Joshua 10

Translated from the Hebrew of the Westminster Leningrad Codex. Tap a verse to see why it reads as it does. Tap a small letter to read its footnote.

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Five kings attack Gibeon

¹News reached Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem that Joshua had taken Ai and devoted it to destruction, treating Ai and its king as he had treated Jericho and its king. He also learned that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were now living among them, ²he and his people were terrified, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was bigger than Ai, and its men were all warriors. ³So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent this message to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon: ⁴“Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” ⁵Then the five Amorite kings, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon, joined forces. They went up with all their armies, camped against Gibeon and attacked it. ⁶The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly. Rescue us and help us, because all the Amorite kings of the hill country have joined forces against us.” ⁷So Joshua went up from Gilgal with his whole army, including all his best fighting men.

The LORD fights for Israel

⁸The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.” ⁹Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and came upon them by surprise. ¹⁰The LORD threw them into panic before Israel and struck them with a great defeat at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that climbs to Beth-horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. ¹¹As they fled before Israel down the slope from Beth-horon, the LORD hurled huge stones on them from the sky all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

Sun, stand still at Gibeon

¹²On the day the LORD gave the Amorites up to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD. \q In full view of Israel he said, \q “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, \q and moon, in the valley of Aijalon!” ¹³So the sun stood still, and the moon halted, until the nation had taken vengeance on its enemies. \q Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? \q The sun stopped in the middle of the sky \q and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. ¹⁴No day before it or after it has been like it, a day when the LORD listened to a man’s voice in this way. Truly the LORD fought for Israel.

The five kings in the cave at Makkedah

¹⁵Then Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, and all Israel with him. ¹⁶Meanwhile the five kings had escaped and were hiding in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” ¹⁸Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard the kings. ¹⁹But the rest of you, do not stop. Chase your enemies and cut down those at the rear. Do not let them reach their cities, because the LORD your God has handed them over to you.” ²⁰When Joshua and the Israelites had finished striking them down in a very great slaughter, until they were wiped out, though a few survivors escaped into the fortified cities, ²¹the whole army came back safely to Joshua at the camp at Makkedah. No one dared to say a word against the Israelites. ²²Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring me those five kings.” ²³They did so. They brought the five kings out of the cave to him: the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. ²⁴When they had brought these kings out to Joshua, he called for all the men of Israel. He told the commanders of the soldiers who had gone with him, “Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. ²⁵Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, because this is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you fight.” ²⁶After this Joshua struck them down and put them to death, and he hung them on five trees. They stayed hanging on the trees until evening. ²⁷At sunset Joshua gave the order, and they took the bodies down from the trees and threw them into the cave where the kings had hidden. They placed large stones over the mouth of the cave, and they remain there to this very day.

The cities of the south are taken

²⁸Joshua captured Makkedah that same day. He struck it down with the sword, together with its king, and devoted them to destruction with everyone in it. He left no survivors. He did to the king of Makkedah what he had done to the king of Jericho. ²⁹Next Joshua advanced from Makkedah to Libnah with all Israel and attacked Libnah. ³⁰The LORD handed it and its king over to Israel as well. He struck it down with the sword, with everyone in it. He left no survivors. He did to its king what he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹Next Joshua advanced from Libnah to Lachish with all Israel. He camped against it and attacked it. ³²The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel, and he captured it on the second day. He struck it down with the sword, with everyone in it, just as he had done to Libnah.

³³At that time Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army, leaving him no survivors. ³⁴Next Joshua advanced from Lachish to Eglon with all Israel. They camped against it and attacked it. ³⁵They captured it that same day and struck it down with the sword. He devoted everyone in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish.

³⁶Next Joshua went up from Eglon to Hebron with all Israel and attacked it. ³⁷They captured it and struck it down with the sword, together with its king, its towns and everyone in it. He left no survivors, just as he had done to Eglon. He devoted it to destruction with everyone in it.

³⁸Next Joshua turned back to Debir with all Israel and attacked it. ³⁹He captured it, its king and all its towns. They struck them down with the sword and devoted everyone in it to destruction. He left no survivors. He did to Debir and its king what he had done to Hebron, and what he had done to Libnah and its king. ⁴⁰So Joshua struck the whole land: the hill country, the Negev, the foothills and the slopes, with all their kings. He left no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, as the LORD the God of Israel had commanded. ⁴¹Joshua struck them down from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and across the whole land of Goshen as far as Gibeon. ⁴²Joshua captured all these kings and their land in a single campaign, because the LORD the God of Israel fought for Israel. ⁴³Then Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal, and all Israel with him.