Yehoshua (Joshua) 10
10
1And it came to be when Aḏoni-Tseḏeq sovereign of Yerushalayim heard that Yehoshua had captured Ai and had put it under the ban, that he had done to Ai and its sovereign as he had done to Yeriḥo and its sovereign, and that the inhabitants of Giḇ‛on had made peace with Yisra’ĕl and were in their midst,
2that they feared greatly, because Giḇ‛on was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
3And Aḏoni-Tseḏeq sovereign of Yerushalayim sent to Hoham sovereign of Ḥeḇron, and to Piram sovereign of Yarmuth, and to Yaphiya sovereign of Laḵish, and to Deḇir sovereign of Eḡlon, saying,
4“Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Giḇ‛on, for it has made peace with Yehoshua and with the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
5So the five sovereigns of the Amorites – the sovereign of Yerushalayim, the sovereign of Ḥeḇron, the sovereign of Yarmuth, the sovereign of Laḵish, the sovereign of Eḡlon – gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Giḇ‛on and fought against it.
6And the men of Giḇ‛on sent to Yehoshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not withdraw your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly, and save us and help us, for all the sovereigns of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have assembled against us.”
7And Yehoshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the soldiers with him, and all the mighty brave men.
8And יהוה said to Yehoshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hand. Not one of them does stand before you.”
9So then Yehoshua came upon them suddenly, having gone up all night from Gilgal.
10And יהוה threw them into confusion before Yisra’ĕl, and they struck them with a great slaughter at Giḇ‛on, and pursued them along the way that goes to Bĕyth Ḥoron, and struck them as far as Azĕqah and Maqqĕḏah.
11And it came to be, as they fled before Yisra’ĕl and were on the descent of Bĕyth Ḥoron, that יהוה threw down large hailstones from the heavens on them as far as Azĕqah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Yisra’ĕl had killed with the sword.
12Then Yehoshua spoke to יהוה in the day when יהוה gave the Amorites over to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and he said before the eyes of Yisra’ĕl, “Sun, stand still over Giḇ‛on; and moon, in the Valley of Ayalon.”
13So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself upon their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Yashar? Thus the sun stopped in the midst of the heavens, and did not hasten to go down for an entire day.
14And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that יהוה listened to the voice of a man, because יהוה fought for Yisra’ĕl.
15So Yehoshua returned, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
16Now these five sovereigns had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Maqqĕḏah.
17And it was reported to Yehoshua, saying, “The five sovereigns have been found hidden in the cave at Maqqĕḏah.”
18And Yehoshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.
19“And you, do not stand still, but pursue your enemies. And you shall smite them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for יהוה your Elohim has given them into your hand.”
20And it came to be, when Yehoshua and the children of Yisra’ĕl had ended striking them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished – but those who escaped went into walled cities –
21that all the people returned to the camp, to Yehoshua at Maqqĕḏah, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the sons of Yisra’ĕl.
22Then Yehoshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five sovereigns to me from the cave.”
23And they did so, and brought those five sovereigns to him from the cave: the sovereign of Yerushalayim, the sovereign of Ḥeḇron, the sovereign of Yarmuth, the sovereign of Laḵish, the sovereign of Eḡlon.
24And it came to be, when they brought out those sovereigns to Yehoshua, that Yehoshua called for all the men of Yisra’ĕl, and said to the chiefs of the men of battle who went with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these sovereigns.” And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.
25Then Yehoshua said to them, “Do not be afraid nor be discouraged, be strong and courageous, for this is what יהוה is going to do to all your enemies whom you are fighting.”
26And afterward Yehoshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging on the trees until evening.
27And it came to be, at the time of the going down of the sun, that Yehoshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and threw them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave’s mouth, to this day.
28And on that day Yehoshua captured Maqqĕḏah, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, and he put its sovereign under the ban – them and all the people who were in it, he left no survivor. And he did to the sovereign of Maqqĕḏah as he had done to the sovereign of Yeriḥo.
