1

1 After the death of Moses, the Lord's disciple, God spoke to Moses' assistant, whose name was Joshua (the son of Nun), and said to him,

2 "Now that my disciple is dead, you are the new leader of Israel. Lead my people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

3 I say to you what I said to Moses: 'Wherever you go will be part of the land of Israel--

4 all the way from the Negeb desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Euphrates River in the east, including all the land of the Hittites.'

5 No one will be able to oppose you as long as you live, for I will be with you just as I was with Moses; I will not abandon you or fail to help you.

6 "Be strong and brave, for you will be a successful leader of my people; and they shall conquer all the land I promised to their ancestors.

7 You need only to be strong and courageous and to obey to the letter every law Moses gave you, for if you are careful to obey every one of them, you will be successful in everything you do.

8 Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed.

9 Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

10 Then Joshua issued instructions to the leaders of Israel

11 to tell the people to get ready to cross the Jordan River. "In three days we will go across and conquer and live in the land which God has given us!" he told them.

12 Then he summoned the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

13 and reminded them of their agreement with Moses: "The Lord your God has given you a homeland here on the east side of the Jordan River," Moses had told them,

14 "so your wives and children and cattle may remain here, but your troops, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan River to help them conquer their territory on the other side;

15 stay with them until they complete the conquest. Only then may you settle down here on the east side of the Jordan."

16 To this they fully agreed and pledged themselves to obey Joshua as their commander-in-chief.

17 "We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses," they assured him, "and may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses.

18 If anyone, no matter who, rebels against your commands, he shall die. So lead on with courage and strength!"

2

1 Then Joshua sent two spies from the Israeli camp at Acacia to cross the river and check out the situation on the other side, especially at Jericho. They arrived at an inn operated by a woman named Rahab, who was a prostitute. They were planning to spend the night there,

2 but someone informed the king of Jericho that two Israelis who were suspected of being spies had arrived in the city that evening.

3 He dispatched a police squadron to Rahab's home, demanding that she surrender them. "They are spies," he explained. "They have been sent by the Israeli leaders to discover the best way to attack us."

4 But she had hidden them, so she told the officer in charge, "The men were here earlier, but I didn't know they were spies.

5 They left the city at dusk as the city gates were about to close, and I don't know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them!"

6 But actually she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath piles of flax that were drying there.

7 So the constable and his men went all the way to the Jordan River looking for them; meanwhile, the city gates were kept shut.

8 Rahab went up to talk to the men before they retired for the night.

9 "I know perfectly well that your God is going to give my country to you," she told them. "We are all afraid of you; everyone is terrified if the word Israel is even mentioned.

10 For we have heard how the Lord made a path through the Red Sea for you when you left Egypt! And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, and how you ruined their land and completely destroyed their people.

11 No wonder we are afraid of you! No one has any fight left in him after hearing things like that, for your God is the supreme God of heaven, not just an ordinary god.

12 Now I beg for this one thing: Swear to me by the sacred name of your God that when Jericho is conquered you will

13 let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families. This is only fair after the way I have helped you."

14 The men agreed. "If you won't betray us, we'll see to it that you and your family aren't harmed," they promised.

15 "We'll defend you with our lives." Then, since her house was on top of the city wall, she let them down by a rope from a window.

16 "Escape to the mountains," she told them. "Hide there for three days until the men who are searching for you have returned; then go on your way."

17 But before they left, the men had said to her, "We cannot be responsible for what happens to you

18 unless this rope is hanging from this window and unless all your relatives--your father, mother, brothers, and anyone else--are here inside the house.

19 If they go out into the street, we assume no responsibility whatsoever; but we swear that no one inside this house will be killed or injured.

20 However, if you betray us, then this oath will no longer bind us in any way."

21 "I accept your terms," she replied. And she left the scarlet rope hanging from the window.

22 The spies went up into the mountains and stayed there three days, until the men who were chasing them had returned to the city after searching everywhere along the road without success.

23 Then the two spies came down from the mountain and crossed the river and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them.

24 "The Lord will certainly give us the entire land," they said, "for all the people over there are scared to death of us."

3

1 Early the next morning Joshua and all the people of Israel left Acacia and arrived that evening at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped for a few days before crossing.

2 On the third day officers went through the camp

3 giving these instructions: "When you see the priests carrying the Ark of God, follow them.

4 You have never before been where we are going now, so they will guide you. However, stay about a half mile behind, with a clear space between you and the Ark; be sure that you don't get any closer."

5 Then Joshua told the people to purify themselves. "For tomorrow," he said, "the Lord will do a great miracle."

6 In the morning Joshua ordered the priests, "Take up the Ark and lead us across the river!" And so they started out.

7 "Today," the Lord told Joshua, "I will give you great honor, so that all Israel will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.

8 Instruct the priests who are carrying the Ark to stop at the edge of the river."

9 Then Joshua summoned all the people and told them, "Come and listen to what the Lord your God has said.

10 Today you are going to know for sure that the living God is among you and that he will, without fail, drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites--all the people who now live in the land you will soon occupy.

11 Think of it! The Ark of God, who is Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the river!

12 "Now select twelve men, one from each tribe, for a special task.

13 When the priests who are carrying the Ark touch the water with their feet, the river will stop flowing as though held back by a dam, and will pile up as though against an invisible wall!"

14 Now it was the harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing all its banks; but as the people set out to cross the river and as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge,

15 suddenly, far up the river at the city of Adam, near Zarethan,

16 the water began piling up as though against a dam! And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was empty. Then all the people crossed at a spot where the river was close to the city of Jericho,

17 and the priests who were carrying the Ark stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan and waited as all the people passed by.

4

1 When all the people were safely across, the Lord said to Joshua,

2 "Tell the twelve men chosen for a special task, one from each tribe,

3 each to take a stone from where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan, and to carry them out and pile them up as a monument at the place where you camp tonight."

4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men

5 and told them, "Go out into the middle of the Jordan where the Ark is. Each of you is to carry out a stone on your shoulder--twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes.

6 We will use them to build a monument so that in the future, when your children ask, 'What is this monument for?'

7 you can tell them, 'It is to remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of God went across!' The monument will be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel of this amazing miracle."

8 So the men did as Joshua told them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan river--one for each tribe, just as the Lord had commanded Joshua. They carried them to the place where they were camped for the night and constructed a monument there.

9 Joshua also built another monument of twelve stones in the middle of the river, at the place where the priests were standing; and it is there to this day.

10 The priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the middle of the river until all these instructions of the Lord, which had been given to Joshua by Moses, had been carried out. Meanwhile, the people had hurried across the riverbed,

11 and when everyone was over, the people watched the priests carry the Ark up out of the riverbed.

12 The troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh--fully armed as Moses had instructed,

13 and forty thousand strong--led the other tribes of the Lord's army across to the plains of Jericho.

14 It was a tremendous day for Joshua! The Lord made him great in the eyes of all the people of Israel, and they revered him as much as they had Moses and respected him deeply all the rest of his life.

15 For it was Joshua who, at the Lord's command,

16 issued the orders to the priests carrying the Ark. "Come up from the riverbed," the Lord now told him to command them.

17 So Joshua issued the order.

18 And as soon as the priests came out, the water poured down again as usual and overflowed the banks of the river as before!

19 This miracle occurred on the 25th of March. That day the entire nation crossed the Jordan River and camped in Gilgal at the eastern edge of the city of Jericho;

20 and there the twelve stones from the Jordan were piled up as a monument.

