¹ 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, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men of it were mighty.

³ Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

⁴ Come up to me, and help me, and let us smite Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons 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, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants. Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill-country are gathered together against us.

⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

⁸ And Jehovah said to Joshua, Fear them not, for I have delivered them into thy hands. There shall not a man of them stand before thee.

⁹ Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly, for he went up from Gilgal all the night.

¹⁰ And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and he killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and to Makkedah.

¹¹ And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them to Azekah, and they died. More died with the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.

¹² Then Joshua spoke to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel. And he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down about a whole day.

¹⁴ And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened to the voice of a man, for Jehovah fought for Israel.

¹⁵ And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

¹⁶ And these five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

¹⁷ And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.

¹⁸ And Joshua said, Roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them,

¹⁹ but stay ye not. Pursue after your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them. Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for Jehovah your God has delivered them into your hand.

²⁰ And it came to pass, when Joshua and the sons of Israel had made an end of killing them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,

²¹ that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No man moved his tongue against any of the sons of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring forth those five kings to me out of the cave.

²³ And they did so, and brought forth those five kings to him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.

²⁴ And it came to pass, when they brought forth those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.

²⁵ And Joshua said to them, Fear not, nor be dismayed. Be strong and of good courage, for thus shall Jehovah do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

²⁶ And afterward Joshua smote them, and put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. And they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.

²⁷ And it came to pass 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.

²⁸ And Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king of it. He utterly destroyed them and all the souls that were in it. He left none remaining, and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ And Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

³⁰ And Jehovah delivered it also, and the king of it, into the hand of Israel. And he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were in it. He left none remaining in it, and he did to the king of it as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.

³² And Jehovah delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. And he took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua smote him and his people until he had left him none remaining.

³⁴ And Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon. And they encamped against it, and fought against it.

³⁵ And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all the souls that were in it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.