New King James Version (NKJV)

Israel Crosses the Jordan

1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set outfrom Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over.

2 So it was,after three days, that the officers went through the camp;

3 and they commanded the people, saying,“When you see the ark of the covenant of theLordyour God,and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passedthisway before.”

5 And Joshua said to the people,“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow theLordwill do wonders among you.”

6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying,“Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.”

So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 And theLordsaid to Joshua, “This day I will begin toexalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that,as I was with Moses,soI will be with you.

8 You shall commandthe priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan,you shall stand in the Jordan.’ ”

9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of theLordyour God.”

10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know thatthe living Godisamong you, andthatHe will without faildrive out from before you theCanaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant ofthe Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.

12 Now therefore,take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe.

13 And it shall come to pass,as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of theLord,the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan,thatthe waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and theyshall stand as a heap.”

14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing theark of the covenant before the people,

15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, andthe feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for theJordan overflows all its banksduring the whole time of harvest),

16 that the waters which came down from upstream stoodstill, androse in a heap very far away at Adam, the city thatisbesideZaretan. So the waters that went downinto the Sea of the Arabah,the Salt Sea, failed,andwere cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of theLordstood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan;and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

The Memorial Stones

1 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossedover the Jordan, that theLordspoke to Joshua, saying:

2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe,

3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place wherethe priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them inthe lodging place where you lodge tonight.’ ”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;

5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of theLordyour God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

6 that this may bea sign among youwhen your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stonesmeanto you?’

7 Then you shall answer them thatthe waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of theLord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be fora memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as theLordhad spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

10 So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that theLordhad commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people hurried and crossed over.

11 Then it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over, that theark of theLordand the priests crossed over in the presence of the people.

12 Andthe men of Reuben, the men of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.

13 About forty thousand prepared for war crossed over before theLordfor battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day theLordexalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 Then theLordspoke to Joshua, saying,

16 “Command the priests who bearthe ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.”

18 And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of theLordhad come from the midst of the Jordan,andthe soles of the priests’ feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their placeand overflowed all its banks as before.

19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenthdayof the first month, and they campedin Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

20 Andthose twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying:“When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘Whatarethese stones?’

22 then you shall let your children know, saying,‘Israel crossed over this Jordan ondry land’;

23 for theLordyour God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as theLordyour God did to the Red Sea,which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,

24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of theLord, that itismighty, that you mayfear theLordyour God forever.”

The Second Generation Circumcised

1 So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites whowereon the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaaniteswhowereby the sea,heard that theLordhad dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, that their heart melted;and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time theLordsaid to Joshua, “Makeflint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time.”

3 So Joshua made flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

4 And thisisthe reason why Joshua circumcised them:All the people who came out of Egyptwhoweremales, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt.

5 For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walkedforty years in the wilderness, till all the peoplewhoweremen of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of theLord—to whom theLordswore thatHe would not show them the land which theLordhad sworn to their fathers that He would give us,“a land flowing with milk and honey.”

7 Then Joshua circumcisedtheir sonswhomHe raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed in their places in the camptill they were healed.

9 Then theLordsaid to Joshua, “This day I have rolled awaythe reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of the place is calledGilgal to this day.

10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passoveron the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho.

11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day.

12 Thenthe manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.

The Commander of the Army of the Lord

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold,a Man stood opposite himwith His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “AreYou for us or for our adversaries?”

14 So He said, “No, butasCommander of the army of theLordI have now come.”

# And Joshuafell on his face to the earth andworshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

15 Then the Commander of theLord’s army said to Joshua,“Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you standisholy.” And Joshua did so.

The Destruction of Jericho

1 NowJericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.

2 And theLordsaid to Joshua: “See!I have given Jericho into your hand, itsking,andthe mighty men of valor.

3 You shall march around the city, allyoumen of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear seventrumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the cityseven times, andthe priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 It shall come to pass, when they make a longblastwith the ram’s horn,andwhen you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of theLord.”

7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of theLord.”

8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before theLordadvanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of theLordfollowed them.

9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets,and the rear guard came after the ark, whilethepriestscontinued blowing the trumpets.