21 Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the stones: "In the future," he said, "when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean,

22 you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle--that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground!

23 Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea!

24 He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will worship him forever."

5

1 When the nations west of the Jordan River--the Amorites and Canaanites who lived along the Mediterranean coast--heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, their courage melted away completely and they were paralyzed with fear.

2 The Lord then told Joshua to set aside a day to circumcise the entire male population of Israel. (It was the second time in Israel's history that this was done.)

3 The Lord instructed them to manufacture flint knives for this purpose. The place where the circumcision rite took place was named "The Hill of the Foreskins."

4 The reason for this second circumcision ceremony was that although when Israel left Egypt

5 all of the men who had been old enough to bear arms had been circumcised, that entire generation had died during the years in the wilderness, and none of the boys born since that time had been circumcised.

6 For the nation of Israel had traveled back and forth across the wilderness for forty years until all the men who had been old enough to bear arms when they left Egypt were dead; they had not obeyed the Lord, and he vowed that he wouldn't let them enter the land he had promised to Israel--a land that "flowed with milk and honey."

7 So now Joshua circumcised their children--the men who had grown up to take their fathers' places.

8 And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have ended your shame of not being circumcised." So the place where this was done was called Gilgal (meaning, "to end"), and is still called that today.

9 After the ceremony the entire nation rested in camp until the raw flesh of their wounds had been healed.

10 While they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover during the evening of April first.

11 The next day they began to eat from the gardens and grain fields which they invaded, and they made unleavened bread.

12 The following day no manna fell, and it was never seen again! So from that time on they lived on the crops of Canaan.

13 As Joshua was sizing up the city of Jericho, a man appeared nearby with a drawn sword. Joshua strode over to him and demanded, "Are you friend or foe?"

14 "I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Lord's army," he replied. Joshua fell to the ground before him and worshiped him and said, "Give me your commands."

15 "Take off your shoes," the Commander told him, "for this is holy ground." And Joshua did.

6

1 The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelis; no one was allowed to go in or out.

2 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to you!

3 Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day for six days,

4 followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets.

5 Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the people are to give a mighty shout, and the walls of the city will fall down; then move in upon the city from every direction."

6 So Joshua summoned the priests and gave them their instructions:

7 the armed men would lead the procession,

8 followed by seven priests blowing continually on their trumpets.

9 Behind them would come the priests carrying the Ark, followed by a rear guard.

10 "Let there be complete silence except for the trumpets," Joshua commanded. "Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout; then shout!"

11 The Ark was carried around the city once that day, after which everyone returned to the camp again and spent the night there.

12 At dawn the next morning they went around again and returned again to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.

13

14

15 At dawn of the seventh day they started out again, but this time they went around the city not once, but seven times.

16 The seventh time, as the priests blew a long, loud trumpet blast, Joshua yelled to the people, "Shout! The Lord has given us the city!"

17 (He had told them previously, "Kill everyone except Rahab the prostitute and anyone in her house, for she protected our spies.

18 Don't take any loot, for everything is to be destroyed. If it isn't, disaster will fall upon the entire nation of Israel.

19 But all the silver and gold and the utensils of bronze and iron will be dedicated to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.")

20 So when the people heard the trumpet blast, they shouted as loud as they could. And suddenly the walls of Jericho crumbled and fell before them, and the people of Israel poured into the city from every side and captured it!

21 They destroyed everything in it--men and women, young and old; oxen; sheep; donkeys--everything.

22 Meanwhile Joshua had said to the two spies, "Keep your promise. Go and rescue the prostitute and everyone with her."

23 The young men found her and rescued her, along with her father, mother, brothers, and other relatives who were with her. Arrangements were made for them to live outside the camp of Israel.

24 Then the Israelis burned the city and everything in it except that the silver and gold and the bronze and iron utensils were kept for the Lord's treasury.

25 Thus Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, and they still live among the Israelites because she hid the spies sent to Jericho by Joshua.

26 Then Joshua declared a terrible curse upon anyone who might rebuild Jericho, warning that when the foundation was laid, the builder's oldest son would die, and when the gates were set up, his youngest son would die.

27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his name became famous everywhere.

7

1 But there was sin among the Israelis. God's command to destroy everything except that which was reserved for the Lord's treasury was disobeyed. For Achan (the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah) took some loot for himself, and the Lord was very angry with the entire nation of Israel because of this.

2 Soon after Jericho's defeat, Joshua sent some of his men to spy on the city of Ai, east of Bethel.

3 Upon their return they told Joshua, "It's a small city and it won't take more than two or three thousand of us to destroy it; there's no point in all of us going there."

4 So approximately three thousand soldiers were sent--and they were soundly defeated.

5 About thirty-six of the Israelis were killed during the attack, and many others died while being chased by the men of Ai as far as the quarries. The Israeli army was paralyzed with fear at this turn of events.

6 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing and lay prostrate before the Ark of the Lord until evening, with dust on their heads.

7 Joshua cried out to the Lord, "O Jehovah, why have you brought us over the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? Why weren't we content with what we had? Why didn't we stay on the other side?

8 O Lord, what am I to do now that Israel has fled from her enemies!

9 For when the Canaanites and the other nearby nations hear about it, they will surround us and attack us and wipe us out. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?"

10 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Get up off your face!

11 Israel has sinned and disobeyed my commandment and has taken loot when I said it was not to be taken; and they have not only taken it, they have lied about it and have hidden it among their belongings.

12 That is why the people of Israel are being defeated. That is why your men are running from their enemies--for they are cursed. I will not stay with you any longer unless you completely rid yourselves of this sin.

13 "Get up! Tell the people, 'Each of you must undergo purification rites in preparation for tomorrow, for the Lord your God of Israel says that someone has stolen from him, and you cannot defeat your enemies until you deal with this sin.

14 In the morning you must come by tribes, and the Lord will point out the tribe to which the guilty man belongs. And that tribe must come by its clans and the Lord will point out the guilty clan; and the clan must come by its families, and then each member of the guilty family must come one by one.

15 And the one who has stolen that which belongs to the Lord shall be burned with fire, along with everything he has, for he has violated the covenant of the Lord and has brought calamity upon all of Israel.'

16 So, early the next morning, Joshua brought the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was indicated.

17 Then he brought the clans of Judah, and the clan of Zerah was singled out. Then the families of that clan were brought before the Lord and the family of Zabdi was indicated.

18 Zabdi's family was brought man by man, and his grandson Achan was found to be the guilty one.

19 Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the God of Israel and make your confession. Tell me what you have done."

20 Achan replied, "I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.

21 For I saw a beautiful robe imported from Babylon, and some silver worth $200, and a bar of gold worth $500. I wanted them so much that I took them, and they are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest."

22 So Joshua sent some men to search for the loot. They ran to the tent and found the stolen goods hidden there just as Achan had said, with the silver buried beneath the rest.

23 They brought it all to Joshua and laid it on the ground in front of him.

24 Then Joshua and all the Israelites took Achan, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, his tent, and everything he had, and brought them to the valley of Achor.

25 Then Joshua said to Achan, "Why have you brought calamity upon us? The Lord will now bring calamity upon you." And the men of Israel stoned them to death and burned their bodies,

26 and piled a great heap of stones upon them. The stones are still there to this day, and even today that place is called "The Valley of Calamity." And so the fierce anger of the Lord was ended.

8

1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid or discouraged; take the entire army and go to Ai, for it is now yours to conquer. I have given the king of Ai and all of his people to you.