29Then Yehoshua passed over, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, from Maqqĕḏah to Liḇnah. And they fought against Liḇnah.
30And יהוה also gave it and its sovereign into the hand of Yisra’ĕl. And he struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, he left no survivor in it. And he did to its sovereign as he had done to the sovereign of Yeriḥo.
31Then Yehoshua passed over, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, from Liḇnah to Laḵish, and encamped against it and fought against it.
32And יהוה gave Laḵish into the hand of Yisra’ĕl, who captured it on the second day, and struck it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Liḇnah.
33Then Horam sovereign of Gezer came up to help Laḵish. And Yehoshua struck him and his people, until he left him no survivor.
34Then Yehoshua passed over, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, from Laḵish to Eḡlon. And they encamped against it and fought against it,
35and captured it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword. And all the beings who were in it he put under the ban that day, according to all that he had done to Laḵish.
36Then Yehoshua went up, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, from Eḡlon to Ḥeḇron, and they fought against it,
37and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its sovereign, and all its cities, and all the people who were in it. He left no survivor, according to all that he had done to Eḡlon, but put it and all the people who were in it under the ban.
38Then Yehoshua returned, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, to Deḇir, and fought against it,
39and captured it and its sovereign and all its cities. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and put all the people who were in it under the ban, he left no survivor. As he had done to Ḥeḇron, so he did to Deḇir and its sovereign, as he had done also to Liḇnah and its sovereign.
40Thus Yehoshua struck all the land: the mountain country and the South and the low country and the wilderness slopes, and all their sovereigns. He left no survivor, but put all that breathed under the ban, as יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl had commanded.
41And Yehoshua struck them from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa as far as Azzah, and all the land of Goshen, even as far as Giḇ‛on.
42And Yehoshua captured all these sovereigns and their land at one time, because יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl fought for Yisra’ĕl.
43And Yehoshua returned, and all Yisra’ĕl with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
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Yehoshua (Joshua) 10: TS2009
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Joshua 10
10
Joshua Commands the Sun To Stand Still
1King Adonizedek of Jerusalem#10.1 Jerusalem: Jerusalem was not an Israelite city at this time. heard that Joshua had captured and destroyed the town of Ai, and then killed its king as he had done at Jericho. He also learned that the Gibeonites had signed a peace treaty with Israel. 2This frightened Adonizedek and his people. They knew that Gibeon was a large town, as big as the towns that had kings, and even bigger than the town of Ai had been. And all of the men of Gibeon were warriors. 3So Adonizedek sent messages to the kings of four other towns: King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. The messages said, 4“The Gibeonites have signed a peace treaty with Joshua and the Israelites. Come and help me attack Gibeon!”
5When these five Amorite kings called their armies together and attacked Gibeon, 6the Gibeonites sent a message to the Israelite camp at Gilgal: “Joshua, please come and rescue us! The Amorite kings from the hill country have joined together and are attacking us. We are your servants, so don't let us down. Please hurry!”
7Joshua and his army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal. 8“Joshua,” the Lord said, “don't be afraid of the Amorites. They will run away when you attack, and I will help you defeat them.”
9Joshua marched all night from Gilgal to Gibeon and made a surprise attack on the Amorite camp. 10The Lord made the enemy panic, and the Israelites started killing them right and left. They#10.10 They: Or “The Lord.” chased the Amorite troops up the road to Beth-Horon and kept on killing them, until they reached the towns of Azekah and Makkedah.#10.10 Makkedah: A total distance of about 40 kilometers. 11And while these troops were going down through Beth-Horon Pass,#10.11 Beth-Horon Pass: A three-kilometer long, steeply-sloping valley between the towns of Upper Beth-Horon and Lower Beth-Horon. the Lord made huge hailstones fall on them all the way to Azekah. More of the enemy soldiers died from the hail than from the Israelite weapons.
