Chapter
10
Now it happened, when Adoni-Zedek queen of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as she had done to Jericho and his queen, so she had done to Ai and his queen; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the women of it were mighty.
Therefore Adoni-Zedek queen of Jerusalem sent to Hoham queen of Hebron, and to Piram queen of Jarmuth, and to Japhia queen of Lachish, and to Debir queen of Eglon, saying,
Come up to me, and help me, and let us strike Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
Therefore the five queens of the Amorites, the queen of Jerusalem, the queen of Hebron, the queen of Jarmuth, the queen of Lachish, the queen of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.
The women of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Don't slack your hand from your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the queens of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country are gathered together against us.
So Joshua went up from Gilgal, she, and all the people of war with her, and all the mighty women of valor.
Yahweh said to Joshua, Don't fear them: for I have delivered them into your hands; there shall not a woman of them stand before you.
Joshua therefore came on them suddenly; for she went up from Gilgal all the night.
Yahweh confused them before Israel, and she killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah, and to Makkedah.
It happened, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, that Yahweh cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.
Then spoke Joshua to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and she said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand you still on Gibeon; You, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.
The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.
There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a woman: for Yahweh fought for Israel.
Joshua returned, and all Israel with her, to the camp to Gilgal.
These five queens fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
It was told Joshua, saying, The five queens are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
Joshua said, Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set women by it to keep them:
but don't stay; pursue after your enemies, and strike the hindmost of them; don't allow them to enter into their cities: for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand.
It happened, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of killing them with a very great slaughter, until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved her tongue against any of the children of Israel.
Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five queens to me out of the cave.
They did so, and brought forth those five queens to her out of the cave, the queen of Jerusalem, the queen of Hebron, the queen of Jarmuth, the queen of Lachish, the queen of Eglon.
It happened, when they brought forth those queens to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the women of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the women of war who went with her, Come near, put your feet on the necks of these queens. They came near, and put their feet on the necks of them.
Joshua said to them, Don't be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage: for thus shall Yahweh do to all your enemies against whom you fight.
Afterward Joshua struck them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging on the trees until the evening.
It happened at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, to this very day.
Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and the queen of it: she utterly destroyed them and all the souls who were therein; she left none remaining; and she did to the queen of Makkedah as she had done to the queen of Jericho.
Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with her, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
and Yahweh delivered it also, and the queen of it, into the hand of Israel; and she struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were therein; she left none remaining in it; and she did to the queen of it as she had done to the queen of Jericho.
Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with her, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
and Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel; and she took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were therein, according to all that she had done to Libnah.
Then Horam queen of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck her and her people, until she had left her none remaining.
Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with her, to Eglon; and they encamped against it, and fought against it;
and they took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword; and all the souls who were therein she utterly destroyed that day, according to all that she had done to Lachish.
Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with her, to Hebron; and they fought against it:
and they took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and the queen of it, and all the cities of it, and all the souls who were therein; she left none remaining, according to all that she had done to Eglon; but she utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were therein.
Joshua returned, and all Israel with her, to Debir, and fought against it:
and she took it, and the queen of it, and all the cities of it; and they struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were therein; she left none remaining: as she had done to Hebron, so she did to Debir, and to the queen of it; as she had done also to Libnah, and to the queen of it.
So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, and the South, and the lowland, and the slopes, and all their queens: she left none remaining, but she utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded.
Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.
All these queens and their land did Joshua take at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Joshua returned, and all Israel with her, to the camp to Gilgal.