2 You shall do to them as you did to Jericho and her king; but this time you may keep the loot and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

3 Before the main army left for Ai, Joshua sent thirty thousand of his bravest troops to hide in ambush close behind the city, alert for action.

4

5 "This is the plan," he explained to them. "When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away.

6 We will let them chase us until they have all left the city; for they will say, 'The Israelis are running away again just as they did before!'

7 Then you will jump up from your ambush and enter the city, for the Lord will give it to you.

8 Set the city on fire, as the Lord has commanded. You now have your instructions."

9 So they left that night and lay in ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai; but Joshua and the rest of the army remained in the camp at Jericho.

10 Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel,

11 and stopped at the edge of a valley north of the city.

12 That night Joshua sent another five thousand men to join the troops in ambush on the west side of the city.

13 He himself spent the night in the valley.

14 The King of Ai, seeing the Israelis across the valley, went out early the next morning and attacked at the Plain of Arabah. But of course he didn't realize that there was an ambush behind the city.

15 Joshua and the Israeli army fled across the wilderness as though badly beaten,

16 and all the soldiers in the city were called out to chase after them; so the city was left defenseless;

17 there was not a soldier left in Ai or Bethel, and the city gates were left wide open.

18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Point your spear toward Ai, for I will give you the city." Joshua did.

19 And when the men in ambush saw his signal, they jumped up and poured into the city and set it on fire.

20 When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the city was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go.

21 When Joshua and the troops who were with him saw the smoke, they knew that their men who had been in ambush were inside the city, so they turned upon their pursuers and began killing them.

22 Then the Israelis who were inside the city came out and began destroying the enemy from the rear. So the men of Ai were caught in a trap and all of them died; not one man survived or escaped,

23 except for the king of Ai, who was captured and brought to Joshua.

24 When the army of Israel had finished slaughtering all the men outside the city, they went back and finished off everyone left inside.

25 So the entire population of Ai, twelve thousand in all, was wiped out that day.

26 For Joshua kept his spear pointed toward Ai until the last person was dead.

27 Only the cattle and the loot were not destroyed, for the armies of Israel kept these for themselves. (The Lord had told Joshua they could.)

28 So Ai became a desolate mound of refuse, as it still is today.

29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, but as the sun was going down, he took down the body and threw it in front of the city gate. There he piled a great heap of stones over it, which can still be seen.

30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel at Mount Ebal,

31 as Moses had commanded in the book of his laws: "Make me an altar of boulders that have neither been broken nor carved," the Lord had said concerning Mount Ebal. Then the priests offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings to the Lord on the altar.

32 And as the people of Israel watched, Joshua carved upon the stones of the altar each of the Ten Commandments.

33 Then all the people of Israel--including the elders, officers, judges, and the foreigners living among them--divided into two groups, half of them standing at the foot of Mount Gerizim and half at the foot of Mount Ebal. Between them stood the priests with the Ark, ready to pronounce their blessing. (This was all done in accordance with the instructions given long before by Moses.)

34 Joshua then read to them all of the statements of blessing and curses that Moses had written in the book of God's laws.

35 Every commandment Moses had ever given was read before the entire assembly, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among the Israelis.

9

1 When the kings of the surrounding area heard what had happened to Jericho, they quickly combined their armies to fight for their lives against Joshua and the Israelis. These were the kings of the nations west of the Jordan River, along the shores of the Mediterranean as far north as the Lebanon mountains--the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

2

3 But when the people of Gibeon heard what had happened to Jericho and Ai,

4 they resorted to trickery to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua

5 wearing worn-out clothing, as though from a long journey, with patched shoes, weatherworn saddlebags on their donkeys, old, patched wineskins and dry, moldy bread.

6 When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant land to ask for a peace treaty with you."

7 The Israelis replied to these Hivites, "How do we know you don't live nearby? For if you do, we cannot make a treaty with you."

8 They replied, "We will be your slaves." "But who are you?" Joshua demanded. "Where do you come from?"

9 And they told him, "We are from a very distant country; we have heard of the might of the Lord your God and of all that he did in Egypt,

10 and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites--Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan.

11 So our elders and our people instructed us, 'Prepare for a long journey; go to the people of Israel and declare our nation to be their servants, and ask for peace.'

12 This bread was hot from the ovens when we left, but now as you see, it is dry and moldy;

13 these wineskins were new, but now they are old and cracked; our clothing and shoes have become worn out from our long, hard trip."

14 Joshua and the other leaders finally believed them. They did not bother to ask the Lord

15 but went ahead and signed a peace treaty. And the leaders of Israel ratified the agreement with a binding oath.

16 Three days later the facts came out--these men were close neighbors.

17 The Israeli army set out at once to investigate and reached their cities in three days. (The names of the cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.)

18 But the cities were not harmed because of the vow which the leaders of Israel had made before the Lord God. The people of Israel were angry with their leaders because of the peace treaty.

19 But the leaders replied, "We have sworn before the Lord God of Israel that we will not touch them, and we won't.

20 We must let them live, for if we break our oath, the wrath of Jehovah will be upon us."

21 So they became servants of the Israelis, chopping their wood and carrying their water.

22 Joshua summoned their leaders and demanded, "Why have you lied to us by saying that you lived in a distant land, when you were actually living right here among us?

23 Now a curse shall be upon you! From this moment you must always furnish us with servants to chop wood and carry water for the service of our God."

24 They replied, "We did it because we were told that Jehovah instructed his disciple Moses to conquer this entire land and destroy all the people living in it. So we feared for our lives because of you; that is why we have done it.

25 But now we are in your hands; you may do with us as you wish."

26 So Joshua would not allow the people of Israel to kill them,

27 but they became woodchoppers and water-carriers for the people of Israel and for the altar of the Lord--wherever it would be built (for the Lord hadn't yet told them where to build it). This arrangement is still in force at the time of this writing.

10

1 When Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured and destroyed Ai and had killed its king, the same as he had done at Jericho, and how the people of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were now their allies,

2 he was very frightened. For Gibeon was a great city--as great as the royal cities and much larger than Ai--and its men were known as hard fighters.

3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, King Debir of Eglon.

4 "Come and help me destroy Gibeon," he urged them, "for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel."

5 So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack on Gibeon.

6 The men of Gibeon hurriedly sent messengers to Joshua at Gilgal. "Come and help your servants!" they demanded. "Come quickly and save us! For all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hills are here with their armies."

7 So Joshua and the Israeli army left Gilgal and went to rescue Gibeon.

8 "Don't be afraid of them," the Lord said to Joshua, "for they are already defeated! I have given them to you to destroy. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you."

9 Joshua traveled all night from Gilgal and took the enemy armies by surprise.

10 Then the Lord threw them into a panic so that the army of Israel slaughtered great numbers of them at Gibeon and chased the others all the way to Beth-horon and Azekah and Makkedah, killing them along the way.

11 And as the enemy was racing down the hill to Beth-horon, the Lord destroyed them with a great hailstorm that continued all the way to Azekah; in fact, more men died from the hail than by the swords of the Israelis.

12 As the men of Israel were pursuing and harassing the foe, Joshua prayed aloud, "Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and let the moon stand in its place over the valley of Aijalon!"

13 And the sun and the moon didn't move until the Israeli army had finished the destruction of its enemies! This is described in greater detail in The Book of Jashar. So the sun stopped in the heavens and stayed there for almost twenty-four hours!

14 There had never been such a day before, and there has never been another since, when the Lord stopped the sun and moon--all because of the prayer of one man. But the Lord was fighting for Israel.

