Conquest of the Northern Cities 1 UST When King Jabin of the city of Hazor learned what had happened, he sent messages to several other kings. He sent them to King Jobab of the city of Madon, to the king of the city of Shimron, and to the king of the city of Achshaph. 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 UST He also sent messages to the kings who ruled in the northern hill country and to the kings in the Jordan River Valley, south of the lake of Chinnereth; the kings in the low country, and the kings in the western foothills near the city of Dor. 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 UST He sent messages to the Canaanite peoples who lived on both the eastern and western sides of the Jordan River. He also sent them to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites who lived in the hill country, and to the Hivites who lived near 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 UST All these kings gathered their armies together to fight. Their soldiers were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also brought a great number of horses and chariots with them. 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 UST All these kings joined their forces and set up their camp together near the lake of Merom, preparing to fight against the Israelites. BSB BSB: All these kings joined forces and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6 UST Then Yahweh said to Joshua,“Do not be afraid of these armies, because at about this time tomorrow, I will help you defeat all of them. When you attack them, you must cripple their horses and burn 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 UST So Joshua and his whole army traveled to the lake of Merom and made a surprise attack against their enemies. BSB BSB: So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them,
8 UST Yahweh helped the Israelites defeat them. The Israelite army pursued them all the way to the great city of Sidon in the north, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah in the east. The Israelites kept fighting until they had killed all their enemies. 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 UST Then Joshua did exactly what Yahweh had told him to do. He crippled their horses and burned their chariots. BSB BSB: Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
11 UST The Israelite army killed everyone in the city. They made sure that no person survived. Then they burned the city. 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 UST Joshua’ s army captured all these cities and killed all their kings. They destroyed everything that was in the cities. They did exactly what Moses, Yahweh’ s servant, 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 UST The Israelites did not burn any of the cities that people had built on hills{, because they wanted to live in them}. But Joshua did burn the city of Hazor, even though it was on a hill. BSB BSB: Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
14 UST The Israelites took for themselves all the valuable things and all the livestock from these cities. But they killed all the people. They did not let any of the people live. 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 UST Moses had passed on to Joshua everything that Yahweh had told him to do. And Joshua carried out all of these commands completely. He did exactly what Yahweh had ordered 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 UST Joshua and his army took control of all these regions: the hill country, the southern desert, the whole region around Goshen, the western foothills, the Jordan River Valley, and the mountains of Israel with their foothills. 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 UST They conquered all the land from Mount Halak which rises toward Seir and even as far as the town of Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. Joshua captured and killed all the kings of these areas. 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 UST Joshua and his army spent many years fighting against all these kings. BSB BSB: Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long period of time.
19 UST Only the people of the city of Gibeon, who were Hivites, agreed to become subjects of the Israelites. The Israelite army had to capture all the other cities by fighting. BSB BSB: No city made peace with the Israelites except the Hivites living in Gibeon; all others were taken in battle.
20 UST Yahweh led the people in all these cities to want to fight against Israel so that the Israelites would destroy them completely without showing any mercy. 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 UST During that time, Joshua’ s army went through all the hill country and killed all the descendants of Anak who lived there. They killed them in the cities of Hebron, Debir, and Anab and in every other place in the hills where the tribes of Judah and Israel lived. Joshua’ s army destroyed all these people and their cities. 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 UST No descendants of Anak remained alive in the land of Israel. The only ones who survived lived in the cities of 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 UST Joshua took control of all the land, just as Yahweh had told Moses to do. Then Joshua gave the land to the Israelites. He assigned each tribe a part of the land that would belong to them. After this, none of the people groups who had been living in the land fought against the Israelites again. 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.
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