[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY MARCH 4, SATURDAY MARCH 5, & SUNDAY MARCH 6

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR FRIDAY MARCH 4, SATURDAY MARCH 5, & SUNDAY MARCH 6

NOTE: Here is the "Daily Bible Readings" for the next three days. I will
resume my regular schedule on Monday March 7.

DAILY BIBLE READING FOR FRIDAY MARCH 4

Joshua 4-6 New King James Version
The Memorial Stones
4 And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the
Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying: 2 "Take for yourselves twelve
men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying,
'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the
Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry
them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge
tonight.' "

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children
of Israel, one man from every tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them: "Cross over
before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each
one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the
tribes of the children of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you when
your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to
you?' 7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut
off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the
Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for
a memorial to the children of Israel forever."

8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up
twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to
Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and
carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them
down there. 9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan,
in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant
stood; and they are there to this day.

10 So the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until
everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the
people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua; and the people
hurried and crossed over. 11 Then it came to pass, when all the people had
completely crossed over, that the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed
over in the presence of the people. 12 And the men of Reuben, the men of
Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children
of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them. 13 About forty thousand [a]prepared
for war crossed over before the Lord for battle, to the plains of Jericho.
14 On that day the Lord exalted[b] Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and
they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 16 "Command the priests who bear
the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan." 17 Joshua therefore
commanded the priests, saying, "Come up from the Jordan." 18 And it came to
pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come
from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the
dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and
overflowed all its banks as before.

19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first
month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those
twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21
Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask
their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' 22 then you
shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on
dry land'; 23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before
you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,
which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, 24 that all the
peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that
you may fear the Lord your God [c]forever."

The Second Generation Circumcised
5 So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of
the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard
that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children
of Israel until [d]we had crossed over, that [e]their heart melted; and
there was no spirit in them any longer because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for yourself, and
circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time." 3 So Joshua made flint
knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at [f]the hill of the
foreskins. 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the
people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in
the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. 5 For all the
people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the
wilderness, on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised.
6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all
the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were [g]consumed,
because they did not obey the voice of the Lord-to whom the Lord swore that
He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers
that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and honey." 7 Then Joshua
circumcised their sons whom He raised up in their place; for they were
uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they
stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed. 9 Then the Lord
said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from
you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal[h] to this day.

10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And
they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover,
unleavened bread and [i]parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the
manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and
the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the
land of Canaan that year.

The Commander of the Army of the Lord
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes
and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His
hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our
adversaries?"

14 So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now
come."

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him,
"What does my Lord say to His servant?"

15 Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal
off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

The Destruction of Jericho
6 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none
went out, and none came in. 2 And the Lord said to Joshua: "See! I have
given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You
shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the
city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven
trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march
around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It
shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and
when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with
a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people
shall go up every man straight before him."

6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up
the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams'
horns before the ark of the Lord." 7 And he said to the people, "Proceed,
and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark
of the Lord."

8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests
bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord advanced and blew
the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 The
armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard
came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now
Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout or make any
noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the
day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout." 11 So he had the ark of
the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp
and [j]lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of
the Lord. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before
the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the
armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the
Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second
day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did
six days.

15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the
dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same
manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And
the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that
Joshua said to the people: "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 17
Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are
in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the
house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, by all means
abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of
the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19
But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are
[k]consecrated to the Lord; they [l]shall come into the treasury of the
Lord."

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened
when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with
a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into
the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they
utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and
old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go
into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she
has, as you swore to her." 23 And the young men who had been spies went in
and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that
she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the
camp of Israel. 24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with
fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put
into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 And Joshua spared Rahab the
harlot, her father's household, and all that she had. So she dwells in
Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy
out Jericho.

26 Then Joshua [m]charged them at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man
before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its
foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its
gates."

27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the
country.

