The Day the Sun Stood Still 2 UST The people of Jerusalem and their king became very afraid, because the city of Gibeon was as large as the cities that had kings ruling them. It was larger than the city of Ai, and all its men were strong warriors. BSB BSB: So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.
3 UST So Adoni Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, sent messages to several other kings. He sent them to Hoham, who ruled the city of Hebron, to Piram, who ruled the city of Jarmuth, to Japhia, who ruled the city of Lachish, and to Debir, who ruled the city of Eglon. BSB BSB: Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 UST Adoni Zedek told them,“Come and help me attack the city of Gibeon because its people have made a peace agreement with Joshua and the Israelites.” BSB BSB: “Come up and help me. We will attack Gibeon, because they have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
5 UST So these five kings of the Amorites joined their armies together. These were the kings of the cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. These kings and their armies went up with all their soldiers and surrounded the city of Gibeon and started to attack it. BSB BSB: So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—joined forces and advanced with all their armies. They camped before Gibeon and made war against it.
7 UST So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including his best fighting men. BSB BSB: So Joshua and his whole army, including all the mighty men of valor, came from Gilgal.
8 UST Yahweh told Joshua,“Do not be afraid of those armies. I will enable you to defeat them. None of them will be able to resist you.” BSB BSB: The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have delivered them into your hand. Not one of them shall stand against you.”
9 UST Joshua and his army marched all night from Gilgal and surprised the enemy armies. BSB BSB: After marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua caught them by surprise.
10 UST Yahweh caused the enemy armies to become confused when they saw the Israelites. The Israelites won a great victory at Gibeon. They chased their enemies along the road that goes up to Beth Horon. They continued to kill enemy soldiers all the way to the cities of Azekah and Makkedah. BSB BSB: And the LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, who defeated them in a great slaughter at Gibeon, pursued them along the ascent to Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
13 UST And the sun stayed in place, and the moon did not move, until the Israelites had defeated their enemies. There is an account of this in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped moving, and it stayed in the middle of the sky and did not go down for about a whole day. BSB BSB: So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”
14 UST There has never been another day like that one, either before or after it, when Yahweh answered someone’ s prayer in such an amazing way. Yahweh was truly fighting for the Israelites. BSB BSB: There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel.
15 UST Then Joshua and all of the Israelite soldiers returned to their camp at Gilgal. BSB BSB: Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
The Victory at Makkedah 16 UST During the battle, the five kings ran away and hid in a cave near the city of Makkedah. BSB BSB: Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
17 UST But Joshua’ s soldiers discovered their hiding place and they told him that the five kings were hiding in a cave near Makkedah. BSB BSB: And Joshua was informed: “The five kings have been found; they are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”
18 UST Joshua told his men,“Roll some large stones to block the entrance of the cave. Put some guards there to watch it.” BSB BSB: So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard them.
19 UST Then Joshua said to all the other soldiers,“Do not stay here in the camp. Chase after your enemies and attack those who have been the slowest to escape. Do not let them reach their cities. Yahweh your God will enable you to defeat them.” BSB BSB: But you, do not stop there. Pursue your enemies and attack them from behind. Do not let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.”
20 UST So Joshua and his soldiers chased and killed the Amorite soldiers until they had destroyed them almost completely. Only a few of them escaped to the safety of their cities, which had defensive walls. BSB BSB: So Joshua and the Israelites continued to inflict a terrible slaughter until they had finished them off, and the remaining survivors retreated to the fortified cities.
21 UST Then the whole Israelite army returned to Joshua at the camp at Makkedah with no enemy soldiers pursuing them. No one in that region dared to say anything bad about any of the Israelites. BSB BSB: The whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one dared to utter a word against the Israelites.
22 UST Then Joshua said,“Remove the stones from the entrance of the cave and bring those five kings to me.” BSB BSB: Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.”
23 UST So his soldiers brought out the five kings from the cave. They were the kings of the cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. BSB BSB: So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.
24 UST When they brought these kings to Joshua, he called together the whole Israelite army. He said to the commanders who fought the battle with him,“Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came and put their feet on the kings’ necks{ to show that they had completely defeated them and their armies}. BSB BSB: When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.
25 UST Then Joshua said to his commanders,“Yahweh will do the same thing to all the enemies whom you will fight. So you have no reason to be afraid of them. Fight very bravely!” BSB BSB: “Do not be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
26 UST Then Joshua killed the five kings and hanged their bodies on five trees. He left their bodies hanging on the trees until evening. BSB BSB: After this, Joshua struck down and killed the kings, and he hung their bodies on five trees and left them there until evening.
27 UST At sunset, Joshua ordered his men to take the bodies down from the trees and throw them into the cave where the kings had hidden. They put large stones at the entrance of the cave. Those stones are still there today. BSB BSB: At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and thrown into the cave in which they had hidden. Then large stones were placed against the mouth of the cave, and the stones are there to this day.
28 UST That same day, Joshua’ s army captured the city of Makkedah. They completely destroyed that city and its king. They also completely destroyed all of the people and animals in the city. They made sure no one survived. This is just what they had done to the city of Jericho. BSB BSB: On that day Joshua captured Makkedah and put it to the sword, along with its king. He devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. So he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
Conquest of the Southern Cities 29 UST Then Joshua led the whole Israelite army from Makkedah to the city of Libnah and they attacked it. BSB BSB: Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
30 UST Yahweh also helped the Israelites conquer this city and its king. The Israelite soldiers killed everyone in the city. They made sure no one survived. They treated the king of Libnah the same way they had treated the king of Jericho. BSB BSB: And the LORD also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 UST Next, Joshua led the whole Israelite army from Libnah to the city of Lachish. They set up their camp near the city and began their attack. BSB BSB: And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it.
32 UST After one day of fighting, Yahweh helped the Israelites conquer Lachish. They killed everyone in the city, just as they had done to Libnah. BSB BSB: And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
33 UST During this time, King Horam of the city of Gezer brought his army to help Lachish. But Joshua’ s army defeated them and killed them all. BSB BSB: At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors.
34 UST Then Joshua led the whole Israelite army from Lachish to the city of Eglon. They set up their camp near the city and began their attack. BSB BSB: So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it.
35 UST They captured Eglon that same day. They killed everyone in the city. They destroyed all the people, just as they had done in Lachish. BSB BSB: That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish.
36 UST After this, Joshua led the whole Israelite army up from Eglon to the city of Hebron, and they attacked it. BSB BSB: Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it.
37 UST They captured the city and all the nearby towns. They killed everyone, including the king. They made sure no one survived, just as they had done in Eglon. BSB BSB: They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it.
38 UST Then Joshua and the whole Israelite army turned back and went to the city of Debir and attacked it. BSB BSB: Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it.
39 UST They captured the city, its king, and all the nearby towns. They killed everyone. They made sure that. No person who lived in that area survived. They did the same things to Debir and its king that they had done to the cities of Hebron and Libnah and their kings. BSB BSB: And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.
40 UST This is how Joshua conquered the whole region. He defeated all the kings and their people in the hill country, the southern desert, the western foothills, and the eastern slopes. He killed everyone in these places, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded. BSB BSB: So Joshua conquered the whole region—the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings—leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.
41 UST Joshua’ s army defeated all the people living in the area from Kadesh Barnea to the city of Gaza, including the region of Goshen all the way to the city of Gibeon. BSB BSB: Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon.
42 UST Joshua defeated all these kings and took control of their territories in a single campaign. He was able to do that because Yahweh, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people. BSB BSB: And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign.
43 UST After this, Joshua and the whole Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal. BSB BSB: Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
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