The Five Kings Attack Gibeon
1When Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and devoted it to destruction — doing to Ai and its king what he had done to Jericho and its king — and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living among them, 2he and his people were greatly afraid, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon: 4“Come up and help me. Let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.” 5So the five kings of the Amorites — the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon — joined forces, marched up with all their armies, camped against Gibeon, and made war on it. 6The men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal: “Do not abandon your servants — come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites living in the hill country have joined forces against us.” 7So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with all the fighting men and all the mighty warriors. 8Yahweh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to stand against you.” 9Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal. 10Yahweh threw them into confusion before Israel, striking them with a great blow at Gibeon, and pursued them along the road that goes up to Beth-horon, striking them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. 11As they fled before Israel, on the descent from Beth-horon, Yahweh hurled huge stones down on them from the sky, all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
The Sun Stands Still
12On the day Yahweh gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to Yahweh. In the sight of Israel he said: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; moon, stop over the Valley of Aijalon.” 13And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation had taken vengeance on its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to set for about a full day. 14There has never been a day like it before or since, when Yahweh listened to the voice of a man, for Yahweh was fighting for Israel. 15Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.
The Five Kings Executed
16Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. 17Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah.” 18Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men there to guard it. 19But you — do not stay there. Pursue your enemies, attack them from the rear, and do not let them reach their cities, for Yahweh your God has given them into your hand.” 20When Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a very great defeat on them, until they were wiped out, and the survivors who remained had reached the fortified cities, 21all the people returned safely to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah. No one dared say a word against any of the Israelites. 22Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.” 23So they did, and brought the five kings out to him from the cave — the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. 24When they had brought the kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the fighting men who had gone with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came and put their feet on their necks. 25Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for this is what Yahweh will do to all the enemies you fight against.” 26After this, Joshua struck the kings down and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They hung on the trees until evening. 27At sunset Joshua gave the order, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden. They put large stones over the mouth of the cave, which remain there to this very day.
The Southern Campaign
28That same day Joshua captured Makkedah and struck it down with the sword. He devoted its king and everyone in it to destruction, leaving no survivor. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 29Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30Yahweh gave that city too, with its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it down with the sword and everyone in it, leaving no survivor, and did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, moved on from Libnah to Lachish. He camped against it and attacked it. 32Yahweh gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day, striking it down with the sword, along with everyone in it, just as he had done to Libnah. 33Meanwhile Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him and his people down, leaving him no survivor. 34Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, moved on from Lachish to Eglon. They camped against it and attacked it. 35They captured it that day and struck it down with the sword. He devoted everyone in it to destruction that day, just as he had done to Lachish. 36Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37They captured it and struck it down with the sword, its king, all its towns, and everyone in it, leaving no survivor — just as he had done to Eglon. He devoted it and everyone in it to destruction. 38Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, turned back to Debir and attacked it. 39He captured it, its king, and all its towns, struck them down with the sword, and devoted everyone in it to destruction, leaving no survivor. He did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron, and as he had done to Libnah and its king. 40So Joshua struck the whole region — the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, and the slopes — with all their kings, leaving no survivor. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41Joshua struck them down from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen, as far as Gibeon. 42Joshua captured all these kings and their land in a single campaign, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, returned to the camp at Gilgal.
