Bible in 90 Days

The Lord Instructs Joshua

1 After the death of the Lord’s servant Moses, the Lord said to Moses’ assistant Joshua, son of Nun, ² “My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must cross the Jordan River into the land that I am going to give the people of Israel. ³ I will give you every place on which you set foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your borders will be the desert ⌞on the south⌟, nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) ⌞on the north⌟, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west. ⁵ No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will help these people take possession of the land I swore to give their ancestors.

⁷ “Only be strong and very courageous, faithfully doing everything in the teachings that my servant Moses commanded you. Don’t turn away from them. Then you will succeed wherever you go. ⁸ Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed.

⁹ “I have commanded you, ‘Be strong and courageous! Don’t tremble or be terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ ”

The People Promise to Obey Joshua

¹⁰ Then Joshua ordered the officers of the people, ¹¹ “Go through the camp. Tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give you.’ ”

¹² Next, Joshua said to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh, ¹³ “Remember what the Lord’s servant Moses commanded you. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will give you this land—a place to rest.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, children, and livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River. However, all your best soldiers must march in battle formation ahead of your relatives. You must help your relatives ¹⁵ take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give them. Then they will have a place to rest like you do. After that, you may go back and take possession of the land east of the Jordan River which the Lord’s servant Moses gave you.”

¹⁶ The people responded to Joshua, “We’ll do everything you tell us and go wherever you send us. ¹⁷ We will obey you as we obeyed Moses. May the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your authority or does not obey your orders will be put to death. Just be strong and courageous!”

Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho

2 From Shittim Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two men as spies. He told them, “Go, look at that country, especially the city of Jericho.” So they went to Jericho and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab to spend the night there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Some Israelites have entered the city tonight. They came to gather information about our land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent messengers to Rahab, who told her, “Bring out the men who came to your house. They came here to gather information about the entire land.”

⁴ But the woman had already taken the two men inside and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come here. But I didn’t know where they had come from. ⁵ When it was dark and the gate was just about to close, they left. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you’ll catch up with them.” ⁶ (She had taken them up to the roof and covered them with the flax which she had laid up there.)

⁷ The king’s men pursued them on the road leading to a shallow place to cross the Jordan River. As soon as the king’s men had left, the gate was closed.

⁸ Before the spies fell asleep, Rahab went up to them on the roof. ⁹ She said to them, “I know the Lord will give you this land. Your presence terrifies us. All the people in this country are deathly afraid of you. ¹⁰ We’ve heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you left Egypt. We’ve also heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites, who ruled east of the Jordan River. We’ve heard how you destroyed them for the Lord. ¹¹ When we heard about it, we lost heart. There was no courage left in any of us because of you. The Lord your God is the God of heaven and earth. ¹² Please swear by the Lord that you’ll be as kind to my father’s family as I’ve been to you. Also give me some proof ¹³ that you’ll protect my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and their households, and that you’ll save us from death.”

¹⁴ The men promised her, “We pledge our lives for your lives. If you don’t tell anyone what we’re doing here, we’ll treat you kindly and honestly when the Lord gives us this land.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope from her window since her house was built into the city wall. (She lived in the city wall.) ¹⁶ She told them, “Go to the mountains so that the men who are pursuing you will not find you. Hide there for three days until they return to Jericho. Then you can go on your way.”

¹⁷ The men told her, “We will be free from the oath which you made us swear, ⌞if you tell anyone what we’re doing here⌟. ¹⁸ When we invade your land, tie this red cord in the window through which you let us down. Also, gather your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. ¹⁹ Whoever leaves your house will be responsible for his own life. We will be free from that responsibility. But we will take responsibility if anyone inside your house is harmed. ²⁰ If you tell anyone what we’re doing here, we will be free from the oath which you made us swear.”

²¹ “I agree,” she said. So she let them go and tied the red cord in the window.

²² The men went to the mountains and stayed there for three days until the king’s men returned to Jericho. The king’s men had searched for them all along the road but had not found them. ²³ Then the two spies came down out of the mountains, crossed the Jordan River, and returned to Joshua, son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They told Joshua, “The Lord has given us the whole country. The people who live there are deathly afraid of us.”

Crossing the Jordan River

3 Joshua got up early the next morning. He and all the Israelites left Shittim. They came to the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

² Three days later the officers went through the camp. ³ They told the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the promise of the Lord your God and the Levitical priests who carry it, break camp and follow them. ⁴ However, stay about half a mile behind them. Don’t come any closer to them so that you will know which way to go because you have not gone this way before.”

