Conquest of the Northern Cities 1 UDB When King Jabin of Hazor heard about all these things that had happened, he sent messages to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Akshaph, requesting them to send their armies to come and help him fight against the Israelites. BSB BSB: Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
2 UDB He also sent messages to the kings in the northern hills and to the kings in the plain along the Jordan, south of the Sea of Galilee, in the low country. He also sent messages to the king of the high country of Dor in the west, BSB BSB: to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, and in Naphoth-dor to the west;
3 UDB to the kings of the Canaanites in both the east and the west, to the Amorites, to the Hittites, to the Perizzites, to the Jebusites who lived in the hill country, and to the Hivites by Mount Hermon in the region of Mizpah. BSB BSB: to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4 UDB So the armies of all those kings gathered together. Their men were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also came with horses and chariots in great numbers. BSB BSB: So these kings came out with all their armies, a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with a great number of horses and chariots.
5 UDB All of those kings met at the fixed time and set up their armies in a camp at the brook of Merom, in order to wage war against Israel. BSB BSB: All these kings joined forces and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 UDB Then Yahweh said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will defeat them and kill all of them. Then you must cripple all their horses and burn all their chariots." BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.”
7 UDB So Joshua and his army came to the brook of Merom and without warning attacked their enemies. BSB BSB: So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them,
8 UDB Yahweh enabled the Israelites to defeat them. They pursued them to the city of Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to Mizpah in the east. They attacked them until they had killed them all. BSB BSB: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.
9 UDB Then Joshua did what Yahweh told them to do: He crippled their enemies' horses and he burned up their chariots. BSB BSB: Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
11 UDB They killed everything that was living in Hazor, and then they burned the city to ashes. BSB BSB: The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself.
12 UDB Joshua's army captured all of those cities and killed all of their kings. They did that as Moses, the man who served Yahweh well, had commanded them to do. BSB BSB: Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded.
13 UDB Joshua's men burned Hazor, but they did not burn any of the other cities that were built on mounds and were surrounded by walls. BSB BSB: Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
14 UDB The Israelites took for themselves the animals that they found in the fields and everything else that was valuable. But they killed every human being and every living thing in the cities. BSB BSB: The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed.
15 UDB As Yahweh had given Moses instructions to act, in the same way Moses also gave Joshua commands to act. And Joshua did everything that Yahweh had commanded Moses to do. BSB BSB: As the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.
Joshua Takes the Whole Land 16 UDB Joshua's army defeated all the people who were living in that land. They took control of the hill country and the southern Judean wilderness, all the area of Goshen, the western foothills, and the plain along the Jordan. They took control of all the mountains in Israel and all the lowlands near the mountains. BSB BSB: So Joshua took this entire region: the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah, and the mountains of Israel and their foothills,
17 UDB They took control over all the land from Mount Halak in the south of Edom to Baal Gad in the valley near the region of Lebanon to the north, near Mount Hermon. They captured all the kings of those areas and killed them. BSB BSB: from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
18 UDB Joshua's men fought against all those kings for a long time. BSB BSB: Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long period of time.
19 UDB There was only one city that made a peace treaty with the Israelites; they were the people of the Hivites who lived in Gibeon. The Israelites captured all the other cities in battles. BSB BSB: No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle.
20 UDB Yahweh caused the people in all those other groups to be stubborn, with the result that they fought against the Israelite army, and so God used the Israelite army to destroy them all. God did not hold back the Israelite army from totally destroying their enemies. This is what Yahweh had commanded Moses to do. BSB BSB: For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
21 UDB Joshua's army also fought the Anakite giants who lived in the hills near Hebron, Debir, and Anab. They also fought against the people who lived in the hill country of Judah and Israel, and they killed all of those people and destroyed their cities as well. BSB BSB: At that time Joshua proceeded to eliminate the Anakim from the hill country of Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction, along with their cities.
22 UDB As a result, there were no descendants of Anak who remained alive in Israel. Only a few remained alive in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. BSB BSB: No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
23 UDB Joshua's army took control of all the land, just as Yahweh long ago had told Moses to do. Yahweh gave the land to the Israelites because he had promised to give it to them. Then Joshua divided the land among the Israelite tribes. And after that, there was peace in the land. BSB BSB: So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the LORD had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to the allotments to their tribes. Then the land had rest from war.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.