15 (Afterwards Joshua and the Israeli army returned to Gilgal.)

16 During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah.

17 When the news was brought to Joshua that they had been found,

18 he issued a command that a great stone be rolled against the mouth of the cave and that guards be placed there to keep the kings inside.

19 Then Joshua commanded the rest of the army, "Go on chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don't let them get back to their cities, for the Lord will help you to completely destroy them."

20 So Joshua and the Israeli army continued the slaughter and wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified cities.

21 Then the Israelis returned to their camp at Makkedah without having lost a single man! And after that no one dared to attack Israel.

22 Joshua now instructed his men to remove the stone from the mouth of the cave and to bring out the five kings--of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon.

23

24 Joshua told the captains of his army to put their feet on the kings' necks.

25 "Don't ever be afraid or discouraged," Joshua said to his men. "Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies."

26 With that, Joshua plunged his sword into each of the five kings, killing them. He then hanged them on five trees until evening.

27 As the sun was going down, Joshua instructed that their bodies be taken down and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding; and a great pile of stones was placed at the mouth of the cave. (The pile is still there today.)

28 On that same day Joshua destroyed the city of Makkedah and killed its king and everyone in it. Not one person in the entire city was left alive.

29 Then the Israelis went to Libnah.

30 There, too, the Lord gave them the city and its king. Every last person was slaughtered, just as at Jericho.

31 From Libnah they went to Lachish and attacked it.

32 And the Lord gave it to them on the second day; here, too, the entire population was slaughtered, just as at Libnah.

33 During the attack on Lachish, King Horam of Gezer arrived with his army to try to help defend the city, but Joshua's men killed him and destroyed his entire army.

34 The Israeli army then captured Eglon on the first day and, as at Lachish, they killed everyone in the city.

35

36 After leaving Eglon they went to Hebron

37 and captured it and all of its surrounding villages, slaughtering the entire population. Not one person was left alive.

38 Then they turned back to Debir,

39 which they quickly captured with all of its outlying villages. And they killed everyone just as they had at Libnah.

40 So Joshua and his army conquered the whole country--the nations and kings of the hill country, the Negeb, the lowlands, and the mountain slopes. They destroyed everyone in the land, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded,

41 slaughtering them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and from Goshen to Gibeon.

42 This was all accomplished in one campaign, for the Lord God of Israel was fighting for his people.

43 Then Joshua and his army returned to their camp at Gilgal.

11

1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent urgent messages to the following kings: King Jobab of Madon; The king of Shimron; The king of Achshaph;

2 All the kings of the northern hill country; The kings in the Arabah, south of Chinneroth; Those in the lowland; The kings in the mountain areas of Dor, on the west;

3 The kings of Canaan, both east and west; The kings of the Amorites; The kings of the Hittites; The kings of the Perizzites; The kings in the Jebusite hill country; The Hivite kings in the cities on the slopes of Mount Hermon, in the land of Mizpah.

4 All these kings responded by mobilizing their armies and uniting to crush Israel. Their combined troops, along with a vast array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape around the Springs of Merom as far as one could see;

5 for they established their camp at the Springs of Merom.

6 But the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow they will all be dead! Hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."

7 Joshua and his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs of Merom and attacked.

8 And the Lord gave all that vast army to the Israelis, who chased them as far as Great Sidon and a place called the Salt Pits, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah; so not one enemy troop survived the battle.

9 Then Joshua and his men did as the Lord had instructed, for they hamstrung the horses and burned all the chariots.

10 On the way back, Joshua captured Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had at one time been the capital of the federation of all those kingdoms.)

11 Every person there was killed and the city was burned.

12 Then he attacked and destroyed all the other cities of those kings. All the people were slaughtered, just as Moses had commanded long before.

13 (However, Joshua did not burn any of the cities built on mounds except for Hazor.)

14 All the loot and cattle of the ravaged cities were taken by the Israelis for themselves, but they killed all the people.

15 For so the Lord had commanded his disciple Moses; and Moses had passed the commandment on to Joshua, who did as he had been told: he carefully obeyed all of the Lord's instructions to Moses.

16 So Joshua conquered the entire land--the hill country, the Negeb, the land of Goshen, the lowlands, the Arabah, and the hills and lowlands of Israel.

17 The Israeli territory now extended all the way from Mount Halak, near Seir, to Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, at the foot of Mount Hermon. And Joshua killed all the kings of those territories.

18 It took seven years of war to accomplish all of this.

19 None of the cities was given a peace treaty except the Hivites of Gibeon; all of the others were destroyed.

20 For the Lord made the enemy kings want to fight the Israelis instead of asking for peace; so they were mercilessly killed, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 During this period Joshua routed all of the giants--the descendants of Anak who lived in the hill country in Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and Israel; he killed them all and completely destroyed their cities.

22 None was left in all the land of Israel, though some still remained in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the entire land just as the Lord had instructed Moses; and he gave it to the people of Israel as their inheritance, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally rested from its war.

12

1 Here is the list of the kings on the east side of the Jordan River whose cities were destroyed by the Israelis: (The area involved stretched all the way from the valley of the Arnon River to Mount Hermon, including the cities of the eastern desert.)

2 King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. His kingdom extended from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and from the middle of the valley of the Arnon River to the Jabbok River, which is the boundary of the Ammonites. This includes half of the present area of Gilead, which lies north of the Jabbok River.

3 Sihon also controlled the Jordan River valley as far north as the western shores of the Lake of Galilee; and as far south as the Dead Sea and the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

4 King Og of Bashan, the last of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and Edrei:

5 He ruled a territory stretching from Mount Hermon in the north to Salecah on Mount Bashan in the east, and on the west, extending to the boundary of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maacah. His kingdom also stretched south to include the northern half of Gilead where the boundary touched the border of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon.

6 Moses and the people of Israel had destroyed these people, and Moses gave the land to the tribes of Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

7 Here is a list of the kings destroyed by Joshua and the armies of Israel on the west side of the Jordan. (This land which lay between Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon and Mount Halak, west of Mount Seir, was allotted by Joshua to the other tribes of Israel.

8 The area included the hill country, the lowlands, the Arabah, the mountain slopes, the Judean Desert, and the Negeb. The people who lived there were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites):

9 The king of Jericho; The king of Ai, near Bethel;

10 The king of Jerusalem; The king of Hebron;

11 The king of Jarmuth; The king of Lachish;

12 The king of Eglon; The king of Gezer;

13 The king of Debir; The king of Geder;

14 The king of Hormah; The king of Arad;

15 The king of Libnah; The king of Adullam;

16 The king of Makkedah; The king of Bethel;

17 The king of Tappuah; The king of Hepher;

18 The king of Aphek; The king of Lasharon;

19 The king of Madon; The king of Hazor;

20 The king of Shimron-meron; The king of Achshaph;

21 The king of Taanach; The king of Megiddo;

22 The king of Kedesh; The king of Jokneam, in Carmel;

23 The king of Dor in the city of Naphathdor; The king of Goiim in Gilgal;

24 The king of Tirzah. So in all, thirty-one kings and their cities were destroyed.

13

1 Joshua was now an old man. "You are growing old," the Lord said to him, "and there are still many nations to be conquered.