⁵ Joshua told the people, “Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy because tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you.”

⁶ Joshua also told the priests, “Take the ark of the promise, and go ahead of the people.” They did as they were told.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. ⁸ Order the priests who carry the ark of the promise, ‘When you step into the water of the Jordan River, stand there.’ ”

⁹ So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here, and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ Joshua continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly force the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites out of your way. ¹¹ Watch the ark of the promise of the Lord of the whole earth as it goes ahead of you into the Jordan River. ¹² Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. ¹³ The priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, will stand in the water of the Jordan. Then the water flowing from upstream will stop and stand up like a dam.”

¹⁴ So they broke camp to cross the Jordan River. The priests who carried the ark of the promise went ahead of the people. ¹⁵ (The Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest season.) ^[a] When the priests who were carrying the ark came to the edge of the Jordan River and set foot in ¹⁶ the water, the water stopped flowing from upstream. The water rose up like a dam as far away as the city of Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. Then the people crossed from the east side ⌞of the Jordan River⌟ directly opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground.

A Reminder of the Crossing

4 The whole nation finished crossing the Jordan River. The Lord had told Joshua, ² “Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes. ³ Order them to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests’ feet stood firmly. Take the stones along with you, and set them down where you will camp tonight.”

⁴ Joshua called the 12 men whom he had selected (one from each tribe). ⁵ He said to them, “Go to the middle of the Jordan River in front of the ark of the Lord your God. Each man must take a stone on his shoulder, one for each tribe of Israel. ⁶ This will be a sign for you. In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ ⁷ You should answer, ‘The water of the Jordan River was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise. When the ark crossed the Jordan, the river stopped flowing. These stones are a permanent reminder for the people of Israel.’ ”

⁸ The people of Israel did as Joshua had ordered. They took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. They took them from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.

⁹ Joshua also set 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan River, where the priests who carried the ark of the promise had stood. The stones are still there today.

¹⁰ The priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan. They stood there until everything the Lord had ordered Joshua to tell the people had been carried out. This was as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried to the other side. ¹¹ As soon as everyone had crossed, the priests with the Lord’s ark crossed and went ahead of them.

¹² The men of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh did as Moses had told them. They marched across in battle formation ahead of the people of Israel. ¹³ About 40,000 armed men crossed the river in front of the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle.

¹⁴ On that day the Lord honored Joshua in the presence of all the Israelites. As long as Joshua lived, the Israelites respected him in the same way they had respected Moses.

¹⁵ The Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶ “Order the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come out of the Jordan River.”

¹⁷ So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come out of the Jordan.”

¹⁸ The priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise came out of the middle of the Jordan. When their feet stepped onto dry land, the water of the Jordan returned to its seasonal flood level.

¹⁹ On the tenth day of the first month, the people came out of the Jordan River. They made their camp at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. ²⁰ At Gilgal Joshua set up the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the people of Israel, “In the future when children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. ²³ The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed. ²⁴ The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life.”

Preparations for the First Passover in Canaan

5 All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan River and all the Canaanite kings along the Mediterranean Sea heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross. So they lost heart and had no courage left to face the people of Israel.

² At that time the Lord spoke to Joshua, “Make flint knives, and circumcise the men of Israel.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the men of Israel at the Hill of Circumcision.^[b]

⁴ This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the soldiers had died on the way through the desert after they left Egypt. ⁵ The men who left Egypt had been circumcised. However, the men born later, on the way through the desert, were not circumcised. ⁶ For 40 years the Israelites wandered through the desert until all their soldiers who left Egypt died. They died because they disobeyed the Lord. The Lord swore that he would not let them see this land flowing with milk and honey which he had sworn to give our ancestors.

⁷ The sons who took their place had not been circumcised on the way. So Joshua circumcised them. ⁸ When all the men had been circumcised, they remained in the camp until they recovered.

⁹ The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the disgrace of Egypt from you.” So Joshua named the place Gilgal,^[c] the name it still has today.

¹⁰ The people of Israel camped at Gilgal in the Jericho plain. There they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. ¹¹ On the day after the Passover, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The day after that, the manna stopped. The people of Israel never had manna again. That year they began to eat the crops that grew in Canaan.

