Joshua 10
The Defeat of the
Amorites |
1 |
Now it came to pass, when Ado'ni-ze'dek
king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken A'i, and had
utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he
had done to A'i and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had
made peace with Israel, and were among them;
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that they feared greatly, because Gibeon
was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it
was greater than A'i, and all the men thereof were
mighty.
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3 |
Wherefore Ado'ni-ze'dek king of Jerusalem
sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and
unto Japhi'a king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon,
saying,
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4 |
Come up unto me, and help me, that we may
smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the
children of Israel.
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5 |
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites,
the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the
king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together,
and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon,
and made war against it.
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6 |
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua
to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants;
come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings
of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together
against us.
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7 |
So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and
all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of
valor.
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8 |
And the LORD said
unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine
hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
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9 |
Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly,
and went up from Gilgal all night.
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10 |
And the LORD
discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter
at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to
Beth-ho'ron, and smote them to Aze'kah, and unto
Makke'dah.
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11 |
And it came to pass, as they fled from
before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-ho'ron,
that the LORD cast down great stones from
heaven upon them unto Aze'kah, and they died: they were more
which died with hailstones than they whom the children of
Israel slew with the sword.
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12 |
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD
delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said
in the sight of Israel,
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Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; |
and thou, Moon, in the valley of
Aj'alon. | | |
13 |
And the sun stood still, and the moon
stayed,
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until the people had avenged themselves upon their
enemies. | |
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Is not this written in the book of
Jasher 2 Sam. 1.18
? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted
not to go down about a whole day. |
14 |
And there was no day like that before it
or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the
voice of a man: for the LORD fought for
Israel.
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15 |
And Joshua returned, and all Israel
with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
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16 |
But these five kings fled, and hid
themselves in a cave at Makke'dah.
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17 |
And it was told Joshua, saying, The five
kings are found hid in a cave at Makke'dah.
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18 |
And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon
the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them:
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and stay ye not, but pursue after
your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to
enter into their cities: for the LORD your God
hath delivered them into your hand.
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20 |
And it came to pass, when Joshua and the
children of Israel 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.
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21 |
And all the people returned to the camp
to Joshua at Makke'dah in peace: none moved his tongue against any
of the children of Israel.
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22 |
Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the
cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the
cave.
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23 |
And they did so, and brought forth those
five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king
of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the
king of Eglon.
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24 |
And it came to pass, when they brought
out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of
Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with
him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And
they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
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25 |
And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor
be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the
LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye
fight.
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26 |
And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew
them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the
trees until the evening.
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27 |
And it came to pass at the time of the
going down of the sun, that Joshua 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.
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28 |
And that day Joshua took Makke'dah, and
smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly
destroyed, them, and all the souls that were therein; he let
none remain: and he did to the king of Makke'dah as he did unto the
king of Jericho.
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29 |
Then Joshua passed from Makke'dah, and
all Israel with him, unto Libnah, and fought against
Libnah:
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30 |
and the LORD
delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel;
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 king
thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.
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31 |
And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all
Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought
against it:
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32 |
and the LORD
delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, 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
Libnah.
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33 |
Then Horam king of Gezer came up to
help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left
him none remaining.
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34 |
And from Lachish Joshua passed unto
Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and
fought against it:
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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 Lachish.
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36 |
And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all
Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it:
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37 |
and they took it, and smote it with the
edge of the sword, and the king 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.
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38 |
And Joshua returned, and all Israel
with him, to Debir; and fought against it:
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39 |
and he took it, and the king 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 Hebron, so he did to
Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and
to her king.
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40 |
So Joshua smote all the country of the
hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and
all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all
that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel
commanded.
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41 |
And Joshua smote them from
Ka'desh-barne'a even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even
unto Gibeon.
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42 |
And all these kings and their land did
Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God
of Israel fought for Israel.
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43 |
And Joshua returned, and all Israel with
him, unto the camp to Gilgal.
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