| New Living Translation | New International Version |
| 1Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and completely destroyed Ai and killed its king, just as he had destroyed the town of Jericho and killed its king. He also learned that the Gibeonites had made peace with Israel and were now their allies. | 1Now Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and that the people of Gibeon had made a treaty of peace with Israel and had become their allies. |
| 2He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors. | 2He and his people were very much alarmed at this, because Gibeon was an important city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were good fighters. |
| 3So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. | 3So Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon. |
| 4“Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” | 4"Come up and help me attack Gibeon," he said, "because it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." |
| 5So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon. | 5Then the five kings of the Amorites--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon--joined forces. They moved up with all their troops and took up positions against Gibeon and attacked it. |
| 6The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.” | 6The Gibeonites then sent word to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal: "Do not abandon your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us! Help us, because all the Amorite kings from the hill country have joined forces against us." |
| 7So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. | 7So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. |
| 8“Do not be afraid of them,” the LORD said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” | 8The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." |
| 9Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the Amorite armies by surprise. | 9After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. |
| 10The LORD threw them into a panic, and the Israelites slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon. Then the Israelites chased the enemy along the road to Beth-horon, killing them all along the way to Azekah and Makkedah. | 10The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. |
| 11As the Amorites retreated down the road from Beth-horon, the LORD destroyed them with a terrible hailstorm from heaven that continued until they reached Azekah. The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword. | 11As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. |
| 12On the day the LORD gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the LORD in front of all the people of Israel. He said, “Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” | 12On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." |
| 13So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar ? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day. | 13So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. |
| 14There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the LORD answered such a prayer. Surely the LORD fought for Israel that day! | 14There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel! |
| 15Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal. Joshua Kills the Five Southern Kings | 15Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. |
| 16During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah. | 16Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah. |
| 17When Joshua heard that they had been found, | 17When Joshua was told that the five kings had been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah, |
| 18he issued this command: “Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks, and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside. | 18he said, "Roll large rocks up to the mouth of the cave, and post some men there to guard it. |
| 19The rest of you continue chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don’t give them a chance to get back to their towns, for the LORD your God has given you victory over them.” | 19But don't stop; pursue your enemies! Attack them from the rear and don't let them reach their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand." |
| 20So Joshua and the Israelite army continued the slaughter and completely crushed the enemy. They totally wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified towns. | 20So Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely, but a few survivors managed to reach their fortified cities. |
| 21Then the Israelites returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. After that, no one dared to speak even a word against Israel. | 21The whole army then returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah, and no one uttered a word against the Israelites. |
| 22Then Joshua said, “Remove the rocks covering the opening of the cave, and bring the five kings to me.” | 22Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." |
| 23So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. | 23So they brought the five kings out of the cave--the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon. |
| 24When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told. | 24When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks. |
| 25“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the LORD is going to do this to all of your enemies.” | 25Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight." |
| 26Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening. | 26Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening. |
| 27As the sun was going down, Joshua gave instructions for the bodies of the kings to be taken down from the poles and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding. Then they covered the opening of the cave with a pile of large rocks, which remains to this very day. Israel Destroys the Southern Towns | 27At sunset Joshua gave the order and they took them down from the poles and threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. At the mouth of the cave they placed large rocks, which are there to this day. |
| 28That same day Joshua captured and destroyed the town of Makkedah. He killed everyone in it, including the king, leaving no survivors. He destroyed them all, and he killed the king of Makkedah as he had killed the king of Jericho. | 28That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho. |
| 29Then Joshua and the Israelites went to Libnah and attacked it. | 29Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. |
| 30There, too, the LORD gave them the town and its king. He killed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. Then Joshua killed the king of Libnah as he had killed the king of Jericho. | 30The LORD also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho. |
| 31From Libnah, Joshua and the Israelites went to Lachish and attacked it. | 31Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. |
| 32Here again, the LORD gave them Lachish. Joshua took it on the second day and killed everyone in it, just as he had done at Libnah. | 32The LORD gave Lachish into Israel's hands, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. |
| 33During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to help defend the town. But Joshua’s men killed him and his army, leaving no survivors. | 33Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army--until no survivors were left. |
| 34Then Joshua and the Israelite army went on to Eglon and attacked it. | 34Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Lachish to Eglon; they took up positions against it and attacked it. |
| 35They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He completely destroyed everyone, just as he had done at Lachish. | 35They captured it that same day and put it to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it, just as they had done to Lachish. |
| 36From Eglon, Joshua and the Israelite army went up to Hebron and attacked it. | 36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. |
| 37They captured the town and killed everyone in it, including its king, leaving no survivors. They did the same thing to all of its surrounding villages. And just as he had done at Eglon, he completely destroyed the entire population. | 37They took the city and put it to the sword, together with its king, its villages and everyone in it. They left no survivors. Just as at Eglon, they totally destroyed it and everyone in it. |
| 38Then Joshua and the Israelites turned back and attacked Debir. | 38Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned around and attacked Debir. |
| 39He captured the town, its king, and all of its surrounding villages. He completely destroyed everyone in it, leaving no survivors. He did to Debir and its king just what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king. | 39They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king as they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. |
| 40So Joshua conquered the whole region—the kings and people of the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills, and the mountain slopes. He completely destroyed everyone in the land, leaving no survivors, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. | 40So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. |
| 41Joshua slaughtered them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and from the region around the town of Goshen up to Gibeon. | 41Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. |
| 42Joshua conquered all these kings and their land in a single campaign, for the LORD, the God of Israel, was fighting for his people. | 42All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel. |
| 43Then Joshua and the Israelite army returned to their camp at Gilgal. | 43Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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