¹ Now it came to pass when Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had taken Ai and that he had utterly destroyed it (as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king) and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them;

² 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 thereof [were] mighty.

³ Therefore Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, sent unto Hoham, king of Hebron, and unto Piram, king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia, king of Lachish, and unto Debir, king of Eglon, saying,

⁴ Come up unto me and help me that we may 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 hosts and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.

⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent unto 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 that dwell in the mountains are 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 valour.

⁸ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Do not fear them; for I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

⁹ Joshua, therefore, came unto them suddenly, [for he] went up from Gilgal all night.

¹⁰ And the LORD discomfited them before Israel and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes up to Bethhoron and smote them to Azekah and unto Makkedah.

¹¹ And when they were fleeing from before Israel in the descent to Bethhoron, the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died; [there were] more who died from the hailstones than [those] whom the sons of Israel slew with the sword.

¹² Then Joshua spoke unto the LORD in the day when the LORD 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 Ajalon.

¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the nation had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of righteousness? So the sun stood still 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 the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

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

¹⁶ But the five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.

¹⁷ And it was told unto Joshua that the five kings had been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.

¹⁸ Then Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them;

¹⁹ and do not stop, [but] pursue after your enemies and smite their rearguard without allowing them to enter into their cities; for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.

²⁰ And it came to pass when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, that those who remained of them entered into strong cities.

²¹ And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace; there was no one to move his tongue against any of the sons of Israel.

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

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

²⁴ And when they had brought those kings out unto Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said unto the captains 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 unto them, Do not fear, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

²⁶ And afterward Joshua smote them and slew them and caused them to be hanged on five trees; and they hung upon the trees until the evening.

²⁷ And at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded that they take them down off the trees and cast them into the cave in which they had been hid, and they laid great stones in the cave's mouth, [which remain] until this very day.

²⁸ In that same day Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof he utterly destroyed, them and all the souls that [were] therein; he let no one remain; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did unto the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him unto Libnah and fought against Libnah;

³⁰ and the LORD delivered it also, and the king thereof, into the hands of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that [were] therein; he let no one remain in it, but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho.

³¹ And Joshua passed from Libnah and all Israel with him unto Lachish and 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 smote it with the edge of the sword and all the souls that [were] therein, 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 none of them were left.

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

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