The Commander of the Lord’s Army Speaks with Joshua

¹³ When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of us or one of our enemies?” ¹⁴ He answered, “Neither one! I am here as the commander of the Lord’s army.” Immediately, Joshua bowed with his face touching the ground and worshiped. He asked, “Sir, what do you want to tell me?” ¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals because this place where you are standing is holy.” So Joshua did as he was told.

Jericho Is Destroyed

6 Jericho was bolted and barred shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one could enter or leave.

² The Lord said to Joshua, “I am about to hand Jericho, its king, and its warriors over to you. ³ All the soldiers will march around the city once a day for six days. ⁴ Seven priests will carry rams’ horns ahead of the ark. But on the seventh day you must march around the city seven times while the priests blow their horns. ⁵ When you hear a long blast on the horn, all the troops must shout very loudly. The wall around the city will collapse. Then the troops must charge straight ahead into the city.”

⁶ Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests. He said to them, “Pick up the ark of the promise, and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns ahead of the Lord’s ark.”

⁷ He told the troops, “March around the city. Let the armed men march ahead of the Lord’s ark.”

⁸ After Joshua had given orders to the troops, the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns ahead of the Lord marched off as they blew their horns. The ark of the Lord’s promise followed them. ⁹ The armed men went ahead of the priests, who blew their horns. The rear guard followed the ark while the priests continued to blow their horns.

¹⁰ Joshua ordered the troops, “Don’t shout, make any noise, or let one word come out of your mouth until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” ¹¹ So the Lord’s ark went around the city once. Then they went back to the camp and stayed there for the night.

¹² Joshua got up early in the morning. The priests carried the Lord’s ark. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns were ahead of it. The priests blew their horns as they went. The armed men were ahead of them, and the rear guard followed the Lord’s ark while the horns blew continually. ¹⁴ They went around the city once on the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day they got up at dawn. They marched around the city seven times the same way they had done it before. That was the only day they marched around it seven times. ¹⁶ When they went around the seventh time, the priests blew their rams’ horns.

Joshua said to the troops, “Shout, because the Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city has been claimed by the Lord. Everything in it belongs to the Lord. Only the prostitute Rahab and all who are in the house with her will live because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸ But stay away from what has been claimed by the Lord for destruction, or you, too, will be destroyed by the Lord. If you take anything that is claimed by the Lord, you will bring destruction and disaster on the camp of Israel. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron are holy and belong to the Lord. They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”

²⁰ So the troops shouted very loudly when they heard the blast of the rams’ horns, and the wall collapsed. The troops charged straight ahead and captured the city. ²¹ They claimed everything in it for the Lord. With their swords they killed men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

²² But Joshua said to the two spies, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring the woman out, along with everything she has, as you swore you would do for her.”

²³ The spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, everything she had, and even all of her relatives. They gave them a place outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ Then Israel burned the city and everything in it. But they put the silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron into the Lord’s treasury. ²⁵ Joshua spared the prostitute Rahab, her father’s family, and everything she had. She still lives in Israel today because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to look at Jericho.

²⁶ At that time Joshua pronounced this curse:

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

Achan’s Sin and Its Consequences

7 The people of Israel proved to be disloyal about the things claimed by the Lord. Achan, son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah, and a member of the tribe of Judah, took something that had been claimed by the Lord. So the Lord became angry with the people of Israel.

² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai. Ai is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, “Go, look at that country.” So the men went and looked at Ai.

³ They came back to Joshua and told him, “You don’t need to send all the troops. Only about two or three thousand men are needed to destroy Ai. Don’t tire the troops out by sending all of them. There are only a few troops in Ai.”

⁴ So about three thousand men were sent. However, they fled from the men of Ai. ⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the city gate to the slope of the stone quarries. Israel’s troops lost heart and were scared stiff.

⁶ Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief. They put dust on their heads and bowed down to the ground in front of the Lord’s ark. They stayed there until evening. ⁷ Joshua said, “Almighty Lord, why did you bring these people across the Jordan River? Was it to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us? I wish we had been content to live on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Lord, what else can I say after Israel ran away from its enemy? ⁹ When the Canaanites and everyone who lives in the land hears about it, they will surround us and remove every memory of us from the earth. What will you do then so that your great name ⌞will be remembered⌟?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! What are you doing bowing on the ground? ¹¹ Israel has sinned. They have ignored the requirements ^[d] that I have placed on them. They have taken what I claimed for myself and put it among their own goods. They have not only stolen, but they have also lied.