2 Here is a list of the areas still to be occupied: All the land of the Philistines; The land of the Geshurites;

3 The territory now belonging to the Canaanites from the brook of Egypt to the southern boundary of Ekron; Five cities of the Philistines: Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron;

4 The land of the Avvim in the south; In the north, all the land of the Canaanites, including Mearah (which belongs to the Sidonians), stretching northward to Aphek at the boundary of the Amorites;

5 The land of the Gebalites on the coast and all of the Lebanon mountain area from Baal-gad beneath Mount Hermon in the south to the entrance of Hamath in the north;

6 All the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, including all the land of the Sidonians. I am ready to drive these people out from before the nation of Israel,

7 so include all this territory when you divide the land among the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh as I have commanded you."

8 The other half of the tribe of Manasseh and the tribes of Reuben and Gad had already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, for Moses had previously assigned this land to them.

9 Their territory ran from Aroer, on the edge of the valley of the Arnon River, included the city in the valley, and crossed the tableland of Medeba to Dibon;

10 it also included all the cities of King Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, and extended as far as the borders of Ammon.

11 It included Gilead; the territory of the Geshurites and the Maacathites; all of Mount Hermon; Mount Bashan with its city of Salecah;

12 and all the territory of King Og of Bashan, who had reigned in Ashtaroth and Edrei. (He was the last of the Rephaim, for Moses had attacked them and driven them out.

13 However, the people of Israel had not driven out the Geshurites or the Maacathites, who still live there among the Israelites to this day.)

14 The Territorial Assignments The Land Given to the Tribe of Levi: Moses hadn't assigned any land to the tribe of Levi: instead, they were given the offerings brought to the Lord.

15 The Land Given to the Tribe of Reuben: Fitting the size of its territory to its size of population, Moses had assigned the following area to the tribe of Reuben:

16 Their land extended from Aroer on the edge of the valley of the Arnon River, past the city of Arnon in the middle of the valley, to beyond the tableland near Medeba.

17 It included Heshbon and the other cities on the plain--Dibon, Bamoth-baal, Beth-baal-meon,

18 Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath,

19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zereth-shahar on the mountain above the valley,

20 Beth-peor, Beth-jeshimoth, and the slopes of Mount Pisgah.

21 The land of Reuben also included the cities of the tableland and the kingdom of Sihon. Sihon was the king who had lived in Heshbon and was killed by Moses along with the other chiefs of Midian--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba.

22 The people of Israel also killed Balaam the magician, the son of Beor.

23 The Jordan River was the western boundary of the tribe of Reuben.

24 The Land Given to the Tribe of Gad: Moses also assigned land to the tribe of Gad in proportion to its population.

25 This territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of the land of Ammon as far as Aroer near Rabbah.

26 It also extended from Heshbon to Ramath-mizpeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to Lodebar.

27 In the valley were Beth-haram, and Beth-nimrah, Succoth, Zaphon, and the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. The Jordan River was the western border, extending as far as the Lake of Galilee; then the border turned east from the Jordan River.

28

29 The Land Given to the Half-Tribe of Manasseh: Moses had assigned the following territory to the half-tribe of Manasseh in proportion to its needs:

30 Their territory extended north from Mahanaim, included all of Bashan, the former kingdom of King Og, and the sixty cities of Jair in Bashan.

31 Half of Gilead and King Og's royal cities of Ashtaroth and Edrei were given to half of the clan Machir, who was Manasseh's son.

32 That was how Moses divided the land east of the Jordan River where the people were camped at that time across from Jericho.

33 But Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi for, as he had explained to them, the Lord God was their inheritance. He was all they needed. He would take care of them in other ways.

14

1 The conquered lands of Canaan were allotted to the remaining nine and a half tribes of Israel.

2 The decision as to which tribe would receive which area was decided by throwing dice before the Lord, and he caused them to turn up in the ways he wanted. Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the tribal leaders supervised the lottery.

3 (Moses had already given land to the two and a half tribes on the east side of the Jordan River.

4 The tribe of Joseph had become two separate tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and the Levites were given no land at all, except cities in which to live and the surrounding pasturelands for their cattle.

5 So the distribution of the land was in strict accordance with the Lord's directions to Moses.)

6 The Land Given to Caleb: A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb, came to Joshua in Gilgal. "Remember what the Lord said to Moses about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea?" Caleb asked Joshua.

7 "I was forty years old at the time, and Moses had sent us from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I reported what I felt was the truth,

8 but our brothers who went with us frightened the people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. But since I had followed the Lord my God,

9 Moses told me, 'The section of Canaan you were just in shall belong to you and your descendants forever.'

10 "Now, as you see, from that time until now the Lord has kept me alive and well for all these forty-five years since crisscrossing the wilderness, and today I am eighty-five years old.

11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent us on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then!

12 So I'm asking that you give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as spies we found the Anakim living there in great, walled cities, but if the Lord is with me, I shall drive them out of the land."

13 So Joshua blessed him and gave him Hebron as a permanent inheritance because he had followed the Lord God of Israel.

14

15 (Before that time Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba, after a great hero of the Anakim.) And there was no resistance from the local populations as the Israelis resettled the land.

15

1 The land given to the Tribe of Judah (as assigned by sacred lot): Judah's southern boundary began at the northern border of Edom, crossed the Wilderness of Zin, and ended at the northern edge of the Negeb.

2 More specifically, this boundary began at the south bay of the Dead Sea,

3 ran along the road going south of Mount Akrabbim, on into the Wilderness of Zin to Hezron (south of Kadesh-barnea),

4 and then up through Karka and Azmon, until it finally reached the Brook of Egypt, and along that to the Mediterranean Sea.

5 The eastern boundary extended along the Dead Sea to the mouth of the Jordan River. The northern boundary began at the bay where the Jordan River empties into the Salt Sea,

6 crossed to Beth-hoglah, then proceeded north of Beth-arabah to the stone of Bohan (son of Reuben).

7 From that point it went through the Valley of Achor to Debir, where it turned northwest toward Gilgal, opposite the slopes of Adummim on the south side of the valley. From there the border extended to the springs at En-shemesh and on to En-rogel.

8 The boundary then passed through the Valley of Hinnom, along the southern shoulder of Jebus (where the city of Jerusalem is located), then west to the top of the mountain above the Valley of Hinnom, and on up to the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim.

9 From there the border extended from the top of the mountain to the spring of Nephtoah, and from there to the cities of Mount Ephron before it turned northward to circle around Baalah (which is another name for Kiriath-jearim).

10 Then the border circled west of Baalah to Mount Seir, passed along to the town of Chesalon on the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim, and went down to Beth-shemesh. Turning northwest again, the boundary line proceeded past the south of Timnah

11 to the shoulder of the hill north of Ekron, where it bent to the left, passing south of Shikkeron and Mount Baalah. Turning again to the north, it passed Jabneel and ended at the Mediterranean Sea.

12 The western border was the shoreline of the Mediterranean.

13 The Land Given to Caleb: The Lord instructed Joshua to assign some of Judah's territory to Caleb (son of Jephunneh), so he was given the city of Arba (also called Hebron), which had been named after Anak's father.

14 Caleb drove out the descendants of the three sons of Anak: Talmai, Sheshai, and Ahiman.

15 Then he fought against the people living in the city of Debir (formerly called Kiriath-sepher).

16 Caleb said that he would give his daughter Achsah to be the wife of anyone who would go and capture Kiriath-sepher.

17 Othniel (son of Kenaz), Caleb's nephew, was the one who conquered it, so Achsah became Othniel's wife.

18 As she was leaving with him, she urged him to ask her father for an additional field as a wedding present. She got off her donkey to speak to Caleb about this. "What is it? What can I do for you?" he asked.

19 And she replied, "Give me another present! For the land you gave me is a desert. Give us some springs too!" Then he gave her the upper and lower springs.