Footnotes
Joshua 4:13 equipped
Joshua 4:14 made Joshua great
Joshua 4:24 Lit. all days
Joshua 5:1 So with Kt.; Qr., some Heb. mss. and editions, LXX, Syr., Tg.,
Vg. they
Joshua 5:1 their courage failed
Joshua 5:3 Heb. Gibeath Haaraloth
Joshua 5:6 destroyed
Joshua 5:9 Lit. Rolling
Joshua 5:11 roasted
Joshua 6:11 spent the night
Joshua 6:19 set apart
Joshua 6:19 shall go
Joshua 6:26 warned

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DAILY BIBLE READING FOR SATURDAY MARCH 5

Joshua 7-9 New King James Version
Defeat at Ai
7 But the children of Israel [a]committed a trespass regarding the
accursed[b] things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of [c]Zabdi, the son
of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger
of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the
east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the
country." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua
and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or
three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there,
for the people of Ai are few." 4 So about three thousand men went up there
from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai
struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate
as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the[d]
hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the
ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put
dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord [e]God, why have You
brought this people over the Jordan at all-to deliver us into the hand of
the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the
other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its
[f]back before its enemies? 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of
the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth.
Then what will You do for Your great name?"

The Sin of Achan
10 So the Lord said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11
Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I
commanded them. For they have even taken some of the [g]accursed things, and
have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own
stuff. 12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their
enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have
become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you
destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify[h] the people, and
say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of
Israel: "There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot
stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among
you." 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your
tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes shall come
according to families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by
households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come man by man. 15
Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be
burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed[i] the
covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in
Israel.' "

16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes,
and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he
took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites
man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by
man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, was taken.

19 Now Joshua said to Achan, "My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God
of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done;
do not hide it from me."

20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the
Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the
spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a
wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I [j]coveted them and took them. And
there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver
under it."

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was,
hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the
midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel,
and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him,
took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his
sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all
that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua
said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day." So all
Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had
stoned them with stones.

26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this
day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name
of that place has been called the Valley of [k]Achor to this day.

The Fall of Ai
8 Now the Lord said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all
the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into
your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you
shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its
spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush
for the city behind it."

3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and
Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by
night. 4 And he commanded them, saying: "Behold, you shall lie in ambush
against the city, behind the city. Do not go very far from the city, but all
of you be ready. 5 Then I and all the people who are with me will approach
the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the
first, that we shall flee before them. 6 For they will come out after us
till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing
before us as at the first.' Therefore we will flee before them. 7 Then you
shall rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will
deliver it into your hand. 8 And it will be, when you have taken the city,
that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the
Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you."

9 Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed
between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night
among the people. 10 Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered
the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to
Ai. 11 And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near;
and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a
valley lay between them and Ai. 12 So he took about five thousand men and
set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of [l]the city.
13 And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of
the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night
into the midst of the valley.

14 Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city
hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his
people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that
there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all
Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the
wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in Ai were called together to
pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17
There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So
they left the city open and pursued Israel.

18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Stretch out the spear that is in your hand
toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And Joshua stretched out the
spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19 So those in ambush arose
quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his
hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on
fire. 20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold,
the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this
way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back
on the pursuers.

21 Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and
that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the
men of Ai. 22 Then the others came out of the city against them; so they
were caught in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side.
And they struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the
inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them,
and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were
consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge
of the sword. 25 So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women,
were twelve thousand-all the people of Ai. 26 For Joshua did not draw back
his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly
destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of
that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the
Lord which He had commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a
heap forever, a desolation to this day. 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a
tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that
they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of
the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains
to this day.

Joshua Renews the Covenant
30 Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, 31 as
Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is
written in the Book of the Law of Moses: "an altar of whole stones over
which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt
offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. 32 And there, in the
presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law
of Moses, which he had written. 33 Then all Israel, with their elders and
officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the
Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well
as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim
and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord
had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34 And
afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings,
according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a
word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all
the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers
who were living among them.

The Treaty with the Gibeonites
9 And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the
Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great
Sea toward Lebanon-the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite,
the Hivite, and the Jebusite-heard about it, 2 that they gathered together
to fight with Joshua and Israel with one [m]accord.

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho
and Ai, 4 they worked craftily, and went and [n]pretended to be ambassadors.
And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and [o]mended,
5 old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and
all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6 And they went to
Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We
have come from a far country; now therefore, make a [p]covenant with us."

7 Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you dwell among us;
so how can we make a covenant with you?"

8 But they said to Joshua, "We are your servants."

And Joshua said to them, "Who are you, and where do you come from?"

9 So they said to him: "From a very far country your servants have come,
because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and
all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the
Amorites who were beyond the Jordan-to Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of
Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. 11 Therefore our elders and all the
inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provisions with you
for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, "We are your
servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us." ' 12 This bread of ours
we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come
to you. But now look, it is dry and moldy. 13 And these wineskins which we
filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our
sandals have become old because of the very long journey."