¹² “The people of Israel will not be able to defend themselves against their enemies. They will run away from their enemies because the people of Israel are now claimed for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy what I have claimed for myself.

¹³ “Get up! Tell the people, ‘Get ready for tomorrow by performing the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: You have what I claimed for myself, Israel. You will not be able to defend yourselves against your enemies until you get rid of what I have claimed. ¹⁴ In the morning come forward by tribes ⌞to the tent of meeting⌟. The tribe the Lord selects will come forward by families. Then the family the Lord selects will come forward by households, and the household the Lord selects will come forward man by man. ¹⁵ The man who is selected, along with everything he has, must be burned because he has ⌞stolen⌟ what the Lord has claimed. He has ignored the Lord’s requirements and done a godless thing in Israel.’ ”

¹⁶ Joshua got up early in the morning. He had Israel come forward by tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected. ¹⁷ Then he had the families of Judah come forward, and the family of Zerah was selected. Then he had the family of Zerah come forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected. ¹⁸ Then he had Zabdi’s household come forward man by man, and Achan was selected. Achan from the tribe of Judah was the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah.

¹⁹ Joshua said to Achan, “Son, give honor and praise to the Lord God of Israel! Tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”

²⁰ Then Achan answered Joshua, “It’s true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did: ²¹ I saw a fine robe from Babylonia, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one pound among the loot. I wanted them, so I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent with the silver beneath them.”

²² Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. The loot was buried inside with the silver beneath it. ²³ They took the loot from the tent and brought it to Joshua and all the people of Israel. Then they laid it out in the presence of the Lord.

²⁴ Joshua and all Israel took Achan (son of Zerah), the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, and his tent—everything he had—and brought them to the valley of Achor [Disaster].

²⁵ Then Joshua said, “Why did you bring this disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” And all Israel stoned Achan and his family to death. Then they burned the bodies and piled stones over them. ²⁶ They made such a large pile of stones over Achan that it is still there today. Then the Lord withdrew his burning anger. For this reason that place is still called the valley of Achor today.

Israel’s Victory at Ai

8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be terrified or afraid. Take all the troops with you, and march against Ai. I am about to hand the king of Ai, his people, city, and land over to you. ² You will do the same thing to Ai and its king that you did to Jericho and its king. However, you may take its loot and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

³ So Joshua and all the soldiers started to march against Ai. Joshua picked 30,000 of his best soldiers and sent them out at night ⁴ with these orders: “Set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far away from the city. Everyone must be ready. ⁵ I’ll approach the city with the rest of the troops. When they come out to attack us as they did the first time, we will run away from them. ⁶ They’ll come out after us, and we will lure them away from the city. They’ll say, ‘They’re running away from us just like the first time.’ As we run away from them, ⁷ you come out of hiding and capture the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. ⁸ When you have captured the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord says. These are your orders.”

⁹ So Joshua sent them out, and they hid. They took their position west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent the night with the troops.

¹⁰ Joshua got up early in the morning and assembled the troops. Then he and the leaders of Israel led the army to Ai. ¹¹ All the troops with him marched until they were near the city. They camped north of Ai with the ravine between them and Ai.

¹² Joshua had taken about five thousand men and had them hide between Bethel and Ai, west of the city. ¹³ All the troops were positioned. The main camp was north of the city, and the other troops were hiding west of the city. That night Joshua went down into the middle of the valley.

¹⁴ When the king of Ai saw the main camp, he and all his troops got up early in the morning. They rushed out toward the plains to meet Israel for battle, just where ⌞Joshua⌟ expected. However, the king didn’t know there were troops behind the city waiting to attack him.

¹⁵ Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated. They ran away toward the desert. ¹⁶ All the troops in the city were called out to chase them. As they chased Joshua, they were lured away from the city. ¹⁷ Not one man was left in Ai or Bethel; they all went after Israel. So the city was left unprotected as they chased Israel.

¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the spear in your hand toward the city, because I am handing Ai over to you.” So Joshua held out his spear. ¹⁹ The men who were hiding got up as soon as he stretched out his hand. They entered the city, captured it, and quickly set it on fire. ²⁰ When the men of Ai looked back, they could see the city going up in smoke. They had no place to go, since the Israelites, who had been running toward the desert, had now turned back on them. ²¹ When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men who had been hiding had captured the city and that it was going up in smoke, they turned and attacked the men of Ai. ²² The men who had captured the city also came out and attacked them. The men of Ai were caught between the battle lines of Israel. So Israel attacked them on both sides. None of them survived or escaped. ²³ But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴ Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had been pursued. They put them all to death; not one person survived. Then the Israelites went back to Ai and killed everyone left there. ²⁵ Twelve thousand men and women from Ai died that day. ²⁶ Joshua did not lower his hand holding the spear until he had completely destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. ²⁷ Israel took the loot and the livestock of that city for themselves, as the Lord had commanded Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burned Ai and made it a deserted mound of ruins.^[e] It is still in ruins today.

²⁹ Joshua hung the king of Ai’s ⌞dead body⌟ on a pole and left him there until evening. When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take his body down. They threw it in the entrance of the city and made a large pile of stones over it. That pile is still there today.

The Lord Renews His Promise with Israel

³⁰ At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the Lord God of Israel. ³¹ He built an altar with uncut stones on which no iron chisels had been used. This was as the Lord’s servant Moses had commanded the people of Israel in the Book of Moses’ Teachings. They made burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings on the altar. ³² There in front of the people of Israel he wrote on stone slabs a copy of the Teachings which Moses had written down.

³³ All the people of Israel, whether foreigners or native Israelites, the leaders, officers, and judges were standing on opposite sides of the ark. They faced the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise. Half of the people were in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal. Right from the beginning, the Lord’s servant Moses had commanded the priests to bless the people of Israel this way. ³⁴ Afterwards, Joshua read all the Teachings—the blessings and curses—as they had all been written down by Moses. ³⁵ Joshua read ⌞Moses’ Teachings⌟ in front of the whole assembly of Israel, including women, children, and foreigners living among them. He did not leave out one word from everything Moses had commanded.

The People from Gibeon Deceive Joshua

9 When all the kings west of the Jordan River heard about these events, ² they joined together to fight Joshua and Israel. (They were the kings in the mountains, the foothills, and along the whole Mediterranean coast as far as Lebanon, the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.) ^[f]

³ When the people living in Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ⁴ they devised a scheme. They posed as messengers. They took worn-out sacks on their donkeys. Their wineskins were old, split, and patched. ⁵ Their sandals were worn-out and repaired, and their clothes were tattered. All their bread was dried out and crumbling. ⁶ They came to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal. They told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country. Make a treaty with us right now.”

⁷ The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “What if you’re living in this area? We wouldn’t be able to make a treaty with you.”

⁸ They responded to Joshua, “We’re at your mercy.”

Joshua asked them, “Who are you, and where did you come from?”

⁹ They answered him, “We came from a country very far away because the Lord your God has become famous. We heard stories about him and everything he did in Egypt. ¹⁰ We also heard everything he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ Our leaders and everyone who lives in our country told us, ‘Take what you need for the trip, and go meet them. Tell them, “We’re at your mercy. Make a treaty with us right now.” ’ ¹² Our bread was warm when we left home to meet with you. Look at it now! It’s dry and crumbling. ¹³ These were new wineskins when we filled them. Look at them now! See how they are splitting! Our clothes and sandals are also worn-out because we have come such a long way.”

¹⁴ The men believed the evidence they were shown, but they did not ask the Lord about it. ¹⁵ So Joshua made peace with them by making a treaty which allowed them to live. The leaders of the congregation swore to it with an oath.

¹⁶ But three days after the treaty was made, the Israelites heard that these people were their neighbors and lived with them. ¹⁷ The Israelites broke camp. They came to the cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim two days later. ¹⁸ The Israelites didn’t destroy these other people, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel. The whole congregation complained about the leaders. ¹⁹ But all the leaders said to them, “We have sworn an oath about them to the Lord God of Israel, so we cannot touch them now. ²⁰ We must let them live to avoid ⌞the Lord’s⌟ anger because of the oath we swore.” ²¹ The leaders said that they should be allowed to live. So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation, as the leaders had said.

²² Joshua sent for the people of Gibeon and asked, “Why did you deceive us by saying, ‘We live very far away from you,’ when you live here with us? ²³ You are under a curse now. You will always be servants. You will be woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

²⁴ They answered Joshua, “We were told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all who live there. We deceived you because we feared for our lives. ²⁵ Now we’re at your mercy. Do to us what you think is good and right.”

