Five Kings Attack Gibeon

10 Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had [a]utterly destroyed it (just (A)as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had (B)made peace with Israel and were [b]within their land, that [c]he (C)feared greatly because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word (D)to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, and let’s [d]attack Gibeon, for it has (E)made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” So the five kings of (F)the Amorites, 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 with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not [e]abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.” So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and (G)all the people of war with him, and all the valiant warriors. And the Lord said to Joshua, “(H)Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not [f]one of them will stand against you.” So Joshua came upon them suddenly [g]by marching all night from Gilgal. 10 (I)And the Lord brought them into confusion before Israel, and He struck them down in a great defeat at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent to Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11 And as they fled from Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, (J)the Lord hurled large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died [h]from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord turned the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

(K)Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
And moon, at the Valley of Aijalon!”
13 (L)So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in (M)the Book of Jashar? And (N)the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for (O)the Lord fought for Israel.

15 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp [i]at Gilgal.

Victory at Makkedah

16 Now these (P)five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. 17 And it was told to Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men by it to guard them, 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and [j]attack them from behind. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 20 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them down in a very great defeat, (Q)until they were destroyed, and the survivors of them who escaped [k]had entered the fortified cities, 21 that all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one [l]uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” 23 They did so, and (R)brought these 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 brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the leaders of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come forward, (S)put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua then said to them, “(T)Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all your enemies with whom you fight.” 26 So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he (U)hanged them on five [m]trees; and they were hung on the [n]trees until evening. 27 Then it came about at [o]sunset that Joshua gave the command, and (V)they took them down from the [p]trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day.

28 Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; (W)he [q]utterly destroyed [r]it and every [s]person who was in it. He left no survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah (X)just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Joshua’s Conquest of Southern Canaan

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to (Y)Libnah, and fought against Libnah. 30 And the Lord also handed it over to Israel, with its king, and he struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor in it. So he did to its king just as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish, and they camped by it and fought against it. 32 And the Lord handed Lachish over to Israel; and he captured it on the second day, and struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of (Z)Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua [t]defeated him and his people until he had left him no survivor.

34 And Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon, and they camped by it and fought against it. 35 They captured it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; and he [u]utterly destroyed on that day every person who was in it, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to (AA)Hebron, and they fought against it. 37 And they captured it and struck it and its king and all its cities and all the persons who were in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor, according to all that he had done to Eglon. And he [v]utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to (AB)Debir, and they fought against it. 39 He captured it and its king and all its cities, and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and [w]utterly destroyed every person who was in it. He left no survivor. Just as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had also done to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua struck all the land, (AC)the hill country and the [x]Negev and the lowland and the slopes, and (AD)all their kings. He left no survivor, but (AE)he [y]utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea even as far as Gaza, and all the country of (AF)Goshen even as far as Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because (AG)the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. 43 So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp [z]at Gilgal.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 10:1 Or put under the ban
  2. Joshua 10:1 Lit among them
  3. Joshua 10:2 Lit they
  4. Joshua 10:4 Lit strike
  5. Joshua 10:6 Lit slacken your hands from
  6. Joshua 10:8 Lit a man
  7. Joshua 10:9 Lit he went up
  8. Joshua 10:11 Lit with
  9. Joshua 10:15 Lit to Gilgal
  10. Joshua 10:19 Lit strike their tail
  11. Joshua 10:20 Lit and had
  12. Joshua 10:21 Lit moved his tongue
  13. Joshua 10:26 Or wooden posts
  14. Joshua 10:26 Or wooden posts
  15. Joshua 10:27 Lit the time of the going of the sun
  16. Joshua 10:27 Or wooden posts
  17. Joshua 10:28 Lit put under the ban
  18. Joshua 10:28 Some mss them
  19. Joshua 10:28 Lit soul, and so throughout the ch
  20. Joshua 10:33 Lit struck
  21. Joshua 10:35 Lit put under the ban
  22. Joshua 10:37 Lit put it under the ban
  23. Joshua 10:39 Lit put under the ban
  24. Joshua 10:40 I.e., South country
  25. Joshua 10:40 Lit put under the ban
  26. Joshua 10:43 Lit to Gilgal

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. 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. 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) “Come up and help me attack Gibeon,” he said, “because it has made peace(L) with Joshua and the Israelites.”

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.

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.”

So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army,(P) including all the best fighting men. 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)

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