12-13 #
2 S 1.18; Si 46.4-6. The Lord was helping the Israelites defeat the Amorites that day. So about noon, Joshua prayed to the Lord loud enough for the Israelites to hear:
“Our Lord, make the sun stop
in the sky over Gibeon,
and the moon stand still
over Aijalon Valley.”#10.12,13 Aijalon Valley: A valley southwest of Beth-Horon Pass.
So the sun and the moon
stopped and stood still
until Israel defeated its enemies.
This poem can be found in The Book of Jashar.#10.12,13 Book of Jashar: This book may have been a collection of ancient war songs. The sun stood still and didn't go down for about a whole day. 14Never before and never since has the Lord done anything like that for someone who prayed. The Lord was really fighting for Israel.
15After the battle, Joshua and the Israelites went back to their camp at Gilgal.
Joshua Kills the Five Enemy Kings
16While the enemy soldiers were running from the Israelites, the five enemy kings ran away and hid in a cave near Makkedah. 17Joshua's soldiers told him, “The five kings have been found in a cave near Makkedah.”
18Joshua answered, “Roll some big stones over the mouth of the cave and leave a few soldiers to guard it. 19But you and everyone else must keep going after the enemy troops, because they will be safe if they reach their walled towns. Don't let them get away! The Lord our God is helping us get rid of them.” 20So Joshua and the Israelites almost wiped out the enemy soldiers. Only a few safely reached their walled towns.
21The Israelite army returned to their camp at Makkedah, where Joshua was waiting for them. No one around there dared say anything bad about the Israelites. 22Joshua told his soldiers, “Now, move the rocks from the entrance to the cave and bring those five kings to me.”
23The soldiers opened the entrance to the cave and brought out the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24After Joshua had called the army together, he forced the five kings to lie down on the ground. Then he called his officers forward and told them, “You fought these kings along with me, so put your feet on their necks.” The officers did this, 25and Joshua continued, “Don't ever be afraid or discouraged. Be brave and strong. This is what the Lord will do to all your enemies.”
26Joshua killed the five kings and told his men to hang each body on a tree. Then at sunset 27he told some of his troops, “Take the bodies down and throw them into the cave where the kings were found. Cover the entrance to the cave with big rocks.”
Joshua's troops obeyed his orders, and those rocks are still there.
Joshua Continues the Fighting
28Later that day, Joshua captured Makkedah and killed its king and everyone else in the town, just as he had done at Jericho.
29Joshua and his army left Makkedah and attacked the town of Libnah. 30The Lord let them capture the town and its king, and they killed the king and everyone else, just as they had done at Jericho.
31Joshua then led his army to Lachish, and they set up camp around the town. They attacked, 32and the next day the Lord let them capture the town. They killed everyone, as they had done at Libnah. 33King Horam of Gezer arrived to help Lachish, but Joshua and his troops attacked and destroyed him and his army.
34From Lachish, Joshua took his troops to Eglon, where they set up camp surrounding the town. They attacked, 35captured it that same day, then killed everyone, as they had done at Lachish.
36Joshua and his army left Eglon and attacked Hebron. 37They captured the town and the nearby villages, then killed everyone, including the king. They destroyed Hebron in the same way they had destroyed Eglon.
38Joshua and the Israelite army turned and attacked Debir. 39They captured the town, and its nearby villages. Then they destroyed Debir and killed its king, together with everyone else, just as they had done with Hebron and Libnah.
40Joshua captured towns everywhere in the land: In the central hill country and the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert and the region that slopes down toward the Dead Sea. Whenever he captured a town, he would kill the king and everyone else, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. 41Joshua wiped out towns from Kadesh-Barnea to Gaza, everywhere in the region of Goshen,#10.41 Goshen: A region between the hill country of Judah and the desert further south. Not the same Goshen as in Genesis 47.4-6. and as far north as Gibeon. 42-43The Lord fought on Israel's side, so Joshua and the Israelite army were able to capture these kings and take their land. They fought one battle after another, then they went back to their camp at Gilgal after capturing all that land.
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.