²⁶ So Joshua rescued them and did not let the people of Israel kill them. ²⁷ But that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation. They served the Lord’s altar, wherever he chose to put it. They still serve today.

The Day the Sun Stood Still

10 King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai and claimed it for the Lord the same way he had destroyed Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the people of Israel and were living with them. ² He and his people were terribly afraid because Gibeon was a large city. It was like one of the royal cities, larger than Ai. All its men were warriors. ³ So King Adoni Zedek of Jerusalem sent ⌞this message⌟ to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: ⁴ “Come, help me destroy Gibeon because it has made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” ⁵ So the five Amorite kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon combined their armies. They marched to Gibeon, camped there, and attacked it.

⁶ The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal: “Don’t abandon us! Come quickly, and save us. Help us because all the Amorite kings who live in the mountains have united against us.”

⁷ So Joshua, with all his soldiers and best warriors, set out from Gilgal. ⁸ The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them. I have handed them over to you. None of them can stand up to you.” ⁹ So Joshua marched all night from Gilgal and took them by surprise. ¹⁰ The Lord threw the enemy into disorder in front of Israel and defeated them decisively at Gibeon. He chased them along the road that goes to the slope of Beth Horon and continued to defeat them all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

¹¹ As they fled from the Israelites down the slope of Beth Horon toward Azekah, the Lord threw huge hailstones on them. More died from the hailstones than from Israelite swords.

¹² The day the Lord handed the Amorites over to the people of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord while Israel was watching,

Isn’t this recorded in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the middle of the sky, and for nearly a day the sun was in no hurry to set. ¹⁴ Never before or after this day was there anything like it. The Lord did what a man told him to do, because the Lord fought for Israel.

¹⁵ Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

¹⁶ The five kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷ Someone told Joshua, “The five kings have been found. They are hiding in the cave at Makkedah.”

¹⁸ Joshua replied, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post a guard there. ¹⁹ But don’t stop. Chase your enemies! Cut off their rear guard. Don’t let them get back into their own cities, because the Lord your God has handed them over to you.”

²⁰ Joshua and the Israelites defeated them decisively, almost destroying them. But some who survived got back into the fortified cities. ²¹ Then the whole army returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a single person dared to speak against any of the Israelites.

²² Joshua said, “Open the cave, and bring me the five kings!” ²³ So they brought him the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

²⁴ When they brought them to Joshua, he called for all the men of Israel. He told the officers who had gone with him, “Come forward and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So that’s what they did. ²⁵ Joshua told them, “Don’t be afraid or terrified! Be strong and courageous, because this is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you’re fighting against.”

²⁶ After this, Joshua put them to death and hung their bodies on five poles until evening. ²⁷ When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take them down from the poles. Then they threw them into the cave where they had been hiding and put large stones over the mouth of the cave. These stones are still there today.

Joshua Defeats the Southern Kings

²⁸ That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, and the Israelites killed its people and king with swords. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. ³⁰ The Lord also handed Libnah and its king over to Israel. He killed all the people. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Libnah that he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish, camped there, and attacked it. ³² The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel. He captured it on the next day and killed all the people, the same way he had captured Libnah. ³³ At that time King Horam of Gezer had come to help Lachish. But Joshua killed him and his troops. There were no survivors.

³⁴ Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon, camped there, and attacked it. ³⁵ They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He claimed it for the Lord by destroying it the same way he had destroyed Lachish.

³⁶ Then Joshua and all Israel marched from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. ³⁷ They captured it and its neighboring villages and killed its king and all the people. There were no survivors, the same as at Eglon. He claimed the city and all its people for the Lord by destroying them.

³⁸ Then Joshua and all Israel went back to Debir and attacked it. ³⁹ He captured it and its king and all its neighboring villages and killed everyone. So they claimed them all for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to Debir and its king that he had done to Hebron and Libnah and their kings.

⁴⁰ So Joshua captured the whole land—the mountains, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes. There were no survivors. He claimed every living creature for the Lord by destroying it, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded. ⁴¹ So Joshua defeated the people from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon. ⁴² Joshua captured all these kings and their territories in one campaign because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. ⁴³ Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua Defeats the Northern Kings

11 King Jabin of Hazor heard ⌞what had happened⌟. So he sent messengers to King Jobab of Madon and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph. ² He also sent messengers to the northern kings in the mountains, the plains south of Chinneroth, the foothills, and Naphoth Dor in the west, ³ the Canaanites from east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Jebusites in the mountains, and the Hivites at the foot of Mount Hermon in Mizpah. ⁴ They came out with all their armies. Their troops were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also had horses and chariots. ⁵ All these kings camped together by the Springs of Merom in order to fight Israel.

