Joshua 11
11
Joshua Captures Towns in the North
1King Jabin of Hazor heard about Joshua's victories, so he sent messages to many nearby kings and asked them to join him in fighting Israel. He sent these messages to King Jobab of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, 2the kings in the northern hill country and in the Jordan River valley south of Lake Galilee,#11.2 Lake Galilee: The Hebrew text has “Lake Chinnereth,” an earlier name. and the kings in the foothills and in Naphath-Dor to the west. 3He sent messages to the Canaanite kings in the east and the west, to the Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, and Jebusite kings in the hill country, and to the Hivite kings in the region of Mizpah, near the foot of Mount Hermon.#11.3 Mizpah, near the foot of Mount Hermon: Probably the same region as Mizpeh Valley in verses 8,9, but different from the two other places named Mizpeh in 15.37-41; 18.25-28, and also different from the Mizpah mentioned in Genesis 31.49 and Judges 10.17.
4-5The kings and their armies went to Merom Pond,#11.4,5 Pond: Or “Gorge.” where they set up camp, and got ready to fight Israel. It seemed as though there were more soldiers and horses and chariots than there are grains of sand on a beach.
6The Lord told Joshua:
Don't let them frighten you! I'll help you defeat them, and by this time tomorrow they will be dead.
When you attack, the first thing you have to do is to cripple their horses. Then after the battle is over,#11.6 When … over: Or “After the battle is over, cripple their horses and burn their chariots.” burn their chariots.
7Joshua and his army made a surprise attack against the enemy camp at Merom Pond#11.7 Pond: See the note at 11.4,5. 8-9and crippled the enemies' horses.#11.8,9 and crippled the enemies' horses: It is also possible that the Israelites crippled the enemies' horses after the battle at the same time they burned the enemies' chariots; see the note at 11.6. Joshua followed the Lord's instructions, and the Lord helped Israel defeat the enemy. The Israelite army even chased enemy soldiers as far as Misrephoth-Maim to the northwest,#11.8,9 Misrephoth-Maim … northwest: Or “the town of Misrephoth to the northwest” or “the Misrephoth River.” the city of Sidon to the north, and Mizpeh Valley to the northeast.#11.8,9 northeast: These three areas were 30 to 55 kilometers north of Merom. None of the enemy soldiers escaped alive. The Israelites came back after the battle and burned the enemy's chariots.
10Up to this time, the king of Hazor had controlled the kingdoms that had joined together to attack Israel, so Joshua led his army back and captured Hazor. They killed its king 11and everyone else, then they set the town on fire.
12-15Joshua captured all the towns where the enemy kings had ruled. These towns were built on small hills,#11.12-15 small hills: Towns were often built on top of the ruins of a previous town that had been destroyed. When this happened many times at one place, a hill was formed. and Joshua did not set fire to any of these towns, except Hazor. The Israelites kept the animals and everything of value from these towns, but they killed everyone who lived in them, including their kings. That's what the Lord had told his servant Moses to do, that's what Moses had told Joshua to do, and that's exactly what Joshua did.
16Joshua and his army took control of the northern and southern hill country, the foothills to the west, the Southern Desert, the whole region of Goshen,#11.16 Goshen: See the note at 10.41. and the Jordan River valley. 17-18They took control of the land from Mount Halak near the country of Edom in the south to Baal-Gad in Lebanon Valley at the foot of Mount Hermon in the north. Joshua and his army were at war with the kings in this region for a long time, but finally they captured and put to death the last king.
19-20 #
Dt 7.16. The Lord had told Moses that he wanted the towns in this region destroyed and their people killed without mercy. That's why the Lord made the people in the towns stubborn and determined to fight Israel. The only town that signed a peace treaty with Israel was the Hivite town of Gibeon. The Israelite army captured the rest of the towns in battle.
21During this same time, Joshua and his army killed the Anakim#11.21 Anakim: Perhaps a group of very large people that lived in Palestine before the Israelites (see Numbers 13.33 and Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21). from the northern and southern hill country. They also destroyed the towns where the Anakim had lived, including Hebron, Debir, and Anab. 22There were not any Anakim left in the regions where the Israelites lived, although there were still some in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.#11.22 Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod: Towns in Philistia.
23That's how Joshua captured the land, just as the Lord had commanded Moses, and Joshua divided it up among the tribes.