20 So this was the assignment of land to the tribe of Judah:

21 The cities of Judah which were situated along the borders of Edom in the Negeb, namely: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

22 Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

23 Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

25 Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (or, Hazor),

26 Amam, Shema, Moladah,

27 Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet,

28 Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah,

29 Baalah, Iim, Ezem,

30 Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah,

31 Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

32 Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. In all, there were twenty-nine of these cities with their surrounding villages.

33 The following cities situated in the lowlands were also given to Judah: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

34 Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

35 Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

36 Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim. In all, there were fourteen of these cities with their surrounding villages.

37 The tribe of Judah also inherited twenty-five other cities with their villages: Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad,

38 Dilean, Mizpeh, Joktheel,

39 Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

40 Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish,

41 Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, Makkedah,

42 Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

43 Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

44 Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah.

45 The territory of the tribe of Judah also included all the towns and villages of Ekron.

46 From Ekron the boundary extended to the Mediterranean and included the cities along the borders of Ashdod with their nearby villages;

47 also the city of Ashdod with its villages, and Gaza with its villages as far as the Brook of Egypt; also the entire Mediterranean coast from the mouth of the Brook of Egypt on the south to Tyre on the north.

48 Judah also received these forty-four cities in the hill country with their surrounding villages: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

49 Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (or Debir),

50 Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

51 Goshen, Holon, Giloh,

52 Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

53 Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah,

54 Humtah, Kiriath-arba (or, Hebron), Zior,

55 Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

56 Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

57 Kain, Gibeah, Timnah,

58 Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,

59 Maarath, Beth-anoth, Eltekon,

60 Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim), Rabbah,

61 Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,

62 Nibshan, The City of Salt, and En-gedi.

63 But the tribe of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in the city of Jerusalem, so the Jebusites live there among the people of Judah to this day.

16

1 The southern boundary of the Tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh): This boundary extended from the Jordan River at Jericho through the wilderness and the hill country to Bethel.

2

3 It then went from Bethel to Luz, then on to Ataroth, in the territory of the Archites;

4 and west to the border of the Japhletites as far as Lower Beth-horon, then to Gezer and on over to the Mediterranean.

5 The Land Given to the Tribe of Ephraim: The eastern boundary began at Ataroth-addar. From there it ran to Upper Beth-horon,

6 then on to the Mediterranean Sea. The northern boundary began at the Sea, ran east past Michmethath, then continued on past Taanath-shiloh and Janoah.

7 From Janoah it turned southward to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and ended at the Jordan River.

8

9 Ephraim was also given some of the cities in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

10 The Canaanites living in Gezer were never driven out, so they still live as slaves among the people of Ephraim.

17

1 The land given to the Half-tribe of Manasseh (Joseph's oldest son): The clan of Machir (Manasseh's oldest son who was the father of Gilead) had already been given the land of Gilead and Bashan on the east side of the Jordan River, for they were great warriors.

2 So now, land on the west side of the Jordan was given to the clans of Abiezer, Helek, Asriel, Shechem, Shemida, and Hepher.

3 However, Hepher's son Zelophehad (grandson of Gilead, great-grandson of Machir, and great-great-grandson of Manasseh) had no sons. He had only five daughters whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

4 These women came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua and the Israeli leaders and reminded them, "The Lord told Moses that we were to receive as much property as the men of our tribe."

5 So, as the Lord had commanded through Moses, these five women were given an inheritance along with their five great-uncles,

6 and the total inheritance came to ten sections of land (in addition to the land of Gilead and Bashan across the Jordan River).

7 The northern boundary of the tribe of Manasseh extended southward from the border of Asher to Michmethath, which is east of Shechem. On the south the boundary went from Michmethath to the Spring of Tappuah.

8 (The land of Tappuah belonged to Manasseh, but the city of Tappuah, on the border of Manasseh's land, belonged to the tribe of Ephraim.)

9 From the spring of Tappuah the border of Manasseh followed the north bank of the Brook of Kanah to the Mediterranean Sea. (Several cities south of the brook belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, though they were located in Manasseh's territory.)

10 The land south of the brook and as far west as the Mediterranean Sea was assigned to Ephraim, and the land north of the brook and east of the sea went to Manasseh. Manasseh's northern boundary was the territory of Asher, and the eastern boundary was the territory of Issachar.

11 The half-tribe of Manasseh was also given the following cities, which were situated in the areas assigned to Issachar and Asher: Beth-shean, Ibleam, Dor, En-dor, Taanach, Megiddo (where there are the three cliffs), with their respective villages.

12 But since the descendants of Manasseh could not drive out the people who lived in those cities, the Canaanites remained.

13 Later on, however, when the Israelis became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves.

14 Then the two tribes of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, "Why have you given us only one portion of land when the Lord has given us such large populations?"

15 "If the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you," Joshua replied, "and if you are able to do it, you may clear out the forest land where the Perizzites and Rephaim live."

16 "Fine," said the tribes of Joseph, "for the Canaanites in the lowlands around Beth-shean and the Valley of Jezreel have iron chariots and are too strong for us."

17 "Then you shall have the mountain forests," Joshua replied, "and since you are such a large, strong tribe you will surely

18 be able to clear it all and live there. And I'm sure you can drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots."

18

1 After the conquest--although seven of the tribes of Israel had not yet entered and conquered the land God had given them--all Israel gathered at Shiloh to set up the Tabernacle.

2

3 Then Joshua asked them, "How long are you going to wait before clearing out the people living in the land that the Lord your God has given to you?

4 Select three men from each tribe, and I will send them to scout the unconquered territory and bring back a report of its size and natural divisions so that I can divide it for you.

5 The scouts will map it into seven sections, and then I will throw the sacred dice to decide which section will be assigned to each tribe.

6

7 However, remember that the Levites won't receive any land; they are priests of the Lord. That is their wonderful heritage. And of course the tribes of Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh won't receive any more, for they already have land on the east side of the Jordan where Moses promised them that they could settle."

8 So the scouts went out to map the country and to bring back their report to Joshua. Then the Lord could assign the sections of land to the tribes by the throw of the sacred dice.

9 The men did as they were told and divided the entire territory into seven sections, listing the cities in each section. Then they returned to Joshua and the camp at Shiloh.

10 There at the Tabernacle at Shiloh the Lord showed Joshua by the sacred lottery which tribe should have each section:

11 The Land Given to the Tribe of Benjamin: The section of land assigned to the families of the tribe of Benjamin lay between the territory previously assigned to the tribes of Judah and Joseph.

12 The northern boundary began at the Jordan River, went north of Jericho, then west through the hill country and the Wilderness of Beth-aven.

13 From there the boundary went south to Luz (also called Bethel) and proceeded down to Ataroth-addar in the hill country south of Lower Beth-horon.

14 There the border turned south, passing the mountain near Beth-horon and ending at the village of Kiriath-baal (sometimes called Kiriath-jearim), one of the cities of the tribe of Judah. This was the western boundary.

15 The southern border ran from the edge of Kiriath-baal, over Mount Ephron to the spring of Naphtoah,

16 and down to the base of the mountain beside the valley of Hinnom, north of the valley of Rephaim. From there it continued across the valley of Hinnom, crossed south of the old city of Jerusalem where the Jebusites lived, and continued down to En-rogel.

17 From En-rogel the boundary proceeded northeast to En-shemesh and on to Geliloth (which is opposite the slope of Adummim). Then it went down to the Stone of Bohan (who was a son of Reuben),

18 where it passed along the north edge of the Arabah. The border then went down into the Arabah,

19 ran south past Beth-hoglah, and ended at the north bay of the Dead Sea--which is the southern end of the Jordan River.