10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”

11 So he hadthe ark of theLordcircle the city, going arounditonce. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning,and the priests took up the ark of theLord.

13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of theLordwent on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of theLord, whilethepriestscontinued blowing the trumpets.

14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.

15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.

16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for theLordhas given you the city!

17 Now the city shall bedoomed by theLordto destruction, it and all whoarein it. OnlyRahab the harlot shall live, she and all whoarewith her in the house, becauseshe hid the messengers that we sent.

18 And you,by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse,and trouble it.

19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron,areconsecrated to theLord; they shall come into the treasury of theLord.”

20 So the people shouted whenthepriestsblew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, thatthe wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

21 And theyutterly destroyed all thatwasin the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has,as you swore to her.”

23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab,her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.

24 But they burned the city and all thatwasin it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of theLord.

25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. Soshe dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Then Joshua chargedthemat that time, saying,“Cursedbethe man before theLordwho rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”

27 So theLordwas with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.

Defeat at Ai

1 But the children of Israel committed atrespass regarding theaccursed things, forAchan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of theLordburned against the children of Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, whichisbeside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, forthepeopleofAiarefew.”

4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people,but they fled before the men of Ai.

5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased themfrombefore the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; thereforethe hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6 Then Joshuatore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of theLorduntil evening, he and the elders of Israel; and theyput dust on their heads.

7 And Joshua said, “Alas, LordGod,why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!

8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hearit,and surround us, andcut off our name from the earth. Thenwhat will You do for Your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

10 So theLordsaid to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?

11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them.For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen anddeceived; and they have also putitamong their own stuff.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies,butturnedtheirbacks before their enemies, becausethey have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

13 Get up,sanctify the people, and say,‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says theLordGod of Israel: “Thereisan accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall bethatthe tribe whichtheLordtakes shall come according to families; and the family which theLordtakes shall come by households; and the household which theLordtakes shall come man by man.

15 Then it shall bethathe who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he hastransgressed the covenant of theLord, and because hehas done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”

16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.

17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.

18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah,was taken.

19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you,give glory to theLordGod of Israel,and make confession to Him, andtell me now what you have done; do not hideitfrom me.”

20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “IndeedI have sinned against theLordGod of Israel, and this is what I have done:

21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.

23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before theLord.

24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, andall that he had, and they brought them tothe Valley of Achor.

25 And Joshua said,“Why have you troubled us? TheLordwill trouble you this day.”So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

26 Then theyraised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. SotheLordturned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been calledthe Valley of Achor to this day.

The Fall of Ai

1 Now theLordsaid to Joshua:“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See,I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did toJericho and its king. Onlyits spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.

4 And he commanded them, saying: “Behold,you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5 Then I and all the people whoarewith me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, thatwe shall flee before them.

6 For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘Theyarefleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.

7 Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for theLordyour God will deliver it into your hand.

8 And it will be, when you have taken the city,thatyou shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of theLordyou shall do.See, I have commanded you.”

9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

11 And all the people of war whowerewith him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valleylaybetween them and Ai.

12 So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

13 And when they had set the people, all the army thatwason the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai sawit,that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But hedid not know thattherewasan ambush against him behind the city.

15 And Joshua and all Israelmade as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

16 So all the people whowerein Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

17 There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

18 Then theLordsaid to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear thatisin your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear thatwasin his hand toward the city.

19 Sothoseinambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.

20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.

21 Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

22 Then the others came out of the city against them; so they werecaughtin the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they struck them down, so that theylet none of them remain or escape.

23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

25 So it wasthatall who fell that day, both men and women,weretwelve thousand—all the people of Ai.

26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he hadutterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of theLordwhich He hadcommanded Joshua.

28 So Joshua burned Ai and made ita heap forever, a desolation to this day.

29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening.And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, andraise over it a great heap of stonesthatremainsto this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant

30 Now Joshua built an altar to theLordGod of Israelin Mount Ebal,

31 as Moses the servant of theLordhad commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses:“an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an irontool.” Andthey offered on it burnt offerings to theLord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 And there, in the presence of the children of Israel,he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

33 Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites,who bore the ark of the covenant of theLord,the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of themwerein front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal,as Moses the servant of theLordhad commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34 And afterwardhe read all the words of the law,the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in theBook of the Law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel,with the women, the little ones,and the strangers who were living among them.

