Day 153 of 365

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.

¹Now these are the kings of the land, whom the children of Israel struck, and possessed their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the Arabah eastward:

²Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the middle of the valley, and half Gilead, even to the river Jabbok, the border of the children of Ammon;

³and the Arabah to the sea of Chinneroth, eastward, and to the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, eastward, the way to Beth Jeshimoth; and on the south, under the slopes of Pisgah:

⁴and the border of Og king of Bashan, of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

⁵and ruled in Mount Hermon, and in Salecah, and in all Bashan, to the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.

⁶Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel struck them. Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession to the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

⁷These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel struck beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon even to Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir. Joshua gave it to the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

⁸in the hill country, and in the lowland, and in the Arabah, and in the slopes, and in the wilderness, and in the Negev; the Hittite, the Amorite, and the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

⁹the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

²³the king of Dor in the height of Dor, one; the king of Goiim in Gilgal, one;

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

¹Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are those who rise up against me.

²Many there are who say of my soul, "There is no help for him in God." Selah.

³But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

⁴I cry to the Lord with my voice, and he answers me out of his holy hill. Selah.

⁵I laid myself down and slept. I awakened; for the Lord sustains me.

⁶I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.

⁷Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked.

⁸Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. Selah.

¹He who is often rebuked and stiffens his neck will be destroyed suddenly, with no remedy.

²When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

³Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

⁴The king by justice makes the land stable, but he who takes bribes tears it down.

⁵A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

⁶An evil man is snared by his sin, but the righteous can sing and be glad.

⁷The righteous care about justice for the poor. The wicked aren't concerned about knowledge.

⁸Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

⁹If a wise man goes to court with a foolish man, the fool rages or scoffs, and there is no peace.

¹⁰The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity; and they seek the life of the upright.

¹¹A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.

¹²If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials are wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴The king who fairly judges the poor, his throne shall be established forever.

¹⁵The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked increase, sin increases; but the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you peace; yes, he will bring delight to your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the Law is blessed.

¹⁹A servant can't be corrected by words. Though he understands, yet he will not respond.

²⁰Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹He who pampers his servant from youth will have him become a son in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up strife, and a wrathful man abounds in sin.

²³A man's pride brings him low, but one of lowly spirit gains honor.

²⁴Whoever is an accomplice of a thief is an enemy of his own soul. He takes an oath, but dares not testify.

²⁵The fear of man proves to be a snare, but whoever puts his trust in the Lord is kept safe.

²⁶Many seek the ruler's favor, but a man's justice comes from the Lord.

²⁷A dishonest man detests the righteous, and the upright in their ways detest the wicked.