⁶ The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel. About this time tomorrow they will all be dead. You must disable their horses so that they cannot be used in battle. You must burn their chariots.” ⁷ Joshua and all his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs of Merom and attacked the Canaanite armies. ⁸ The Lord handed them over to Israel, and the Israelites defeated them. The Israelites chased them as far as Great Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the valley of Mizpah in the east. There were no survivors. ⁹ Joshua disabled their horses and burned their chariots, as the Lord had told him.

¹⁰ Then Joshua turned back and captured Hazor. He killed its king with a sword. (Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.) ¹¹ They claimed everyone for the Lord by destroying them with swords. Not one person survived. Joshua also burned Hazor.

¹² So Joshua captured all these cities and their kings. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them, as the Lord’s servant Moses had commanded him. ¹³ Israel did not burn cities built on mounds. However, Joshua made an exception and burned Hazor. ¹⁴ The people of Israel took all the loot and livestock from these cities. But they put everyone to death until they were all destroyed. Not one person survived. ¹⁵ So Joshua carried out what the Lord had commanded his servant Moses and what Moses had commanded him. He did not leave out anything the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁶ Joshua took all this land, the mountains, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the plains, and the mountains and foothills of Israel. ¹⁷ The land extended from Mount Halak which ascends to Seir as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and killed them. ¹⁸ Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. ¹⁹ Not one city had made a peace treaty with the people of Israel except Gibeon, where the Hivites lived. Israel captured everything in battle. ²⁰ The Lord made their enemies stubborn enough to continue fighting against Israel so that he could claim them all for destruction without mercy, as he had commanded Moses.

²¹ At that time Joshua also wiped out the people of Anak in the mountains, in Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and in all the hills of Judah and Israel. Joshua claimed them for the Lord by destroying them and their cities. ²² None of the people of Anak remained in Israel. Some of them were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. ²³ Joshua captured the whole land as the Lord had promised Moses. He gave it to Israel as a possession, dividing it among the tribes. So the land had peace.

Kings East of the Jordan River Defeated by Moses

12 These are the kings of the land east of the Jordan River that the people of Israel defeated. Israel also took possession of their lands from the Arnon Valley to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern plains.

² Sihon was the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon. His rule extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley to the Jabbok River, which is the border of Ammon. This included the middle of the valley and half of Gilead. ³ It included the eastern plains from the Sea of Galilee to the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) and the road that goes south from Beth Jeshimoth to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.

⁴ The territory of King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei was captured. He was the last of the Rephaim. ⁵ He ruled Mount Hermon, Salecah, all of Bashan to the border of Geshur and Maacath, and half of Gilead to the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.

⁶ The Lord’s servant Moses and the people of Israel defeated them. Then he gave their land as a possession to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh.

Kings West of the Jordan River Defeated by Joshua

⁷ These are the kings of the land west of the Jordan River that Joshua and the people of Israel defeated. ⌞Their lands extended⌟ from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave it as a possession to Israel, dividing it among the tribes. ⁸ It included the mountains, foothills, plains, slopes, desert, and the Negev ⌞that the⌟ Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ⌞had possessed⌟.

The kings were

The total was 31 kings.

Land Yet to Be Conquered

13 Joshua was old, near the end of his life. So the Lord said to him, “You are old, near the end of your life, and there is a lot of land left to be conquered. ² The land that is left includes all the districts that belong to the Philistines and Geshur. ³ It extends from the Shihor River, east of Egypt, northward as far as the border of Ekron. This is considered to be Canaanite territory, even though there are five Philistine rulers over Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, as well as the Avvim people ⁴ in the south. This territory includes all the land of the Canaanites as well as Mearah which belongs to Sidon as far as Aphek, the Amorite border. ⁵ It also includes the land of the people of Gebal, all Lebanon eastward from Baal Gad at the foot of Mount Hermon to the border of Hamath. ⁶ I will force out of the way of the people of Israel everyone who lives in the mountains from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim and all the people of Sidon. However, you must distribute the land as an inheritance to Israel by drawing lots, as I commanded you. ⁷ So divide this land. It will be an inheritance for the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.”