The Treaty with the Gibeonites

1 And it came to pass whenall the kings whowereon this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts ofthe Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heardaboutit,

2 that theygathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord.

3 But when the inhabitants ofGibeonheard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

4 they worked craftily, and went and pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and mended,

5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dryandmoldy.

6 And they went to Joshua,to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”

7 Then the men of Israel said to theHivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; sohow can we make a covenant with you?”

8 But they said to Joshua,“Weareyour servants.”

And Joshua said to them, “Whoareyou, and where do you come from?”

9 So they said to him:“From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of theLordyour God; for we haveheard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt,

10 andall that He did to the two kings of the Amorites whowerebeyond the Jordan—to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.

11 Therefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, “Weareyour servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” ’

12 This bread of ours we took hotforour provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy.

13 And these wineskins which we filledwerenew, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.”

14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions;but they did not ask counsel of theLord.

15 So Joshuamade peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.

16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that theyweretheir neighbors who dwelt near them.

17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on the third day. Now their citieswereGibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath Jearim.

18 But the children of Israel did not attack them,because the rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by theLordGod of Israel. And all the congregation complained against the rulers.

19 Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by theLordGod of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them.

20 This we will do to them: We will let them live, lestwrath be upon us because of the oath which we swore to them.”

21 And the rulers said to them, “Let them live, but let them bewoodcutters and water carriers for all the congregation, as the rulers hadpromised them.”

22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying,‘Wearevery far from you,’ whenyou dwell near us?

23 Now therefore, youarecursed, and none of you shall be freed from being slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

24 So they answered Joshua and said, “Because your servants were clearly told that theLordyour Godcommanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; thereforewe were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

25 And now, here we are,in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us.”

26 So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them.

27 And that day Joshua made themwoodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of theLord,in the place which He would choose, even to this day.

The Sun Stands Still

1 Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalemheard how Joshua had takenAi and had utterly destroyed it—as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done toAi and its king—andhow the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,

2 that theyfeared greatly, because Gibeonwasa great city, like one of the royal cities, and because itwasgreater than Ai, and all its menweremighty.

3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4 “Come up to me and help me, that we may attack Gibeon, forit has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.”

5 Therefore the five kings of theAmorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish,andthe king of Eglon,gathered together and went up, they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the campat Gilgal, saying, “Do not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered together against us.”

7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he andall the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

8 And theLordsaid to Joshua,“Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand;not a man of them shallstand before you.”

9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal.

10 So theLordrouted them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goesto Beth Horon, and struck them down as far asAzekah and Makkedah.

11 And it happened, as they fled before Israelandwere on the descent of Beth Horon,that theLordcast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died.Thereweremore who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to theLordin the day when theLorddelivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:

# “Sun, stand still over Gibeon;

# And Moon, in the Valley ofAijalon.”

13 So the sun stood still,

And the moon stopped,

Till the people had revenge

Upon their enemies.

# Isthis not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to godownfor about a whole day.

14 And there has beenno day like that, before it or after it, that theLordheeded the voice of a man; fortheLordfought for Israel.

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

The Amorite Kings Executed

16 But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

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

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

19 And do not staythereyourselves,butpursue your enemies, and attack their rearguard.Do not allow them to enter their cities, for theLordyour God has delivered them into your hand.”

20 Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities.

21 And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace.

# No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.”

23 And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish,andthe king of Eglon.

24 So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” And they drew near andput their feet on their necks.

25 Then Joshua said to them,“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, forthus theLordwill do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”

26 And afterward Joshua struck them and killed them, and hanged them on five trees; and theywere hanging on the trees until evening.

27 So it was at the time of the going down of the sunthatJoshua commanded, and theytook them down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and laid large stones against the cave’s mouth,whichremainuntil this very day.

