Jos 9-10

CHAPTER 9

AND it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills,and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over againstLebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, theHivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
2 That they gathered themselves together, tofight with Joshua and with Israel, withone accord.
3 ¶ And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heardwhat Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,
4 They did work wilily, and went and made as ifthey had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and winebottles, old, and rent, and bound up;
5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet,and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.
6 And they went to Joshuaunto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We become from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.
7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites,Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
8 And they said unto Joshua,We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?
9 And they said unto him, From a very farcountry thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fameof him, and all that he did in Egypt,
10 And all that he did to the two kings of theAmorites, that were beyond Jordan,to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan,which was at Ashtaroth.
11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitantsof our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, andgo to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.
12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses onthe day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it ismouldy:
13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: andthese our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very longjourney.
14 And the men took of their victuals, andasked not counsel at the mouth of theLord.
15 And Joshuamade peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and theprinces of the congregation sware unto them.
16 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of threedays after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.
17 And the children of Israeljourneyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon,and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-jearim.
18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes ofthe congregation had sworn unto them by the LordGod of Israel.And all the congregation murmured against the princes.
19 But all the princes said unto all thecongregation, We have sworn unto them by the LordGod of Israel:now therefore we may not touch them.
20 This we will do to them; we will even letthem live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
21 And the princes said unto them, Let themlive; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all thecongregation; as the princes had promised them.
22 ¶ And Joshua called for them, and he spakeunto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwellamong us?
23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from beingbondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.
24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Becauseit was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all theland, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, thereforewe were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to dounto us, do.
26 And so did he unto them, and delivered themout of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
27 And Joshuamade them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation,and for the altar of the Lord,even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

CHAPTER 10

NOW it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king ofJerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; ashe had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and howthe inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was agreat city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.
3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sentunto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia kingof Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,
4 Come up unto me, and help me, that we maysmite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshuaand with the children of Israel.
5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, theking of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king ofLachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they andall their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.
6 ¶ And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua tothe camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to usquickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwellin the mountains are gathered together against us.
7 So Joshuaascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all themighty men of valour.
8 ¶ And the Lordsaid unto Joshua, Fear them not: for Ihave delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand beforethee.
9 Joshuatherefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all night.
10 And the Lorddiscomfited them before Israel,and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon,and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them toAzekah, and unto Makkedah.
11 And it came to pass, as they fled frombefore Israel, and were in the going down toBeth-horon, that the Lord castdown great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israelslew with the sword.
12 ¶ Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before thechildren of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou stillupon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moonstayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book ofJasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to godown about a whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it orafter it, that the Lord hearkenedunto the voice of a man: for the Lordfought for Israel.
15 ¶ And Joshua returned, and all Israel withhim, unto the camp to Gilgal.
16 But these five kings fled, and hidthemselves in a cave at Makkedah.
17 And it was told Joshua,saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
18 And Joshuasaid, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for tokeep them:
19 And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them;suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand.
20 And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slayingthem with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered intofenced cities.
21 And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongueagainst any of the children of Israel.
22 Then said Joshua,Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of thecave.
23 And they did so, and brought forth thosefive kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem,the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, theking of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
24 And it came to pass, when they brought outthose kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, andsaid unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, putyour feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feetupon the necks of them.
25 And Joshuasaid unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: forthus shall the Lord do to all yourenemies against whom ye fight.
26 And afterward Joshuasmote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hangingupon the trees until the evening.
27 And it came to pass at the time of the goingdown of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off thetrees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid greatstones in the cave’s mouth, which remain until this very day.
28 ¶ And that day Joshua took Makkedah, andsmote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed,them, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did untothe king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshuapassed from Makkedah, and all Israelwith him, unto Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
30 And the Lorddelivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of thesword, and all the souls that were therein; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did untothe king of Jericho.
31 ¶ And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, unto Lachish, and encamped against it, and foughtagainst it:
32 And the Lorddelivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, whichtook it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all thesouls that were therein, according toall that he had done to Libnah.
33 ¶ Then Horam king of Gezercame up to help Lachish;and Joshua smote him and his people,until he had left him none remaining.
34 ¶ And from LachishJoshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel withhim; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
35 And they took it on that day, and smote itwith the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all thathe had done to Lachish.
36 And Joshuawent up from Eglon, and all Israelwith him, unto Hebron;and they fought against it:
37 And they took it, and smote it with the edgeof the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all thesouls that were therein; he left noneremaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed itutterly, and all the souls that were therein.
38 ¶ And Joshua returned, and all Israel withhim, to Debir; and fought against it:
39 And he took it, and the king thereof, andall the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, andutterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir,and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.
40 ¶ So Joshua smote all the country of thehills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all theirkings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as theLord God of Israelcommanded.
41 And Joshuasmote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza,and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.
42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israelfought for Israel.
43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel withhim, unto the camp to Gilgal.

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