Read the Bible

¹ WHEN Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had utterly destroyed it (as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king) and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;² He feared greatly, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.³ Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Baran king of Jarmuth and to Napia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,⁴ Come up to me and help me, and let us fight against Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.⁵ Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and came up, they and all their armies, and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, saying, Do not withhold your hands from your servants; because all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the men of war that were with him, and all the mighty men of valor.⁸ And the LORD said to Joshua, Fear them not; for I have delivered them into your hands; and there shall not a man of them stand before you.⁹ Joshua therefore came to them suddenly, going up all night from Gilgal.¹⁰ And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and they smote them with great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-hauran, and smote them as far as Akkar, and on to Makkar.¹¹ And as they fled from before Israel, and were going down in the descent of Beth-hauran, the LORD cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them as far as Akkar, and they died; and there were more that died from the hailstones than the children of Israel slew with the sword.¹² Then spoke Joshua to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered the Amorites to the children of Israel, and Joshua said in the sight of the children of Israel, Sun, stand thou still over Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley over Ajalon.¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And, behold, it is written in the Book of the Songs, So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down, about a whole day.¹⁴ And there was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD hearkened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.¹⁶ But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave of Makkar.¹⁷ And Joshua was told, The five kings have been found hidden in the cave of Makkar.¹⁸ And Joshua said, Roll great stones, and put them upon the mouth of the cave, and leave men there to guard them.¹⁹ Do not stay yourselves, but pursue your enemies and overtake them; and do not let them enter the city; for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hands.²⁰ When Joshua and the children of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were annihilated and no survivor was left of them; then they brought the men of Gibeon who had revolted against the kings into their walled cities.²¹ And all the people returned in peace to the camp to Joshua at Makkar; and no man moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.²² Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me.²³ And they did as Joshua had commanded them, and they brought to him those five kings out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.²⁴ And when they brought out those kings to Joshua, Joshua called for all the commanders of the armed forces who went with him, and said to them, Come near, and put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of the kings.²⁵ And Joshua said to them, Fear not, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight.²⁶ And after that Joshua slew them, and hanged them on five trees; and they remained hung on the trees until the evening.²⁷ And at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and laid large stones at the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

²⁸ And the same day Joshua captured Makkar, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and he slew the king thereof and all the persons that were in it; he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkar as he had done to the king of Jericho.²⁹ Then Joshua passed from Makkar, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and they fought against Libnah;³⁰ And the LORD delivered it also into the hand of Israel, and they smote it and its king with the edge of the sword, and all the persons that were in it; he left none remaining in it; but Joshua did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.³¹ And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it;³² And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons that were in it, as he had done to Libnah.³³ Then Harmon the king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people with the edge of the sword until he had left him none remaining.³⁴ And Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him to Eglon, and they encamped against it and fought against it;³⁵ And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the persons that were in it, as he had done to Lachish.³⁶ And Joshua went up from Eglon and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it;³⁷ And they captured it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king and all its towns and all the persons that were in it; he left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the persons that were in it.³⁸ Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it;³⁹ And he captured it and its king and all its towns; and they smote them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the persons that were in it; and he left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir and to its king; as he had done to Libnah and to its king.⁴⁰ So Joshua smote all the land, the mountain region, the southern region, the plain, and Ashdod, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all their armies, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.⁴¹ So Joshua smote them from Rakim-gia as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon.⁴² And Joshua conquered all these kings and their countries at one time; because the LORD God of Israel was with him, and it was he who fought for Israel.⁴³ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.