Joshua 9–10

9TH CHAPTER

The People from Gibeon Deceive Joshua

¹When all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these events, ²they joined together to fight Joshua and Israel. (They were the kings in the mountains, the foothills, and along the whole Mediterranean coast as far as Lebanon, the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.)^a

³When the people living in Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ⁴they devised a scheme. They posed as messengers. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys. Their wineskins were old, split, and patched. ⁵Their sandals were worn-out and repaired, and their clothes were tattered. All their bread was dried out and crumbling. ⁶They came to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. They told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country. Make a treaty with us right now.” 

⁷The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you’re living in this area? We wouldn’t be able to make a treaty with you.” 

⁸They responded to Joshua, “We’re at your mercy.” 

Joshua asked them, “Who are you, and where did you come from?” 

⁹They answered him, “We came from a country very far away because the Lord your God has become famous. We heard stories about him and everything he did in Egypt. ¹⁰We also heard everything he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. ¹¹Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us, ‘Take what you need for the trip, and go meet them. Tell them, “We’re at your mercy. Make a treaty with us right now.” ’ ¹²Our bread was warm when we left home to meet with you. Look at it now! It’s dry and crumbling. ¹³These were new wineskins when we filled them. Look at them now! See how they are splitting! Our clothes and sandals are also worn-out because we have come such a long way.” 

¹⁴The men believed the evidence they were shown, but they did not ask the Lord about it. ¹⁵So Joshua made peace with them by making a treaty which allowed them to live. The leaders of the congregation swore to it with an oath. 

¹⁶But three days after the treaty was made, the Israelites heard that these people were their neighbors and lived with them. ¹⁷The Israelites broke camp. They came to the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim two days later. ¹⁸The Israelites didn’t destroy these other people, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel. The whole congregation complained about the leaders. ¹⁹But all the leaders said to them, “We have sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel, so we cannot touch them now. ²⁰We must let them live to avoid ⸤the Lord’s⸥ anger because of the oath we swore.” ²¹The leaders said that they should be allowed to live. So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders had said. 

²²Joshua sent for the people of Gibeon and asked, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live very far away from you,’ when you live here with us? ²³You are under a curse now. You will always be servants. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 

²⁴They answered Joshua, “We were told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all who live there. We deceived you because we feared for our lives. ²⁵Now we’re at your mercy. Do to us what you think is good and right.” 

²⁶So Joshua rescued them and did not let the people of Israel kill them. ²⁷But that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation. They served the Lord’s altar, wherever he chose to put it. They still serve today. 

10TH CHAPTER

The Day the Sun Stood Still

¹King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and claimed it for the Lord the same way he had destroyed Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the people of Israel and were living with them. ²He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors. ³So King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem sent ⸤this message⸥ to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: ⁴“Come, help me destroy Gibeon because it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ⁵So the five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon combined their armies. They marched to Gibeon, camped there, and attacked it. 

⁶The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Don’t abandon us! Come quickly, and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings who live in the mountains have united against us.” 

⁷So Joshua, with all his soldiers and best warriors, set out from Gilgal. ⁸The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. None of them can stand up to you.” ⁹So Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and took them by surprise. ¹⁰The Lord threw the enemy into disorder in front of Israel and defeated them decisively at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that goes to the slope of Beth Horon and continued to defeat them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 

¹¹As they fled from the Israelites down the slope of Beth Horon toward Azekah, the Lord threw huge hailstones on them. More died from the hailstones than from Israelite swords. 

¹²The day the Lord handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord while Israel was watching, 

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon, 

and moon, stand still over the valley of Aijalon!” 

¹³The sun stood still, 

and the moon stopped 

until a nation got revenge on its enemies. 

Isn’t this recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set. ¹⁴Never before or after this day was there anything like it. The Lord did what a man told him to do, because the Lord fought for Israel. 

¹⁵Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal. 

¹⁶The five kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷Someone told Joshua, “The five kings have been found. They are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 

¹⁸Joshua replied, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post a guard there. ¹⁹But don’t stop. Chase your enemies! Cut off their rear guard. Don’t let them get back into their own cities, because the Lord your God has handed them over to you.” 

²⁰Joshua and the Israelites defeated them decisively, almost destroying them. But some who survived got back into the fortified cities. ²¹Then the whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a single person dared to speak against any of the Israelites. 

²²Joshua said, “Open the cave, and bring me the five kings!” ²³So they brought him the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 

²⁴When they brought them to Joshua, he called for all the men of Israel. He told the officers who had gone with him, “Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So that’s what they did. ²⁵Joshua told them, “Don’t be afraid or terrified! Be strong and courageous, because this is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you’re fighting against.” 

²⁶After this, Joshua put them to death and hung their bodies on five poles until evening. ²⁷When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take them down from the poles. Then they threw them into the cave where they had been hiding and put large stones over the mouth of the cave. These stones are still there today. 

Joshua Defeats the Southern Kings

²⁸That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, and the Israelites killed its people and king with swords. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho. 

²⁹Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. ³⁰The Lord also handed Libnah and its king over to Israel. He killed all the people. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Libnah that he had done to the king of Jericho. 

³¹Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish, camped there, and attacked it. ³²The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel. He captured it on the next day and killed all the people, the same way he had captured Libnah. ³³At that time King Horam of Gezer had come to help Lachish. But Joshua killed him and his troops. There were no survivors. 

³⁴Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon, camped there, and attacked it. ³⁵They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He claimed it for the Lord by destroying it the same way he had destroyed Lachish. 

³⁶Then Joshua and all Israel marched from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. ³⁷They captured it and its neighboring villages and killed its king and all the people. There were no survivors, the same as at Eglon. He claimed the city and all its people for the Lord by destroying them. 

³⁸Then Joshua and all Israel went back to Debir and attacked it. ³⁹He captured it and its king and all its neighboring villages and killed everyone. So they claimed them all for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to Debir and its king that he had done to Hebron and Libnah and their kings. 

⁴⁰So Joshua captured the whole land—the mountains, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes. There were no survivors. He claimed every living creature for the Lord by destroying it, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. ⁴¹So Joshua defeated the people from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon. ⁴²Joshua captured all these kings and their territories in one campaign because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. ⁴³Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.