Go to Index pageThe Amorites are defeated
10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-Tzedek melek Yerushalayim had heard how Yehoshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Yericho and her melekh, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Giv'on had made shalom with Yisrael, and were among them;
10:2 That they feared greatly, because Giv'on [was] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [was] greater than Ai, and all the men thereof [were] mighty.
10:3 Wherefore Adoni-Tzedek melek Yerushalayim sent unto Hoham melek Hevron, and unto Piram melek Yarmut, and unto Yafia melek Lakhish, and unto Devir melek Eglon, saying,
10:4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Giv'on: for it hath made shalom with Yehoshua and with the Benai Yisrael.
10:5 Therefore the five melekhim of the Emori, the melek Yerushalayim, the melek Hevron, the melek Yarmut, the melek Lachish, the melek Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Giv'on, and made war against it.
10:6 And the men of Giv'on sent unto Yehoshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and yasha (save) us, and help us: for all the melekhim of the Emori that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
10:7 So Yehoshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour.
10:8 And YHWH (יהוה) said unto Yehoshua:
Fear them not:
For I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
10:9 Yehoshua therefore came unto them suddenly, [and] went up from Gilgal all night.
10:10 And YHWH (יהוה) discomfited them before Yisrael, and slew them with a great slaughter at Giv'on, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beit-Choron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.
10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Yisrael, [and] were in the going down to Beit-Choron, that YHWH (יהוה) cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: [they were] more which died with hailstones than [they] whom the Benai Yisrael slew with the sword.
10:12 Then spake Yehoshua to YHWH (יהוה) in the day when YHWH (יהוה) delivered up the Emori before the Benai Yisrael, and he said in the sight of Yisrael, Sun, stand thou still upon Giv'on; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ayalon.
10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.
[Is] not this written in the sefer Yasher?
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that YHWH (יהוה) hearkened unto the voice of a man: for YHWH (יהוה) fought for Yisrael.
10:15 And Yehoshua returned, and all Yisrael with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
10:16 But these five melekhim fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
10:17 And it was told Yehoshua, saying, The five melekhim are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
10:18 And Yehoshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
10:19 And stay ye not, [but] pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for YHWH (יהוה) Eloheichem hath delivered them into your hand.
10:20 And it came to pass, when Yehoshua and the Benai Yisrael had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest [which] remained of them entered into fenced cities.
10:21 And all the people returned to the camp to Yehoshua at Makkedah in shalom: none moved his tongue against any of the Benai Yisrael.
10:22 Then said Yehoshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five melekhim unto me out of the cave.
10:23 And they did so, and brought forth those five melekhim unto him out of the cave, the melek Yerushalayim, the melek Hevron, the melek Yarmut, the melek Lachish, [and] the melek Eglon.
10:24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those melekhim unto Yehoshua, that Yehoshua called for all the men of Yisrael, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these melekhim. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
10:25 And Yehoshua said unto them:
Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall YHWH (יהוה) do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
10:26 And afterward Yehoshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
10:27 And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, [that] Yehoshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, [which remain] until this very day.
Yehoshua smites the southern cities
10:28 And that day Yehoshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the melekh thereof he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain: and he did to the melek Makkedah as he did unto the melek Yericho.
10:29 Then Yehoshua passed from Makkedah, and all Yisrael with him, unto Livnah, and fought against Livnah:
10:30 And YHWH (יהוה) delivered it also, and the melekh thereof, into the hand of Yisrael; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the melekh thereof as he did unto the melek Yericho.
10:31 And Yehoshua passed from Livnah, and all Yisrael with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
10:32 And YHWH (יהוה) delivered Lakhish into the hand of Yisrael, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein, according to all that he had done to Livnah.
10:33 Then Horam melek Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Yehoshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
10:34 And from Lakhish Yehoshua passed unto Eglon, and all Yisrael with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
10:35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lakhish.
10:36 And Yehoshua went up from Eglon, and all Yisrael with him, unto Hevron; and they fought against it:
10:37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the melekh thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that [were] therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that [were] therein.
10:38 And Yehoshua returned, and all Yisrael with him, to Devir; and fought against it:
10:39 And he took it, and the melekh thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that [were] therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hevron, so he did to Devir, and to the melekh thereof; as he had done also to Livnah, and to her melekh.
10:40 So Yehoshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their melekhim: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as YHWH (יהוה) Elohim (אלהים) of Yisrael commanded.
10:41 And Yehoshua smote them from Kadesh-Barnea even unto Azah (Gaza),, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Giv'on.
10:42 And all these melekhim and their eretz did Yehoshua take at one time, because YHWH (יהוה) Elohim (אלהים) of Yisrael fought for Yisrael.
10:43 And Yehoshua returned, and all Yisrael with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.