Conquest of the Southland

28 On that day Joshua took Makkedah, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword. He utterlydestroyed them—all the people whowerein it. He let none remain. He also did to the king of Makkedahas he had done to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, toLibnah; and they fought against Libnah.

30 And theLordalso delivered it and its king into the hand of Israel; he struck it and all the people whowerein it with the edge of the sword. He let none remain in it, but did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish; and they encamped against it and fought against it.

32 And theLorddelivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and struck it and all the people whowerein it with the edge of the sword, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none remaining.

34 From Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it and fought against it.

35 They took it on that day and struck it with the edge of the sword; all the people whowerein it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 So Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, toHebron; and they fought against it.

37 And they took it and struck it with the edge of the sword—its king, all its cities, and all the people whowerein it; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but utterly destroyed it and all the people whowerein it.

38 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, toDebir; and they fought against it.

39 And he took it and its king and all its cities; they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the people whowerein it. He left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and its king, as he had done also to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered all the land: themountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, andall their kings; he left none remaining, bututterly destroyed all that breathed, as theLordGod of Israel had commanded.

41 And Joshua conquered them fromKadesh Barnea as far asGaza,and all the country of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon.

42 All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time,because theLordGod of Israel fought for Israel.

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

The Northern Conquest

1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heardthesethings,that hesent to Jobab king of Madon, to the kingof Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

2 and to the kings whowerefrom the north, in the mountains, in the plain south ofChinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heightsof Dor on the west,

3 to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, theAmorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains,and the Hivite belowHermonin the land of Mizpah.

4 So they went out, they and all their armies with them,asmany peopleasthe sand thatison the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

6 But theLordsaid to Joshua,“Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shallhamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

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

8 And theLorddelivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to GreaterSidon, to the BrookMisrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining.

9 So Joshua did to them as theLordhad told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

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

11 And they struck all the people whowerein it with the edge of the sword,utterly destroyingthem.There was none leftbreathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.

12 So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them,as Moses the servant of theLordhad commanded.

13 Butasforthe cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only,whichJoshua burned.

14 And all thespoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing.

15 As theLordhad commanded Moses his servant, soMoses commanded Joshua, andso Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that theLordhad commanded Moses.

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests

16 Thus Joshua took all this land:the mountain country, all the South,all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands,

17 from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He capturedall their kings, and struck them down and killed them.

18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, exceptthe Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. Alltheothersthey took in battle.

20 Forit was of theLordto harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them,andthat they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them,as theLordhad commanded Moses.

21 And at that time Joshua came and cut offthe Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

22 None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained onlyin Gaza, in Gath,and in Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the whole land,according to all that theLordhad said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israelaccording to their divisions by their tribes. Then the landrested from war.

The Kings Conquered by Moses

1 Thesearethe kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun,from the River Arnonto Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain:

2 OnekingwasSihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbonandruled half of Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of that river, even as far as the River Jabbok,whichisthe border of the Ammonites,

3 andthe eastern Jordan plain from the Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea),the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward belowthe slopes of Pisgah.

4 TheotherkingwasOg king of Bashan and his territory,whowasofthe remnant of the giants,who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

5 and reigned overMount Hermon,over Salcah, over all Bashan,as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and over half of Gileadtothe border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

6 These Moses the servant of theLordand the children of Israel had conquered; andMoses the servant of theLordhad given itasa possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

The Kings Conquered by Joshua

7 And thesearethe kings of the countrywhich Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent toSeir, which Joshuagave to the tribes of Israelasa possession according to their divisions,

8 in the mountain country, in the lowlands, in theJordanplain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the South—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:

9 the king of Jericho, one;the king of Ai, whichisbeside Bethel, one;

10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;

11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;

12 the king of Eglon, one;the king of Gezer, one;

13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;

14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;

15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;

16 the king of Makkedah, one;the king of Bethel, one;

17 the king of Tappuah, one;the king of Hepher, one;

18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;

19 the king of Madon, one;the king of Hazor, one;

20 the king ofShimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;

21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;

22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;

23 the king of Dor in theheights of Dor, one; the king ofthe people of Gilgal, one;

24 the king of Tirzah, one—all the kings, thirty-one.