1Quando o rei Jabim de Hazor teve conhecimento do que estava a acontecer, enviou mensagens urgentes aos seguintes reis: a Jobabe rei de Madom e aos reis de Simrom e Acsafe;2a todos os reis das colinas do norte, aos reis da região de Arabá a sul de Quinerete, aos da planície costeira, aos reis da zona das montanhas de Dor a ocidente, para os lados do mar;3aos reis dos cananeus do oriente e do ocidente, aos dos amorreus, dos hititas, dos perizeus, dos jebuseus nas montanhas, e dos heveus nas cidades e falésias do monte Hermon na terra de Mizpá.4-5Todos responderam, mobilizando os exércitos e aliando-se, a fim de esmagar Israel. Aquela enorme frente militar, reforçada por batalhões de cavalaria e por carros de guerra, cobria toda a terra nas proximidades das fontes de Merom; era um mar de gente que se estendia tão longe quanto a vista podia alcançar.6Contudo, o SENHOR disse a Josué: “Não tenhas receio deles; amanhã por estas horas estarão todos mortos. Cortarás o tendão das pernas dos seus cavalos e queimarás os seus carros.”7Josué e o seu exército apareceram subitamente nas fontes de Merom e caíram sobre eles.8O SENHOR entregou todo aquele vasto conjunto de exércitos aos israelitas, que os perseguiram mesmo até à grande Sídon e até Misrefote-Maim, e também para o oriente até ao vale de Mizpá; de tal forma que nem um homem sequer escapou dessa batalha.9Josué e a sua gente fizeram como o SENHOR lhes ordenara: quebraram os tendões das pernas aos cavalos e deitaram fogo aos carros de guerra.10No caminho de regresso, Josué tomou a localidade de Hazor e matou o seu rei. (Hazor tinha sido anteriormente a capital federal de todos aqueles territórios referidos).11A gente ali de Hazor foi morta e a cidade incendiada.12Depois atacou e destruiu as outras cidades daquela zona e os seus reis. Toda a gente foi morta pelas armas, segundo as instruções dadas muito tempo antes por Moisés, servo do SENHOR.13Contudo, os israelitas não incendiaram nenhuma das cidades construídas sobre as colinas, com exceção, já referida, de Hazor.14O despojo e o gado das cidades devastadas foi tomado pelos israelitas para si próprios, mas mataram toda a gente.15Porque foi isso que o SENHOR tinha ordenado anteriormente por intermédio de Moisés, seu servo; e Moisés transmitiu essa ordem expressa a Josué, o qual cumpriu o que lhe foi mandado, obedecendo escrupulosamente a todas as instruções dadas pelo SENHOR a Moisés.16Foi assim que Josué conquistou aquela terra inteira; a zona das colinas, o Negueve, a terra de Gosen, toda a região das planícies costeiras, o Arabá e as terras altas e as planuras de Israel.17O território de Israel agora estendia-se do monte Halaque, perto de Seir, até Baal-Gad no vale do Líbano, próximo do monte Hermon. Josué fez desaparecer todos os reis dessas regiões;18depois de muito tempo a lutar contra eles para conseguir tudo isto.19Com nenhuma cidade estabeleceu qualquer tratado de paz, com exceção do caso já referido dos heveus de Gibeão; tudo o resto foi destruído.20Era mesmo o SENHOR quem incitava aqueles reis inimigos a lutar contra os israelitas, em vez de pediram a paz; e acabavam por ser aniquilados. Assim se cumpriam as ordens do SENHOR a Moisés.21Foi também durante esse período que Josué derrotou os gigantes todos; os descendentes de Anaque que viviam na zona das colinas, em Hebrom, Debir, Anabe e nas montanhas, que hoje pertencem a Judá e a Israel; matou-os e destruiu as cidades onde moravam.22Não foi deixado nenhum dos anaquins na terra de Israel, ainda que alguns tenham ficado em Gaza, Gate e Asdode.23Josué conquistou toda a terra, tal como o SENHOR dissera a Moisés para fazer. E deu-a ao povo de Israel para que a possuísse e a dividisse entre as tribos. Até que por fim a terra descansou e não houve mais guerras.
1When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, (Js 10:3)2and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west, (Nm 34:11; Dt 1:1; Js 3:16; Js 12:3; Js 12:23; Js 13:27; Js 17:11; Js 19:35; Jz 1:27)3to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah. (Gn 31:49; Dt 3:8; Js 11:8; Js 15:63; Jz 3:3)4And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. (Gn 22:17; Gn 32:12; Jz 7:12; 1 Sm 13:5)5And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.6And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” (Gn 49:6; Dt 20:1; Js 10:8; Js 11:9; Js 17:16; Jz 1:19; Jz 4:3; 2 Sm 8:4; 1 Cr 18:4)7So Joshua and all his warriors came suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. (Js 10:9)8And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. (Js 11:3; Js 13:6; Js 19:28)9And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. (Js 11:6)10And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. (Jz 4:2)11And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction;[1] there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. (Js 10:40)12And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. (Dt 20:16)13But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned.14And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed.15Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. (Ex 34:11; Dt 7:2; Js 1:7)16So Joshua took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland (Js 10:41; Js 11:2; Js 11:21; Js 12:8; Js 15:51)17from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and struck them and put them to death. (Dt 7:24; Js 11:3; Js 12:7; Js 13:5)18Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. (Js 14:7; Js 14:10)19There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. (Js 9:3; Js 9:7)20For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses. (Ex 4:21; Dt 20:16)21And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. (Nm 13:22; Dt 1:28; Js 15:13)22There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. (1 Sm 17:4)23So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war. (Nm 26:52; Nm 34:2; Js 12:7; Js 18:10)