Jos 11 | HCSB | STEP | When Jabin king of Hazor heard this news, he sent a message to : Jobab king of Madon , the kings of Shimron and Achshaph ,

Joshua 11

Conquest of Northern Cities

1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard this news, he sent a message to:

Jobab king of Madon,
the kings of Shimron and Achshaph,
2 and the kings of the north in the hill country,
the ^{▼▼Arabah: The section of the Great Rift in Palestine, extending from the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqabah. The Hebrew word can also be translated as "plain," referring to any plain or to any part of the Arabah.}Arabah south of Chinnereth, ^b
the Judean foothills, ^{▼▼Or the Shephelah}
and the Slopes of Dor ^{▼▼Or and in Naphoth-dor} to the west,
3 the Canaanites in the east and west,
the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites,
and Jebusites in the hill country,
and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon
in the land of Mizpah. ^e

4 They went out with all their armies – a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore – along with a vast number of horses and chariots. 5 All these kings joined forces; they came together and camped at the waters of Merom to attack Israel. ^f

6 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed before Israel. ^g You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.” ^h 7 So Joshua and his whole military force surprised them at the waters of Merom and attacked them. 8 The Lord handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. ^{▼▼= Mizpah; Jos 11:3; 18:26
,} ^j They struck them down, leaving no survivors. 9 Joshua treated them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.

10 At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms. 11 They struck down everyone in it with the sword, ^{▼▼set apart for destruction/ completely destroy: In Canaan or its neighboring countries, this was the destruction during war of a city, its inhabitants, and their possessions, including livestock.}completely destroying ^l them; he left no one alive. Then he burned down Hazor.

12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the Lord’s servant ^m had commanded. 13 However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14 The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive. 15 Just as the Lord had commanded His servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Summary of Conquests

16 So Joshua took all this land – the hill country, all the ^{▼▼Negev: An >arid region in the southern part of Israel; the Hebrew word means "south".}Negev, all the land of Goshen, ^o the foothills, ^{▼▼Or the Shephelah} the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills ^{▼▼Or its Shephelah} – 17 from Mount Halak, ^r which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. ^s 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. 19 No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites who inhabited Gibeon; ^t all of them were taken in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s intention to harden their hearts, so that they would engage Israel in battle, be completely destroyed without mercy, and be annihilated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 At that time Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim ^u from the hill country – Hebron, Debir, Anab – all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them with their cities. 22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, ^v and Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the Lord had told Moses. Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. After this, the land had rest from war. ^w