14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they [q]did not
ask counsel of the Lord. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a
covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation
swore to them.

16 And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant
with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near
them. 17 Then the children of Israel journeyed and came to their cities on
the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kirjath
Jearim. 18 But the children of Israel did not [r]attack them, because the
rulers of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel. And
all the congregation complained against the rulers.

19 Then all the rulers said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them
by the Lord God of Israel; now therefore, we may not touch them. 20 This we
will do to them: We will let them live, lest wrath be upon us because of the
oath which we swore to them." 21 And the rulers said to them, "Let them
live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for all the
congregation, as the rulers had promised them."

22 Then Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, "Why have you
deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you dwell near us? 23
Now therefore, you are cursed, and none of you shall be freed from being
slaves-woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God."

24 So they answered Joshua and said, "Because your servants were clearly
told that the Lord your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the
land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you;
therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have
done this thing. 25 And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it
seems good and right to do to us." 26 So he did to them, and delivered them
out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them.
27 And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the
congregation and for the altar of the Lord, in the place which He would
choose, even to this day.

Footnotes
Joshua 7:1 acted unfaithfully
Joshua 7:1 devoted
Joshua 7:1 Zimri, 1 Chr. 2:6
Joshua 7:5 the people's courage failed
Joshua 7:7 Heb. YHWH, Lord
Joshua 7:8 Lit. neck
Joshua 7:11 devoted
Joshua 7:13 set apart
Joshua 7:15 overstepped
Joshua 7:21 desired
Joshua 7:26 Lit. Trouble
Joshua 8:12 Ai
Joshua 9:2 Lit. mouth
Joshua 9:4 acted as envoys
Joshua 9:4 Lit. tied up
Joshua 9:6 treaty
Joshua 9:14 Lit. did not inquire at the mouth of
Joshua 9:18 strike

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DAILY BIBLE READING FOR SUNDAY MARCH 6

Joshua 10-12 New King James Version
The Sun Stands Still
10 Now it came to pass when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua
had taken 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 that they feared greatly,
because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because
it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. 3 Therefore Adoni-Zedek
king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth,
Japhia king of Lachish, and Debir king of Eglon, saying, 4 "Come up to me
and help me, that we may attack 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 together and went up,
they and all their armies, and camped before Gibeon and made war against it.

6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do
not forsake your servants; come up to us quickly, save us and help us, for
all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the mountains have gathered
together against us."

7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and
all the mighty men of valor. 8 And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear
them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall
stand before you." 9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, having
marched all night from Gilgal. 10 So the Lord routed them before Israel,
killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road
that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of
Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as
far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones
than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

12 Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the
Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:

"Sun, stand still over Gibeon;
And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13 So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the
midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 And
there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded
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.

The Amorite Kings Executed
16 But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at
Makkedah. 17 And it was told Joshua, saying, "The five kings have been found
hidden in the cave at Makkedah."

18 So Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set
men by it to guard them. 19 And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue
your enemies, and attack their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their
cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand." 20 Then it
happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying
them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who
escaped entered fortified cities. 21 And all the people returned to the
camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace.

No one [a]moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

22 Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five
kings to me from the cave." 23 And they did so, and brought out those five
kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the
king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

24 So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua
called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war
who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings."
And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Then Joshua said to
[b]them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage,
for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight." 26
And afterward Joshua struck [c]them and killed them, and hanged them on five
trees; and they were hanging on the trees until evening. 27 So it was at the
time of the going down of the sun that Joshua commanded, and they took them
down from the trees, cast them into the cave where they had been hidden, and
laid large stones against the cave's mouth, which remain until this very
day.

Conquest of the Southland
28 On that day Joshua took Makkedah, and struck it and its king with the
edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed [d]them-all the people who were in
it. He let none remain. He also did to the king of Makkedah as he had done
to the king of Jericho.

29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah; and
they fought against Libnah. 30 And the Lord also delivered it and its king
into the hand of Israel; he struck it and all the people who were in it with
the edge of the sword. He let none remain in it, but did to its king as he
had done to the king of Jericho.

31 Then Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish; and
they encamped against it and fought against it. 32 And the Lord delivered
Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and struck
it and all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, according
to all that he had done to Libnah. 33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to
help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he left him none
remaining.

