merom to wage war against Israel.
6 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because tomorrow at this time I will give all of them to Israel as corpses. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”
7 So Joshua and all the military forces with him came upon them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. 8 The Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them and pursued them as far as Great Sidon, as far as Misrephoth Maim, and as far east as the Valley of Mizpah. They struck them down until they left no survivor for them. 9 Joshua did to them just as the Lord had said to him: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.
10 Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor. He struck down its king with the sword, even though Hazor had formerly been the head of all these kingdoms. 11 The Israelites struck down every living thing that was in Hazor with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction. He left nothing breathing, and Hazor he burned with fire.
12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings and all their kings. He struck them with the edge of the sword. He devoted them to destruction just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. 13 But none of the cities standing on their mounds were burned by Israel—except that Joshua did burn Hazor. 14 All of the plunder from these cities, including the cattle, was taken by the people of Israel as spoils of war for themselves, but they struck down every person with the edge of the sword until they had exterminated them all. They did not leave anything that breathed. 15 Just as the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He did not fail to carry out a single word of everything that the Lord had commanded Moses.
16 So Joshua took all this land: the hill country,[q] all the Negev,[r] all the land of Goshen,[s] the Shephelah,[t] the Arabah,[u] the mountainous region of Israel and its foothills, 17 from Mount Halak that rises to Seir, as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings. He struck them and put them to death. 18 For many days[v] Joshua made war with all these kings. 19 There was no city that made peace with the people of Israel except for the Hivites living in Gibeon. The Israelites took them all in battle, 20 for it was the Lord who hardened their hearts so that they would confront Israel in battle and would be devoted to destruction, and they would not receive mercy but would be destroyed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua went and cut off the Anakites[w] from the hill country—from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them and their cities to destruction. 22 There were no Anakites remaining in the land of the Israelites. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod were they left. 23 So Joshua took the whole land according to everything the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their allotments for their tribes. Then the land rested from war.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.