Joshua 10:16–12:24

Victory at Makkedah

16 Now these afive kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

17 It was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.”

18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them,

19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and 1attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.”

20 It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished 1slaying them with a very great slaughter, auntil they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them 2had entered the fortified cities,

21 that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one 1uttered 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 abrought 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 chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, aput your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks.

25 Joshua then said to them, “aDo not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.”

26 So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he ahanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening.

27 It came about at 1sunset that Joshua gave a command, and athey took them down from the 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; ahe 1utterly destroyed 2it and every 3person who was in it. He left no survivor. Thus he did to the king of Makkedah bjust as he had done to the king of Jericho.

Joshua’s Conquest of Southern Palestine

29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to aLibnah, and fought against Libnah.

30 The Lord gave it also with its king into the hands of Israel, and he struck it and every person who was in it with the edge of the sword. He left no survivor in it. Thus 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 The Lord gave Lachish into the hands of 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 aGezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua 1defeated 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 1utterly destroyed 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 aHebron, and they fought against it.

37 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 1utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it.

38 Then Joshua and all Israel with him returned to aDebir, 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 1utterly 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 Thus Joshua struck all the land, athe hill country and the 1Negev and the lowland and the slopes and ball their kings. He left no survivor, but che 2utterly 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 aGoshen even as far as Gibeon.

42 Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because athe Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

43 So Joshua and all Israel with him returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Chapter 11

Northern Palestine Taken

1 Then it came about, when Jabin king of aHazor heard of it, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon and to the king of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph,

2 and to the kings who were of the north in the hill country, and in the aArabah—south of 1Chinneroth and in the lowland and on the 2heights of Dor on the west—

3 to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite in the hill country, and athe Hivite 1at the foot of bHermon in the land of cMizpeh.

4 They came out, they and all their armies with them, aas many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.

5 So all of these kings having agreed to meet, came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

6 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “aDo not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel; you shall bhamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

7 So Joshua and all the people of war with him came upon them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and attacked them.

8 The Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, so that they 1defeated them, and pursued them as far as Great Sidon and aMisrephoth-maim and the valley of bMizpeh to the east; and they struck them until no survivor was left to them.

9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him; he ahamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10 Then Joshua turned back at that time, and captured aHazor and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms.

11 aThey struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, 1utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.

12 Joshua captured all the cities of these kings, and all their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; just aas Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.

13 However, Israel did not burn any cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned.

14 aAll the spoil of these cities and the cattle, the sons of Israel took as their plunder; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They left no one who breathed.

15 Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

16 Thus Joshua took all that land: athe hill country and all the 1Negev, all that land of Goshen, the lowland, bthe Arabah, the hill country of Israel and its lowland

17 from aMount Halak, that rises toward Seir, even as far as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon 1at the foot of Mount Hermon. And he captured ball their kings and struck them down and put them to death.

18 Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings.

19 There was not a city which made peace with the sons of Israel except athe Hivites living in Gibeon; they took them all in battle.

20 aFor it was of the Lord to 1harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might butterly destroy them, that they might 2receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 Then Joshua came at that time and cut off athe Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab and from all the hill country of Judah and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

22 There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in aGath, and in bAshdod some remained.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and aJoshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. bThus the land had rest from war.

Chapter 12

Kings Defeated by Israel

1 Now these are the akings of the land whom the sons of Israel 1defeated, and whose land they possessed beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon as far as Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah to the east:

2 Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled afrom Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, both the middle of the valley and half of Gilead, even as far as the brook Jabbok, the border of the sons of Ammon;

3 and the aArabah as far as the Sea of 1Chinneroth toward the east, and as far as the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward 2toward bBeth-jeshimoth, and on the south, 3at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah;

4 and the territory of Og king of Bashan, one of athe remnant of Rephaim, who lived at bAshtaroth and at Edrei,

5 and ruled over Mount Hermon and aSalecah and all Bashan, as far as bthe border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half of Gilead, as far as the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 Moses the servant of the Lord and the sons of Israel 1defeated them; and aMoses the servant of the Lord gave it to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh as a possession.

7 Now these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the sons of Israel 1defeated beyond the Jordan toward the west, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon even as far as aMount Halak, which rises toward Seir; and Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions,

8 in athe hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, on the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the 1Negev; the Hittite, the Amorite and the Canaanite, …