Day 99 of 730

¹Now it happened when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

²that they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

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

⁴"Come up to me, and help me, and let us strike Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel."

⁵Therefore 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 armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

⁶The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us."

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

⁸The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you."

⁹Joshua therefore came on them suddenly. He went up from Gilgal all night.

¹⁰The Lord confused them before Israel, and he killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.

¹¹It happened, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than who the children of Israel killed with the sword.

¹²Then Joshua spoke 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, "Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!"

¹³The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and did not hurry to go down about a whole day.

¹⁴There was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.

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

¹⁶These five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

¹⁷Joshua was told, saying, "The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah."

¹⁸Joshua said, "Roll large stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them;

¹⁹but do not stay. Pursue your enemies, and attack them from the rear. Do not allow them to enter into their cities; for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand."

²⁰It happened, when Joshua and the children of Israel had finished killing them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,

²¹that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

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

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

²⁴It happened, when they brought those kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." They came near, and put their feet on their necks.

²⁵Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for the Lord will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight."

²⁶Afterward Joshua struck them, put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.

²⁷It happened 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 in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

²⁸Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed them and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

³⁰The Lord delivered it also, with its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

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

³²The Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

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

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

³⁵They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

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

³⁷They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.

³⁸Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.

³⁹He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king.

⁴⁰So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, and the Negev, and the lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded.

⁴¹Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.

⁴²Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

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

¹It happened, when Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

²and to the kings who were on the north, in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west,

³to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

⁴They went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

⁵All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

⁶The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time, I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

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

⁸The Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward. They struck them until they left them none remaining.

⁹Joshua did to them as the Lord told him. He hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots with fire.

¹⁰Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword: for Hazor used to be the head of all those kingdoms.

¹¹They struck all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was no one left who breathed. He burnt Hazor with fire.

¹²Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, with their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.

¹³But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only. Joshua burned that.

¹⁴The children of Israel took all the spoil of these cities, with the livestock, as spoils for themselves; but every man they struck with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They did not leave any who breathed.

¹⁵As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁶So Joshua captured all that land, the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel, and the lowland of the same;

¹⁷from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them, and put them to death.

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

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

²⁰For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²¹Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel: Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

²²There were none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain.

²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. The land had rest from war.

¹The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.

²The Lord is great in Zion. He is high above all the peoples.

³Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy!

⁴The King's strength also loves justice. You do establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.

⁵Exalt the Lord our God. Worship at his footstool. He is Holy!

⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who call on his name; they called on the Lord, and he answered them.

⁷He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, the statute that he gave them.

⁸You answered them, Lord our God. You are a God who forgave them, although you took vengeance for their doings.

⁹Exalt the Lord, our God. Worship at his holy hill, for the Lord, our God, is holy!

¹My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

²You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.

³Do this now, my son, and deliver yourself, seeing you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

⁴Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

⁵Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

⁶Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and be wise;

⁷which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

⁸provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

⁹How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

¹¹so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

¹²A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

¹³who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

¹⁴in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

¹⁵Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

¹⁶There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

¹⁷haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

¹⁸a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

¹⁹a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

²⁰My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

²¹Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

²²When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

²³For the commandment is a lamp, and the Law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

²⁴to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife's tongue.

²⁵Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

²⁶For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

²⁷Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

²⁸Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

²⁹So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

³⁰Men do not despise a thief, if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry:

³¹but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

³²He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

³³He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

³⁴For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won't spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵He won't regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.