Joshua 10
10
The Day the Sun Stood Still
1At this time Adoni Zedek was the king of Jerusalem. He heard that Joshua had defeated Ai and completely destroyed it. The king learned that Joshua had done the same thing to Jericho and its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made a peace agreement with Israel and that they lived very near Jerusalem. 2So Adoni Zedek and his people were very frightened. Gibeon was not a small town like Ai. It was a very big city—as big as any royal city.#10:2 royal city A strong, well-protected city that controlled smaller towns nearby. And all the men in that city were good fighters, so the king was afraid. 3King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem talked with King Hoham of Hebron. He also talked with King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon. The king of Jerusalem begged these men, 4“Come with me and help me attack Gibeon. Gibeon has made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites.”
5So these five Amorite kings joined their armies together. (The five kings were the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.) Their armies went to Gibeon, surrounded the city, and began fighting against it.
6The people in the city of Gibeon sent a message to Joshua at his camp at Gilgal: “We are your servants! Don’t leave us alone. Come and help us! Hurry! Save us! All the Amorite kings from the hill country have brought their armies together to fight against us.”
7So Joshua marched out of Gilgal with his whole army. His best fighting men were with him. 8The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of those armies. I will allow you to defeat them. None of them will be able to defeat you.”
9Joshua and his army marched all night to Gibeon, so it was a complete surprise when he attacked them.
10The Lord caused those armies to be very confused when Israel attacked. So Israel defeated them and won a great victory. Israel chased the enemy from Gibeon along the road going up to Beth Horon. The army of Israel killed men all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11Then they chased the enemy down the road from Beth Horon to Azekah. While they were chasing the enemy, the Lord caused large hailstones to fall from the sky. Many of the enemy were killed by these large hailstones. More men were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the soldiers of Israel.
12On that day the Lord gave Israel the victory against the Amorites. Joshua stood before all the Israelites and said to the Lord:
“Sun, stop over Gibeon.
Moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13So the sun did not move, and the moon stopped until the people defeated their enemies. This story is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It did not move for a full day. 14That had never happened before, and it has never happened again. That was the day the Lord obeyed a man. The Lord really was fighting for Israel!
15After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal. 16But during the fight, the five kings ran away. They hid in a cave near Makkedah, 17but someone found them hiding in that cave. Joshua learned about this. 18He said, “Cover the entrance to the cave with large rocks. Put some men there to guard the cave. 19But don’t stay there yourselves. Continue chasing the enemy and attacking them from behind. Don’t let the enemy get back to their cities. The Lord your God has given you the victory over them.”
20So Joshua and the Israelites killed the enemy. But some of them were able to go to their cities that had tall walls around them and hide. These men were not killed. 21After the fighting, Joshua’s men came back to him at Makkedah. Not one of the people in that country was brave enough to say anything against the Israelites.
22Joshua said, “Move the rocks that are covering the entrance to the cave. Bring the five kings to me.” 23So Joshua’s men brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24When they brought the five kings to Joshua, he called all his men to come to that place. He said to the officers of his army, “Come here! Put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the officers of Joshua’s army came close and put their feet on the necks of the kings.
25Then Joshua said to his men, “Be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid. I will show you what the Lord will do to all the enemies you will fight in the future.”
26Then Joshua killed the five kings and hanged their bodies on five trees. He left them hanging in the trees until evening. 27At sunset Joshua told his men to take the bodies down from the trees. So they threw the bodies into the cave where the kings had been hiding and covered the entrance of the cave with large rocks. Their bodies are still in that cave today.
28That day Joshua defeated Makkedah. He killed the king and the people in that city. No one was left alive. Joshua did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.
Taking the Southern Cities
29Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked that city. 30The Lord allowed the Israelites to defeat that city and its king. They killed everyone in the city. No one was left alive. And they did the same thing to that king as they had done to the king of Jericho.
31Then Joshua and all the Israelites left Libnah and went to Lachish. Joshua and his army camped around that city and attacked it. 32The Lord allowed them to defeat the city of Lachish. They defeated it on the second day. The Israelites killed everyone in the city, just as they had done in Libnah. 33King Horam of Gezer came to help Lachish, but Joshua also defeated him and his army. No one was left alive.
34Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Lachish to Eglon. They camped around Eglon and attacked it. 35That day they captured the city and killed everyone in the city. This was the same thing they had done to Lachish.
36Then Joshua and all the Israelites traveled from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37They captured the city and all the small towns near Hebron. The Israelites killed everyone in the city, just as they did to Eglon. No one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the Lord.