34 From Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they
encamped against it and fought against it. 35 They took it on that day and
struck it with the edge of the sword; all the people who were in it he
utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

36 So Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and
they fought against it. 37 And they took it and struck it with the edge of
the sword-its king, all its cities, and all the people who were in it; he
left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon, but utterly
destroyed it and all the people who were in it.

38 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and they fought
against it. 39 And he took it and its king and all its cities; they struck
them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed all the people who
were in it. He left none remaining; as he had done to Hebron, so he did to
Debir and its king, as he had done also to Libnah and its king.

40 So Joshua conquered all the land: the mountain country and the [e]South
and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none
remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of
Israel had commanded. 41 And Joshua conquered them from Kadesh Barnea as far
as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even as far as Gibeon. 42 All these
kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel
fought for Israel. 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the
camp at Gilgal.

The Northern Conquest
11 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he
sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of
Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in
the plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on
the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the
Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below
Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 So they went out, they and all their armies
with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude,
with very many horses and chariots. 5 And when all these kings had [f]met
together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight
against Israel.

6 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid because of them, for
tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You
shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire." 7 So Joshua
and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters
of Merom, and they attacked them. 8 And the Lord delivered them into the
hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to [g]Greater Sidon, to
the [h]Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked
them until they left none of them remaining. 9 So Joshua did to them as the
Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with
fire.

10 Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with
the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And
they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword,
utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor
with fire.

12 So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and
struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, as Moses the
servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But as for the cities that stood on
their [i]mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua
burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children
of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the
edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none
breathing. 15 As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses
commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. [j]He left nothing undone of all that
the Lord had commanded Moses.

Summary of Joshua's Conquests
16 Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all
the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan [k]plain-the mountains of
Israel and its lowlands, 17 from [l]Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even
as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured
all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua made war a
long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with
the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All
the others they took in battle. 20 For it was of the Lord [m]to harden their
hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might
utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He
might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains:
from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and
from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their
cities. 22 None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of
Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to
Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their
divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.

The Kings Conquered by Moses
12 These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and
whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising
of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan
plain: 2 One king was Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and
ruled half of Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon,
from the middle of that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the
border of the Ammonites, 3 and the eastern Jordan plain from the [n]Sea of
Chinneroth as far as the [o]Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), the road to
Beth Jeshimoth, and [p]southward below the[q] slopes of Pisgah. 4 The other
king was Og king of Bashan and his territory, who was of the remnant of the
giants, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5 and reigned over Mount
Hermon, over Salcah, over all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites
and the Maachathites, and over half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of
Heshbon.

6 These Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel had
conquered; and Moses the servant of the Lord had given it as a possession to
the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

The Kings Conquered by Joshua
7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of
Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in
the Valley of Lebanon as far as [r]Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which
Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their
divisions, 8 in the mountain country, in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain,
in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the South-the Hittites, the
Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: 9
the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10
the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth,
one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer,
one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of
Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of
Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the
king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one;
the king of [s]Lasharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor,
one; 20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 the
king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one;
the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 the king of Dor in the heights of
Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one; 24 the king of Tirzah,
one-all the kings, thirty-one.

Footnotes
Joshua 10:21 criticized, lit. sharpened his tongue
Joshua 10:25 The captains
Joshua 10:26 The kings
Joshua 10:28 So with MT and most authorities; many Heb. mss., some LXX mss.,
and some Tg. mss. it
Joshua 10:40 Heb. Negev, and so throughout the book
Joshua 11:5 Lit. assembled by appointment
Joshua 11:8 Heb. Sidon Rabbah
Joshua 11:8 Heb. Misrephoth Maim, lit. Burnings of Water
Joshua 11:13 Heb. tel, a heap of successive city ruins
Joshua 11:15 Lit. He turned aside from nothing
Joshua 11:16 Heb. arabah
Joshua 11:17 Lit. The Smooth or Bald Mountain
Joshua 11:20 Lit. to make strong
Joshua 12:3 Sea of Galilee
Joshua 12:3 Lit. Sea of the Plain, the Dead Sea
Joshua 12:3 Or Teman
Joshua 12:3 Or Ashdoth Pisgah
Joshua 12:7 Lit. The Bald Mountain
Joshua 12:18 Or Sharon