Tribes That Received Land East of the Jordan River

⁸ The tribes of Reuben and Gad with half of the tribe of Manasseh had received their inheritance east of the Jordan River, since the Lord’s servant Moses had already given it to them. ⁹ The border extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley, and the whole plateau from Medeba to Dibon. ¹⁰ It included all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites up to the border of Ammon. Sihon’s capital was Heshbon. ¹¹ It also included Gilead, the territory of the people of Geshur and Maacath, all of Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah ¹² (the whole kingdom of Og in Bashan). Og ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was the last of the Rephaim. Moses had defeated them and forced them out. ¹³ But the Israelites did not force out the people of Geshur and Maacath. So they still live in Israel today.

¹⁴ Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices offered to the Lord God of Israel are what the Levites inherited, as the Lord had promised them.

¹⁵ Moses gave some land as an inheritance to the tribe of Reuben for their families. ¹⁶ Their territory extended from Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley, including the city in the middle of the valley and the whole plateau near Medeba. ¹⁷ It included Heshbon and all its cities on the plateau, Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, ¹⁸ Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, ¹⁹ Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth Shahar on the mountain in the valley, ²⁰ Beth Peor, the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. ²¹ It also included all the cities of the plateau, the whole kingdom of King Sihon of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. Moses defeated him and Midian’s leaders—Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. They were princes of Sihon, who lived in that country. ²² Along with these leaders, the people of Israel also killed Balaam, son of Beor, who used black magic. ²³ The border of Reuben’s territory was the Jordan River. This was Reuben’s inheritance for its families. It included cities with their villages.

²⁴ Moses gave some land as an inheritance to the tribe of Gad for its families. ²⁵ Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of Ammon as far as Aroer, which is by Rabbah. ²⁶ It extended from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim as far as the border of Lidbir. ²⁷ In the Jordan Valley it included Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The Jordan River served as its western border, extending to the end of the Sea of Galilee. ²⁸ This was Gad’s inheritance for its families. It included cities with their villages.

²⁹ Moses gave some land as an inheritance to half of the tribe of Manasseh. It was only for the families of that half of the tribe. ³⁰ Their territory extended from Mahanaim and included all of Bashan (the whole kingdom of King Og of Bashan) and all 60 settlements of Jair that were in Bashan. ³¹ It also included half of Gilead with Ashtaroth and Edrei, the royal cities of Og in Bashan. They were given to half the families of Machir, son of Manasseh, ⌞for their inheritance⌟.

³² This is the land that Moses distributed on Moab’s plains, east of the Jordan River near Jericho. ³³ Moses did not give any land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The Lord God of Israel is what they inherited, as he had promised them.

The First Stage in Dividing the Land

14 This is the land that the people of Israel inherited in Canaan. The priest Eleazar, Joshua (son of Nun), and the heads of Israel’s tribes distributed it to the people. ² The land inherited by the nine-and-a-half tribes was determined by drawing lots as the Lord had commanded through Moses. ³ Moses had given the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan River. He did not give any land as an inheritance to Levi’s tribe, ⁴ because Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, formed two tribes. The Levites were not given a share of the land. Joseph’s descendants gave the Levites cities to live in with pasturelands for their cattle and everything they had. ⁵ So the people of Israel divided the land as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Special Land for Caleb

⁶ Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. ⁷ I was 40 years old when the Lord’s servant Moses sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. I reported to him exactly what I thought. ⁸ But my companions discouraged the people. However, I was completely loyal to the Lord my God. ⁹ On that day Moses swore this oath: ‘The land your feet walked on will be a permanent inheritance for you and your descendants because you were completely loyal to the Lord my God.’

¹⁰ “So look at me. The Lord has kept me alive as he promised. It’s been 45 years since Israel wandered in the desert when the Lord made this promise to Moses. So now look at me today. I’m 85 years old. ¹¹ I’m still as fit to go to war now as I was when Moses sent me out. ¹² Now give me this mountain region which the Lord spoke of that day. You heard that the people of Anak are still there and that they have large, fortified cities. If the Lord is with me, I can force them out, as he promised.”

¹³ So Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. ¹⁴ Hebron is still the inheritance of Caleb, son of Jephunneh and grandson of Kenaz, because Caleb was completely loyal to the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ In the past Hebron was called Kiriath Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the people of Anak. So the land had peace.