1Adoni-Zedek was the king of Jerusalem. He heard that Joshua had captured Ai. He found out that the city had been set apart to the LORD in a special way to be destroyed. He heard that Joshua had done to Ai and its king the same thing he had done to Jericho and its king. Adoni-Zedek heard that the people of Gibeon had made a peace treaty with Israel. He also found out that they were living among the Israelites.2The things he heard alarmed him and his people very much. That’s because Gibeon was an important city. It was like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai. All its men were good soldiers.3So Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem, made an appeal to Hoham, the king of Hebron. He appealed to Piram, the king of Jarmuth. He appealed to Japhia, the king of Lachish. He also made an appeal to Debir, the king of Eglon.4‘Come up and help me attack Gibeon,’ he said. ‘Its people have made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.’5Then the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon gathered their armies together. Those five Amorite kings moved all their troops into position to fight against Gibeon. Then they attacked it.6Joshua was in the camp at Gilgal. The people of Gibeon sent a message to him there. They said, ‘Don’t desert us. We serve you. Come up to us quickly! Save us! Help us! All the Amorite kings from the central hill country have gathered their armies together to fight against us.’7So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his whole army. The army included all his best fighting men.8The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to fight against you and win.’9Joshua marched all night from Gilgal. He took the Amorite armies by surprise.10The LORD threw them into a panic as Israel marched towards them. Then Joshua and the Israelites won a complete victory over them at Gibeon. The Israelites chased them along the road that goes up to Beth Horon. They struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.11The Amorites tried to escape as Israel marched towards them. They ran down the road from Beth Horon to Azekah. Then the LORD threw large hailstones down on them. The hailstones killed more of them than the swords of the Israelites did.12So the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel. On that day Joshua spoke to the LORD while the Israelites were listening. He said, ‘Sun, stand still over Gibeon. And you, moon, stand still over the Valley of Aijalon.’13So the sun stood still. The moon stopped. They didn’t move again until the nation won the battle over its enemies. You can read about it in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. It didn’t go down for about a full day.14There has never been a day like it before or since. It was a day when the LORD listened to a mere human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!15Joshua and his whole army returned to the camp at Gilgal.
Joshua kills the five Amorite kings
16The five Amorite kings had run away. They had hidden in the cave at Makkedah.17Joshua was told that the five kings had been found. He was also told that they were hiding in the cave at Makkedah.18He said, ‘Roll some large rocks up to the opening of the cave. Put some men there to guard it.19But keep on going! Chase your enemies! Attack them from behind. Don’t let them get back to their cities. The LORD your God has handed them over to you.’20So Joshua and the men of Israel had complete victory over them. They killed almost every one of them. But a few escaped. They went back to their cities that had high walls around them.21Then Israel’s whole army returned safely to Joshua. He was in the camp at Makkedah. No one in the land dared to say anything against the Israelites.22Joshua said, ‘Open up the cave. Bring those five kings out to me.’23So Joshua’s men brought the kings out of the cave. They were the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon.24The men brought them to Joshua. Then he sent for all the men of Israel. He spoke to the army commanders who had come with him. He said, ‘Come here. Put your feet on the necks of these kings.’ So they came forward and placed their feet on the necks of the kings.25Joshua said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope. Be strong and brave. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.’26Joshua put the five kings to death. He stuck a pole through each of their bodies. Then he set the poles up where people could see the bodies. He left them there until evening.27At sunset Joshua ordered his men to take down the bodies. So they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where the kings had been hiding. They placed large rocks at the opening of the cave. And the rocks are still there to this day.
The campaign against the cities in the south
28That day Joshua captured Makkedah. He cut down its people and their king. He totally destroyed everyone in it. He didn’t leave anyone alive. He did to the king of Makkedah the same thing he had done to the king of Jericho.29Joshua moved on from Makkedah to Libnah. Israel’s whole army went with him. They attacked Libnah.30The LORD also handed that city and its king over to Israel. Joshua destroyed the city. He and his men killed everyone in it with their swords. He didn’t leave anyone alive there. He did to its king the same thing he had done to the king of Jericho.31Joshua moved on from Libnah to Lachish. Israel’s whole army went with him. The men took up their battle positions. Then Joshua attacked Lachish.32The LORD handed it over to Israel. Joshua captured the city on the second day of the battle. He destroyed the city. He and his men killed everyone in it with their swords. He had done the same thing to Libnah.33While all that was happening, Horam had come up to help Lachish. He was the king of Gezer. But Joshua won the battle over him and his army. No one was left alive.34Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon. Israel’s whole army went with him. They took up their battle positions. Then they attacked Eglon.35They captured it that same day. They totally destroyed everyone in it with their swords. They had done the same thing to Lachish.36Joshua went up from Eglon to Hebron. Israel’s whole army went with him. Then they attacked Hebron.37They captured the city. They destroyed it and its villages. They killed all its people and their king with their swords. They didn’t leave anyone alive. They totally destroyed the city and everyone in it. They had done the same thing at Eglon.38Joshua turned back and attacked Debir. Israel’s whole army went with him.39They captured the city, its king and its villages. They totally destroyed everyone in Debir with their swords. They didn’t leave anyone alive. They did to Debir and its king the same thing they had done to Libnah and its king. They had also done the same thing to Hebron.40So Joshua brought the whole area under his control. That included the central hill country and the Negev Desert. It included the western hills and the mountain slopes. It also included all the kings in that whole area. Joshua didn’t leave anyone alive. He totally destroyed everyone who breathed. He did just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded.41Joshua brought everyone from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza under his control. He did the same thing to everyone from the whole area of Goshen to Gibeon.42He won the battle over all those kings and their lands. He did it in one campaign. That’s because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.43Then Joshua returned to the camp at Gilgal. Israel’s whole army went with him.
