Jos 10 | EE | STEP | The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard what Joshua had done to Ai and to Jericho and to their kings. He heard that Joshua had destroyed them. He also heard that Israel had promised not to kill the people of Gibeon. They lived near to Joshua .

Joshua 10

The sun stands still

1 The king of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek, heard what Joshua had done to Ai and to Jericho and to their kings. He heard that Joshua had destroyed them. He also heard that Israel had promised not to kill the people of Gibeon. They lived near to Joshua. 2 The king and his people were very afraid, because Gibeon was an important city. It was like a king’s city and bigger than Ai. All its men fought well. 3 So Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, asked some other kings to come with him to attack Gibeon. They were Hoham, king of Hebron, Piram, king of Jarmuth, Japhia, king of Lachish and Debir, king of Eglon. 4 Adoni-Zedek said to them, ‘Gibeon has promised not to fight Joshua and the Israelites. Please help me to attack Gibeon.’

5 Then the 5 kings of the Amorites joined together. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. They took their soldiers near to Gibeon, and attacked it.

6 Then the Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. ‘Do not leave us alone. Come quickly and save us. All the Amorite kings from the hills have joined to attack us. We need your help’, they said.

7 So Joshua marched his whole army up from Gilgal. He included all his best fighting men. 8 The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them. I will see that you win the fight. I will not let one of them stand against you.’

9 They marched all night from Gilgal, and Joshua surprised his enemies. 10 The LORD made the enemies confused when they saw Israel. Israel won a great fight at Gibeon. Israel ran after their enemies on the road to Beth Horon. Israel went on killing them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 The LORD sent stones of hard water on them from the sky as they ran from Beth Horon to Azekah. The LORD killed more men with these stones than the Israelites killed in the fight.

12 Joshua stood in front of Israel and spoke to the LORD on that day. It was the day that the LORD gave them power over the Amorites. Joshua spoke and said, ‘Sun stand still over Gibeon. Moon stand over the valley of Aijalon.’

13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until Israel had punished its enemies. People wrote about this in the book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and did not go down for about a whole day. 14 The LORD has never listened to a man like this before or since that day. The LORD must have been fighting for Israel!

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

The Israelites kill the 5 Amorite kings

16 Now the 5 kings had run away. They had hidden in a hole in the hill at Makkedah. 17 Joshua heard that they were hiding there. 18 He said to his men, ‘Cover the front of the hole with big stones. And put some men there to keep them safe. 19 But do not stop. Go on running after your enemies. Attack them from behind, and do not let them reach their cities. Remember that the LORD, your God has promised to give you power over them.’ ^{▼▼10:19 Verses 18-19 Joshua did not have time to catch the 5 kings.}

20 So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed all of them. Nearly every one died. But the few who were alive reached their strong cities. 21 The whole army returned to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. All the people in the land were too afraid to say anything bad about the Israelites.

22 Then Joshua said, ‘Take away the stones from the hole in the hill. Bring the 5 kings out to me.’ 23 So they brought out the kings. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. 24 They brought the kings to Joshua, and he told the men of Israel to come to him. ‘Put your feet on the necks of the kings’, he said to the officers who had come with him. They did as he told them.

25 Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Be very strong and brave. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies that you are going to fight.’ 26 Then he hit and killed the kings. The Israelites hung the dead kings on 5 trees until the evening.

27 At sunset, Joshua told his men to take the kings down from the trees. ‘Throw them into the hole in the hill where they were hiding’, he said. They put big stones over the front of the hole, and they are still there.

28 That day Joshua attacked Makkedah and took it, with its king. He destroyed everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. He did to the king of Makkedah what he had done to the king of Jericho.

Joshua attacks cities in the south

29 After this, Joshua and his army went on from Makkedah to Libnah, and attacked it. 30 The LORD gave them power over that city and its king. Joshua destroyed the city and everyone in it. He did not leave anyone alive. They did to the king as they had done to the king of Jericho. ^{▼▼10:30 Joshua had destroyed the cities that were near. Now he attacked the cities that were far away.}

31 After this, Joshua and all the Israelites went on from Libnah to Lachish. They attacked it from all sides. 32 The LORD gave them power over Lachish. And Joshua took the city on the 2nd day. They left no one alive, as they had done at Libnah. They killed everyone in the city. 33 King Horam of Gezer came to help Lachish. But Joshua fought and destroyed him and his army. He killed them all.

34 Then Joshua and his army went from Lachish to Eglon. They went round it and attacked it. 35 They took it on the same day. They killed everyone in that city, as they had at Lachish.

36 After this, Joshua and his army went from Eglon to Hebron in the hills. They attacked 37 and took it. They killed the king and all the people there, and the people in the towns near to it. Joshua destroyed the whole city, as he had done to Eglon. He did not leave anyone alive.

38 Then Joshua and his army went back to Debir and attacked it. 39 He attacked it and took it with all the towns near to it. They killed everyone there. Joshua did to Debir and its king what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua took the whole land. He took the hill country, the hills of the east and the west and the dry country in the south. He took them with their kings. He killed all the people who lived there. He did not leave anyone alive. The LORD God of Israel had told him to do this. 41 Joshua had fought from Kadesh Barnea in the south to Gaza near the sea. This included all of Goshen as far as Gibeon in the north. 42 Joshua won this long list of fights with all these kings and their cities. He won them because the LORD, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43 After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.