CHAPTER 10
1 And when Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, had heard these things, that is, that Joshua had taken Ai, and had destroyed it; for as Joshua had done to Jericho and to the king thereof, so he did to Ai and to the king thereof; and that men of Gibeon had fled to Israel, and were bound in peace with them,
2 Adonizedek dreaded greatly; for Gibeon was a great city, and one of the king’s cities, and greater than the city of Ai, and all the fighters thereof were most strong.
3 Therefore Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent to Hoham, king of Hebron, and to Piram, king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia, king of Lachish, and to Debir, king of Eglon, and said,
4 Ascend ye [or Go ye up] to me, and help me, that we fight against Gibeon, for it was yielded to Joshua, and to the sons of Israel.
5 Therefore five kings of Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, were gathered, and ascended [or went up] together with their hosts; and setted tents against Gibeon, and fought against it.
6 Soothly the dwellers of the city of Gibeon sent to Joshua, that dwelled then in tents at Gilgal, and said to him, Withdraw not thine hands from the help of thy servants; go up soon, and deliver us, and [bring] help; for all the kings of Amorites, that dwelled in the hilly places, came together against us.
7 And Joshua went up from Gilgal, and all the host of fighters with him, the most strong men.
8 And the Lord said to Joshua, Dread thou not them, for I have given them into thine hands; and none of them shall be able to against-stand thee.
9 Therefore Joshua felled suddenly on them, and went up all that night from Gilgal;
10 and the Lord troubled them from the face of Israel, and all-brake with great vengeance in Gibeon. And Joshua pursued them by the way of the ascending [or going up] of Bethhoron, and smote till to Azekah and Makkedah.
11 And when they fled the sons of Israel, and were in the going down of Bethhoron, the Lord sent great stones upon them from heaven, till they came to Azekah; and many more were dead by the hailstones, than they which the sons of Israel killed with sword.
12 Then Joshua spake to the Lord, in the day in which he betook Amorites in the sight of the sons of Israel; and Joshua said before the people, Sun, be thou not moved against Gibeon, and the moon, against the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun and the moon stood, unto the time the folk of God had avenged themselves of their enemies. Whether this is not written in the book of just [or rightwise] men? And so the sun stood in the midst of heaven, and it hasted not to go down in the space of a day;
14 so long a day was not before and afterward; for the Lord obeyed to the voice of a man, and he fought for Israel.
15 And Joshua turned again, with all Israel, into the tents of Gilgal.
16 For the five kings fled, and hid themselves in the den of the city of Makkedah.
17 And it was told to Joshua, that the five kings were found hid in the den of the city of Makkedah.
18 And Joshua commanded to fellows, and said, Wallow ye great stones to the mouth of the den, and put ye witting men, that shall keep the enclosed kings;
19 soothly do not ye stand, but pursue ye the enemies, and slay ye all the last of fleers; and suffer ye not them to enter into the strongholds of their cities, the which enemies your Lord God hath betaken in your hands.
20 Then when the adversaries were beaten with great vengeance, and were almost wasted unto the death, they that might flee Israel, entered into the strengthened cities.
21 And all the host turned again whole, and in whole number to Joshua, into Makkedah, where the tents were then; and no man was hardy to grutch against the sons of Israel.
22 And Joshua commanded, and said, Open ye the mouth of the den, and bring forth to me the five kings that be hid therein.
23 And the servants did, as it was commanded to them; and they brought forth to Joshua the five kings from the den; the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 And when they were led out to Joshua, he called all the men of Israel, and said to the princes of the host, that were with him, Go ye, and set [or putteth] your feet on the necks of these kings. And when they had gone, and treaded the necks of the kings subject to their feet,
25 again Joshua said to Israel, Do not ye dread, neither be ye afeared, be ye comforted, and be ye strong; for so the Lord shall do to all your enemies, against which ye shall fight.
26 And Joshua smote those kings, and killed them, and he hanged them on five trees; and they were hanged unto the eventide.
27 And when the sun went down, he commanded to fellows, that they should put them down from the gibbets; and when they were put down, they casted forth them into the den, in which they were hid; and they putted great stones on the mouth thereof, which stones dwell till to [the] present time.
28 In the same day, Joshua took Makkedah, and smote by the sharpness of sword, and killed the king thereof, and all the dwellers thereof; he left not therein, namely, little relics; and he did to the king of Makkedah, as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 And Joshua passed with all Israel from Makkedah into Libnah, and he fought against it,
30 which city the Lord betook, with the king thereof, in the hand of Israel; and men of Israel smote that city by the sharpness of sword, and all the dwellers thereof, and they left not therein anything of value, or relics; and they did to the king of Libnah as they had done to the king of Jericho.
31 From Libnah, Joshua passed with all Israel, into Lachish; and when the host was ordained by compass, he fought against it.
32 And the Lord betook Lachish in the hand of the sons of Israel; and Joshua took Lachish in the second day, and smote by the sharpness of sword, and each man, that was therein, as he had done to Libnah.
33 In that time, Horam, king of Gezer, went up to help Lachish; whom Joshua smote, with all his people, till to [the] death.
34 And Joshua passed from Lachish into Eglon, and compassed it, and overcame it in the same day;
35 and he smote by the sharpness of sword all men that were therein, by all things that he had done to Lachish.
36 Also Joshua went up with all Israel from Eglon into Hebron, and he fought against Hebron,
37 and he took, and smote it by the sharpness of sword; and the king thereof, and all the cities of that country, and all men that dwelled therein; he left not any things of value, or relics, therein; as he had done to Eglon so he did also to Hebron, and wasted by sword all things that were therein.
38 From thence Joshua turned into Debir, and took, and wasted it;
39 and he smote by sharpness of sword the king thereof, and all the towns about it; and he left not any things of value, or relics, therein; as he had done to Hebron, and to Libnah, and to their kings, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof.
40 And so Joshua smote all the land of the hills [or all the mountain land], and of the south, and of the field, and Ashdod, with their kings; he left not therein any relics, but he killed all thing that might breath, as the Lord God of Israel commanded to him;
41 from Kadeshbarnea unto Gaza, and all the land of Goshen, unto Gibeon,
42 Joshua took, and wasted with one fierceness all the kings, and their countries; for the Lord God of Israel fought for him.
43 And Joshua turned again with all Israel to the place of tents in Gilgal.