Finally, there was peace in the land.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Joshua 11
11
Israel Defeats a Northern Coalition
1 When King Jabin of Hazor#map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1. heard the news, he organized a coalition, including#tn Heb “he sent to.” King Jobab of Madon, the king of Shimron, the king of Acshaph, 2 and the northern kings who ruled in#tn Heb “and to the kings who [are] from the north in.” the hill country, the Arabah south of Kinnereth,#tn Heb “Chinneroth,” a city and plain located in the territory of Naphtali in Galilee (BDB 490 s.v. כִּנֶּרֶת, כִּנֲרוֹת).sn Kinnereth was a city in Galilee located near the Sea of Galilee (Deut 3:17). The surrounding region also became known by this name (1 Kgs 15:20; cf. Matt 14:34), and eventually even the lake itself (Josh 12:3; cf. Luke 5:1). the lowlands, and the heights of Dor to the west. 3 Canaanites came#tn The verb “came” is supplied in the translation (see v. 4). from the east and west; Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites from the hill country; and Hivites from below Hermon in the area#tn Or “land.” of Mizpah. 4 These kings came out with their armies; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore and had a large number of horses and chariots.#tn Heb “They and all their camps with them came out, a people as numerous as the sand which is on the edge of the sea in multitude, and [with] horses and chariots very numerous.” 5 All these kings gathered and joined forces#tn Heb “and came and camped together.” at the Waters of Merom to fight Israel.
6 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, for about this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to lie dead before Israel. You must hamstring their horses and burn#tn Heb “burn with fire”; the words “with fire” are redundant in English and have not been included in the translation. their chariots.” 7 Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and attacked them.#tn Heb “Joshua and all the people of war with him came upon them at the Waters of Merom suddenly and fell upon them.” 8 The Lord handed them over to Israel and they struck them down and chased them all the way to Greater Sidon,#map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3. Misrephoth Maim,#tn The meaning of the Hebrew name “Misrephoth Maim” is perhaps “lime-kilns by the water” (see HALOT 2:641). and the Mizpah Valley to the east. They struck them down until no survivors remained. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had commanded him; he hamstrung their horses and burned#tn Heb “burned with fire”; the words “with fire” are redundant in English and have not been included in the translation. their chariots.
10 At that time Joshua turned, captured Hazor,#map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1. and struck down its king with the sword, for Hazor was at that time#tn Or “formerly.” the leader of all these kingdoms. 11 They annihilated everyone who lived there with the sword#tn Heb “and they struck down all life which was in it with the edge of the sword, annihilating.” – no one who breathed remained – and burned#tn Heb “burned with fire”; the words “with fire” are redundant in English and have not been included in the translation. Hazor.
12 Joshua captured all these royal cities and all their kings and annihilated them with the sword,#tn Heb “and he struck them down with the edge of the sword, he annihilated them.” as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded. 13 But Israel did not burn any of the cities located on mounds,#tn Heb “standing on their mounds.” except for Hazor;#map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1. it was the only one Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites plundered all the goods of these cities and the cattle, but they totally destroyed all the people#tn Heb “but all the people they struck down with the edge of the sword until they destroyed them.” and allowed no one who breathed to live. 15 Moses the Lord’s servant passed on the Lord’s commands to Joshua, and Joshua did as he was told. He did not ignore any of the commands the Lord had given Moses.#tn Heb “As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua acted accordingly; he did not turn aside a thing from all which the Lord commanded Moses.”
A Summary of Israel’s Victories
16 Joshua conquered the whole land,#tn Heb “Joshua took all this land.” including the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the lowlands,#tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.” the Arabah, the hill country of Israel and its lowlands, 17 from Mount Halak on up to Seir, as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and executed them.#tn Heb “and struck them down and killed them.” 18 Joshua campaigned against#tn Heb “made war with.” these kings for quite some time.#tn Heb “for many days.” 19 No city made peace with the Israelites (except the Hivites living in Gibeon);#tn The LXX omits this parenthetical note, which may represent a later scribal addition. they had to conquer all of them,#tn Heb “the whole they took in battle.” 20 for the Lord determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel. He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses.#tn Heb “for from the Lord it was to harden their heart[s] to meet for the battle with Israel, in order to annihilate them, so that they would receive no mercy, in order annihilate them, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
21 At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country#tn Heb “went and cut off the Anakites from the hill country.” – from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and Israel.#tn Heb “and from all the hill country of Israel.” Joshua annihilated them and their cities. 22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory, though some remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. 23 Joshua conquered#tn Heb “took.” the whole land, just as the Lord had promised Moses,#tn Heb “according to all which the Lord said to Moses.” The translation assumes this refers to the promise of the land (see 1:3). Another possibility is that it refers to the Lord’s instructions, in which case the phrase could be translated, “just as the Lord had instructed Moses” (so NLT; cf. also NIV “had directed Moses”). and he assigned Israel their tribal portions.#tn Heb “and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their allotted portions by their tribes.” Then the land was free of war.
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