20 The eastern border was the Jordan River. This was the land assigned to the tribe of Benjamin.

21 These twenty-six cities were included in the land given to the tribe of Benjamin: Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz,

22 Beth-arabah, Zimaraim, Bethel,

23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,

24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, Geba,

25 Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth,

26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah,

27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah,

28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (or Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim. All of these cities and their surrounding villages were given to the tribe of Benjamin.

19

1 The land given to the Tribe of Simeon: The tribe of Simeon received the next assignment of land--including part of the land previously assigned to Judah.

2 Their inheritance included these seventeen cities with their respective villages: Beer-sheba, Sheba, Moladah,

3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem,

4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah,

5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah,

6 Beth-lebaoth, Sharuhen,

7 En-rimmon, Ether, and Ashan.

8 The cities as far south as Baalath-beer (also known as Ramah-in-the-Negeb) were also given to the tribe of Simeon.

9 So the Simeon tribe's inheritance came from what had earlier been given to Judah, for Judah's section had been too large for them.

10 The Land Given to the Tribe of Zebulun: The third tribe to receive its assignment of land was Zebulun. Its boundary started on the south side of Sarid.

11 From there it circled to the west, going near Mareal and Dabbesheth until it reached the brook east of Jokneam.

12 In the other direction, the boundary line went east to the border of Chisloth-tabor, and from there to Daberath and Japhia;

13 then it continued east of Gath-hepher, Ethkazin, and Rimmon and turned toward Neah.

14 The northern boundary of Zebulun passed Hannathon and ended at the Valley of Iphtahel.

15 The cities in these areas, besides those already mentioned, included Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, Bethlehem, and each of their surrounding villages.

16 Altogether there were twelve of these cities.

17 The Land Given to the Tribe of Issachar: The fourth tribe to be assigned its land was Issachar. Its boundaries included the following cities:

18 Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,

19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath,

20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez,

21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez,

22 Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh-- sixteen cities in all, each with its surrounding villages.

23 The boundary of Issachar ended at the Jordan River.

24 The Land Given to the Tribe of Asher:

25 The fifth tribe to be assigned its land was Asher. The boundaries included these cities: Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph,

26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. The boundary on the west side went from Carmel to Shihor-libnath,

27 turned east toward Beth-dagon, and ran as far as Zebulun in the Valley of Iphtahel, running north of Beth-emek and Neiel. It then passed to the east of Kabul,

28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, and Greater Sidon.

29 Then the boundary turned toward Ramah and the fortified city of Tyre and came to the Mediterranean Sea at Hosah. The territory also included Mahalab, Achzib,

30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob--an overall total of twenty-two cities and their surrounding villages.

31

32 The Land Given to the Tribe of Naphtali: The sixth tribe to receive its assignment was the tribe of Naphtali.

33 Its boundary began at Judah, at the oak in Zaanannim, and extended across to Adami-nekeb, Jabneel, and Lakkum, ending at the Jordan River.

34 The western boundary began near Heleph and ran past Aznoth-tabor, then to Hukkok, and coincided with the Zebulun boundary in the south, and with the boundary of Asher on the west, and with the Jordan River at the east.

35 The fortified cities included in this territory were: Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth,

36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor,

37 Kedesh, Edrei, Enhazor,

38 Yiron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh.

39 So altogether the territory included nineteen cities with their surrounding villages.

40 The Land Given to the Tribe of Dan: The last tribe to be assigned its land was Dan.

41 The cities within its area included: Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh,

42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah,

43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron,

44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath,

45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon,

46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon, also the territory near Joppa.

47 But some of this territory proved impossible to conquer, so the tribe of Dan captured the city of Leshem, slaughtered its people, and lived there; and they called the city "Dan," naming it after their ancestor.

48

49 So all the land was divided among the tribes, with the boundaries indicated; and the nation of Israel gave a special piece of land to Joshua,

50 for the Lord had said that he could have any city he wanted. He chose Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim; he rebuilt it and lived there.

51 Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel supervised the sacred lottery to divide the land among the tribes. This was done in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the Tabernacle at Shiloh.

20

1 The Lord said to Joshua,

2 "Tell the people of Israel to designate now the Cities of Refuge, as I instructed Moses.

3 If a man is guilty of killing someone unintentionally, he can run to one of these cities and be protected from the relatives of the dead man, who may try to kill him in revenge.

4 When the innocent killer reaches any of these cities, he will meet with the city council and explain what happened, and they must let him come in and must give him a place to live among them.

5 If a relative of the dead man comes to kill him in revenge, the innocent slayer must not be released to him for the death was accidental.

6 The man who caused the accidental death must stay in that city until he has been tried by the judges and found innocent, and must live there until the death of the High Priest who was in office at the time of the accident. But then he is free to return to his own city and home."

7 The cities chosen as Cities of Refuge were Kedesh of Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.

8 The Lord also instructed that three cities be set aside for this purpose on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. They were Bezer, in the wilderness of the land of the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth of Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and Golan of Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh.

9 These Cities of Refuge were for foreigners living in Israel as well as for the Israelis themselves, so that anyone who accidentally killed another man could run to that place for a trial and not be killed in revenge.

21

1 Then the leaders of the tribe of Levi came to Shiloh to consult with Eleazar the priest and with Joshua and the leaders of the various tribes.

2 "The Lord instructed Moses to give cities to us Levites for our homes, and pastureland for our cattle," they said.

3 So they were given some of the recently conquered cities with their pasturelands.

4 Thirteen of these cities had been assigned originally to the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. These were given to some of the priests of the Kohath division (of the tribe of Levi, descendants of Aaron).

5 The other families of the Kohath division were given ten cities from the territories of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

6 The Gershon division received thirteen cities, selected by sacred lot in the area of Bashan. These cities were given by the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

7 The Merari division received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.

8 So the Lord's command to Moses was obeyed, and the cities and pasturelands were assigned by the toss of the sacred dice.

9 First to receive their assignment were the priests--

10 the descendants of Aaron, who was a member of the Kohath division of the Levites. The tribes of Judah and Simeon gave them the nine cities listed below, with their surrounding pasturelands:

11 Hebron, in the Judean hills, as a City of Refuge--it was also called Kiriath-arba (Arba was the father of Anak)--

12 although the fields beyond the city and the surrounding villages were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh;

13 Libnah,

14 Jattir, Eshtemoa,

15 Holon, Debir,

16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh.

17 The tribe of Benjamin gave them these four cities and their pasturelands: Gibeon, Gaba, Anathoth, and Almon.

18

19 So in all, thirteen cities were given to the priests--the descendants of Aaron.

20 The other families of the Kohath division received four cities and pasturelands from the tribe of Ephraim:

21 Shechem (a City of Refuge), Gezer, Kibza-im, and Beth-horon.

22

23 The following four cities and pasturelands were given by the tribe of Dan: Elteke, Gibbethon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon.

24

25 The half-tribe of Manasseh gave the cities of Taanach and Gath-rimmon with their surrounding pasturelands.

26 So the total number of cities and pasturelands given to the remainder of the Kohath division was ten.

27 The descendants of Gershon, another division of the Levites, received two cities and pasturelands from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan, in Bashan (a City of Refuge), and Be-eshterah.