1När Adoni-Sedek, kungen i Jerusalem, hörde att Josua hade besegrat Ai och dödat kungen där, på samma sätt som han hade gjort i Jeriko, och hur invånarna i Gibeon hade lyckats få ett fredsfördrag med Israel och blivit dess allierade,2blev han fruktansvärt rädd. Gibeon var nämligen en stor stad, lika stor som någon av kungastäderna och mycket större än Ai, och dess män var kända för att vara verkliga krigare.3Adoni-Sedek skickade därför ett meddelande till kung Hoham i Hebron, kung Piram i Jarmut, kung Jafia i Lakis och kung Debir i Eglon.4"Kom och hjälp mig att besegra gibeoniterna", skrev han. "De har slutit fred med Josua och Israels folk."5Dessa fem amoreiska kungar slog alltså samman sina arméer och anföll gemensamt Gibeon.6Då sände männen i Gibeon omedelbart bud till Josua i Gilgal. "Kom och hjälp dina tjänare!" bad de. "Skynda er! Alla amoreiska kungar som bor i bergsbygderna anfaller oss gemensamt med sina arméer."7Josua och israeliternas armé lämnade då Gilgal för att undsätta Gibeon.8"Var inte rädd för dem", sa Herren till Josua. "De är redan besegrade! Inte en enda av dem ska kunna stå emot dig."9Josua och armén marscherade hela natten och överrumplade fienden.10Herren lät det bli panik bland dem när de fick se israeliterna. De blev fullständigt besegrade, och israeliterna förföljde de överlevande ända bort till Bet-Horon, Aseka och Mackeda och dödade många av dem.11Och när de under sin flykt undan israeliterna rusade nerför sluttningen mot Bet-Horon, lät Herren en fruktansvärd hagelstorm komma över dem, och den följde dem hela vägen fram till Aseka. Fler blev dödade av hagel än av israeliternas svärd.12Medan israeliterna förföljde fienden bad Josua högt: "Låt solen stå stilla över Gibeon och låt månen stå kvar i Ajalons dal!"13Och solen och månen flyttade sig inte förrän Israels armé hade slagit fiendehärarna! Detta finns närmare skildrat i "Den redliges bok". Solen stod kvar uppe på himlen nästan ett helt dygn!14Det har aldrig tidigare och inte heller senare hänt att Herren har hindrat solen att gå ner som svar på en mans bön. Det var Herren som stred för Israel den dagen.15Senare återvände Josua och israeliternas armé till Gilgal.
Fem kungar avrättas
16Under striden flydde de fem kungarna och gömde sig i en grotta vid Mackeda.17När Josua nåddes av nyheten att man funnit kungarna18befallde han att en stor sten skulle rullas framför grottans ingång och att vakter skulle sättas dit, så att kungarna inte skulle kunna fly.19De övriga soldaterna fick följande order: "Förfölj fienden och angrip dem bakifrån! Låt dem inte komma tillbaka till sina städer, för Herren ska hjälpa er att fullständigt förgöra dem."20Josua och Israels armé fortsatte att meja ner fienden och gjorde slut på de fem arméerna med undantag av det fåtal som lyckades komma tillbaka till sina befästa städer.21Då återvände alla israeliterna till sitt läger vid Mackeda, och efter detta vågade ingen längre anfalla Israel.22-23Josua gav nu sina män befallning om att flytta bort stenen från grottans öppning och föra ut de fem kungarna från Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmut, Lakis och Eglon.24Sedan sammankallade han hela armén och gav befälhavarna för armén order att sätta sina fötter på kungarnas nackar.25"Var inte rädda, och tappa inte modet", sa Josua till sina män. "Var bara starka och frimodiga, för så här kommer Herren att göra med alla era fiender."26Med de orden stack Josua sitt svärd i de fem kungarna och hängde upp deras döda kroppar på fem pålar, där de fick hänga tills det blev kväll.27Vid solnedgången gav Josua befallning om att kropparna skulle tas ner och kastas in i grottan där kungarna hade gömt sig. Framför grottan kastade man upp ett stort stenröse, som fortfarande finns kvar.
Israel utplånar städer i söder
28Samma dag utplånade Josua staden Mackeda och dödade kungen och alla andra som bodde där, och inte en människa i hela staden kom undan med livet.29Därefter tågade israeliterna mot Libna.30Herren gav dem också den staden och dess kung, och alla dödades, precis som i Jeriko.31Från Libna fortsatte de till Lakis och anföll staden.32Herren gav också Lakis i Israels hand, så att de intog staden på andra dagen, och här gick det för invånarna på samma sätt som i Libna.33Under anfallet mot Lakis hade kung Horam från Geser kommit för att försöka hjälpa till att försvara staden, men Josuas män dödade också honom och slog hela hans armé.34-35Den israelitiska armén drog sedan vidare till Eglon och intog det redan första dagen, och alldeles som i Lakis dödade de alla invånarna.36Sedan lämnade de Eglon, fortsatte till Hebron,37intog det och alla dess förstäder och dödade hela befolkningen.38Därefter återvände de till Debir39och intog det såväl som de kringliggande byarna, och allt folk dödades, precis som i Libna.40På så sätt besegrade Josua och hans armé hela landet, folken och kungarna i bergsbygden, på syd- och låglandet och på bergssluttningarna. De dödade alla i hela landet, precis som Herren, Israels Gud, hade gett befallning om,41alla från Kades- Barnea till Gasa, och från Gosen ända till Gibeon.42Allt detta genomfördes i en följd, och Herren, Israels Gud, stred för sitt folk.43Sedan återvände Josua och hans armé till lägret vid Gilgal.