38Then Joshua and all the Israelites went back to Debir and attacked it. 39They captured the city, its king, and all the towns near Debir. They killed everyone in the city, just as they had done to Libnah and its king. No one was left alive there. They destroyed the city and killed all the people in it as an offering to the Lord.
40So Joshua defeated all the kings of the cities of the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills, and the eastern foothills. The Lord, the God of Israel, had told Joshua to kill all the people, so Joshua did not leave anyone alive in those places.
41Joshua captured all the cities from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza. He captured all the cities from Goshen#10:41 Goshen The northeastern part of Egypt. to Gibeon. 42Joshua captured all these cities and their kings in one series of battles. He did this because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43Then Joshua and all the Israelites returned to their camp at Gilgal.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Joshua 10
10
Sun Stands Still
1Now it came to pass that Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it—just 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 made peace with Israel and remained among them.
2So he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a large city, as one of the royal cities—in fact, larger than Ai—and all its men were mighty.
3Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon saying:
4“Come up and help me! Let’s attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and Bnei-Yisrael.”
5So the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish and the king of Eglon—gathered themselves and went up, they and all their armies, camped against Gibeon and attacked it.
6Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua in camp at Gilgal saying: “Don’t abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, for all the kings of the Amorites living in the hill country have gathered against us.”
7So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him and all the mighty men of valor.
8Adonai said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will stand before you.”
9So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.
10Adonai threw them into confusion before Israel, defeated them with a crushing defeat at Gibeon, chased them by the road that goes up to Beth-horon, and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11While they were fleeing before Israel down the descent of Beth-horon, Adonai cast down great stones from heaven on them all the way to Azekah so they died—more of them died from the hailstones than those Bnei-Yisrael killed with the sword.
12Then Joshua spoke to Adonai, on the day Adonai gave the Amorites over to Bnei-Yisrael, and said in the eyes of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, Moon, over the Aijalon Valley!”
13So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. (Is it not written in the Book of Jashar?) Thus the sun halted in the middle of the sky, and did not hurry to go down for about a full day.
14There was no day like that before it or after it, when Adonai listened to the voice of a man. For Adonai fought for Israel.
15Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
16Now these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
17So it was reported to Joshua, “The five kings are found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”
18Joshua said, “Roll large stones onto the mouth of the cave, assign men over it to guard them,
19but don’t stay there yourselves. Chase after your enemies and attack them at the rear. Don’t let them enter their cities, for Adonai your God has given them into your hand.”
20So it was that Joshua and Bnei-Yisrael finished striking them with a very great slaughter until they were wiped out, though some of their survivors escaped into the fortified cities.
21Then all the people returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. No one dared sharpen his tongue against Bnei-Yisrael.
22Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.”
23So they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon.
24When they brought out those kings to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came forward and put their feet on their necks.
25Then Joshua said to them, “Never fear or be dismayed. Chazak! Be strong! For thus will Adonai do to all your enemies whom you will fight.”
26After this, Joshua struck them and put them to death, then hanged them on five trees, and they remained hanging on the trees until evening.
27It came about at sunset that Joshua commanded that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave where they had hidden themselves. Then they placed large stones at the mouth of the cave which are there to this very day.
28On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword, putting it and every single soul in it under a ban of destruction, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
30 Adonai also gave it with its king into the hand of Israel. So he struck it and every single soul in it with the edge of the sword, leaving no survivors in it. So he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish, camped against it and fought against it.
32Adonai delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, so he captured it on the second day, and struck it and every single soul in it with the edge of the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
33Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his people until he had left him no survivors.
34Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon, camped against it and fought against it.
35They captured it on that day and struck it and every single soul in it with the edge of the sword, putting them under the ban that day, just as he had done to Lachish.
36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron, and they fought against it.
37They captured it and struck it, its king, all its towns, and every single soul that was in it with the edge of the sword, leaving no survivors, just as he had done to Eglon, putting it and every single soul in it under the ban.
38Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it.
39He captured it and its king, and all its towns, struck them with the edge of the sword and put every single soul in it under the ban, leaving no survivors. 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.
40So Joshua conquered the entire country—the hill country, the Negev, the lowland and the slopes—with all their kings. He left no survivors, but he put everything that breathed under the ban, just as Adonai God of Israel had commanded.
41Thus Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon.
42Thus Joshua captured all those kings and their lands at a single stroke, because Adonai God of Israel fought for Israel.
43Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.
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