28 The tribe of Issachar gave four cities: Kishion, Daberath, Jarmuth, and Engannim.

29

30 The tribe of Asher gave four cities and pasturelands: Mishal, Abdon, Helkath, and Rehob.

31

32 The tribe of Naphtali gave: Kedesh, in Galilee (a City of Refuge), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan.

33 So thirteen cities with their pasturelands were assigned to the division of Gershon.

34 The remainder of the Levites--the Merari division--were given four cities by the tribe of Zebulun: Jokneam, Kartah, Dimnah, and Nahalal.

35

36 Reuben gave them: Bezer, Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath.

37

38 Gad gave them four cities with pasturelands: Ramoth (a City of Refuge), Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.

39

40 So the Merari division of the Levites was given twelve cities in all.

41 The total number of cities and pasturelands given to the Levites came to forty-eight.

42

43 So in this way the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had promised to their ancestors, and they went in and conquered it and lived there.

44 And the Lord gave them peace, just as he had promised, and no one could stand against them; the Lord helped them destroy all their enemies.

45 Every good thing the Lord had promised them came true.

22

1 Joshua now called together the troops from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

2 and addressed them as follows: "You have done as the Lord's disciple Moses commanded you, and have obeyed every order I have given you--every order of the Lord your God.

3 You have not deserted your brother tribes, even though the campaign has lasted for such a long time.

4 And now the Lord our God has given us success and rest as he promised he would. So go home now to the land given you by the Lord's servant Moses, on the other side of the Jordan River.

5 Be sure to continue to obey all of the commandments Moses gave you. Love the Lord and follow his plan for your lives. Cling to him and serve him enthusiastically."

6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them home.

7 (Moses had assigned the land of Bashan to the half-tribe of Manasseh, although the other half of the tribe was given land on the west side of the Jordan.) As Joshua sent away these troops, he blessed them

8 and told them to share their great wealth with their relatives back home--their loot of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing.

9 So the troops of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the army of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and crossed the Jordan River to their own homeland of Gilead.

10 Before they went across, while they were still in Canaan, they built a large monument for everyone to see, in the shape of an altar.

11 But when the rest of Israel heard about what they had done,

12 they mustered an army at Shiloh and prepared to go to war against their brother tribes.

13 First, however, they sent a delegation led by Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest. They crossed the river and talked to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

14 In this delegation were ten high officials of Israel, one from each of the ten tribes, and each a clan leader.

15 When they arrived in the land of Gilead they said to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh,

16 "The whole congregation of the Lord demands to know why you are sinning against the God of Israel by turning away from him and building an altar of rebellion against the Lord.

17 Was our guilt at Peor--from which we have not even yet been cleansed despite the plague that tormented us--

18 so little that you must rebel again? For you know that if you rebel today the Lord will be angry with all of us tomorrow.

19 If you need the altar because your land is defiled, then join us on our side of the river where the Lord lives among us in his Tabernacle, and we will share our land with you. But do not rebel against the Lord by building another altar in addition to the only true altar of our God.

20 Don't you remember that when Achan, the son of Zerah, sinned against the Lord, the entire nation was punished in addition to the one man who had sinned?"

21 This was the reply of the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh to these high officials:

22 "We swear by Jehovah, the God of gods, that we have not built the altar in rebellion against the Lord. He knows (and let all Israel know it too) that we have not built the altar to sacrifice burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings--may the curse of God be on us if we did.

23

24 We have done it because we love the Lord and because we fear that in the future your children will say to ours, 'What right do you have to worship the Lord God of Israel?

25 The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and your people! You have no part in the Lord.' And your children may make our children stop worshiping him.

26 So we decided to build the altar as a symbol

27 to show our children and your children that we, too, may worship the Lord with our burnt offerings and peace offerings and sacrifices, and your children will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no part in the Lord our God.'

28 If they say this, our children can reply, 'Look at the altar of the Lord that our fathers made, patterned after the altar of Jehovah. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices but is a symbol of the relationship with God that both of us have.'

29 Far be it from us to turn away from the Lord or to rebel against him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that."

30 When Phinehas the priest and the high officials heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, they were very happy.

31 Phinehas replied to them, "Today we know that the Lord is among us because you have not sinned against the Lord as we thought; instead, you have saved us from destruction!"

32 Then Phinehas and the ten ambassadors went back to the people of Israel and told them what had happened,

33 and all Israel rejoiced and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.

34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar "The Altar of Witness," for they said, "It is a witness between us and them that Jehovah is our God too."

23

1 Long after this, when the Lord had given success to the people of Israel against their enemies and when Joshua was very old,

2 he called for the leaders of Israel--the elders, judges, and officers--and said to them, "I am an old man now,

3 and you have seen all that the Lord your God has done for you during my lifetime. He has fought for you against your enemies and has given you their land.

4 And I have divided to you the land of the nations yet unconquered as well as the land of those you have already destroyed. All the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea shall be yours,

5 for the Lord your God will drive out all the people living there now, and you will live there instead, just as he has promised you.

6 "But be very sure to follow all the instructions written in the book of the laws of Moses; do not deviate from them the least little bit.

7 Be sure that you do not mix with the heathen people still remaining in the land; do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or worship them.

8 But follow the Lord your God just as you have until now.

9 He has driven out great, strong nations from before you, and no one has been able to defeat you.

10 Each one of you has put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

11 So be very careful to keep on loving him.

12 "If you don't, and if you begin to intermarry with the nations around you,

13 then know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no longer chase those nations from your land. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap to you, a pain in your side and a thorn in your eyes, and you will disappear from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 "Soon I will be going the way of all the earth--I am going to die. "You know very well that God's promises to you have all come true.

15 But as certainly as the Lord has given you the good things he promised, just as certainly he will bring evil upon you if you disobey him.

16 For if you worship other gods, he will completely wipe you out from this good land that the Lord has given you. His anger will rise hot against you, and you will quickly perish."

24

1 Then Joshua summoned all the people of Israel to him at Shechem, along with their leaders--the elders, officers, and judges. So they came and presented themselves before God.

2 Then Joshua addressed them as follows: "The Lord God of Israel says, 'Your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived east of the Euphrates River; and they worshiped other gods.

3 But I took your father Abraham from that land across the river and led him into the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants through Isaac, his son.

4 Isaac's children, whom I gave him, were Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the area around Mount Seir while Jacob and his children went into Egypt.

5 "Then I sent Moses and Aaron to bring terrible plagues upon Egypt; and afterwards I brought my people out as free men.

6 But when they arrived at the Red Sea, the Egyptians chased after them with chariots and cavalry.

7 Then Israel cried out to me and I put darkness between them and the Egyptians; and I brought the sea crashing in upon the Egyptians, drowning them. You saw what I did. Then Israel lived in the wilderness for many years.

8 "Finally I brought you into the land of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan; and they fought against you, but I destroyed them and gave you their land.

9 Then King Balak of Moab started a war against Israel, and he asked Balaam, the son of Beor, to curse you.

10 But I wouldn't listen to him. Instead I made him bless you; and so I delivered Israel from him.

11 "Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho. The men of Jericho fought against you, and so did many others--the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Each in turn fought against you, but I destroyed them all.

12 And I sent hornets ahead of you to drive out the two kings of the Amorites and their people. It was not your swords or bows that brought you victory!

13 I gave you land you had not worked for and cities you did not build--these cities where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them.'

14 "So revere Jehovah and serve him in sincerity and truth. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Worship the Lord alone.

15 But if you are unwilling to obey the Lord, then decide today whom you will obey. Will it be the gods of your ancestors beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites here in this land? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

16 And the people replied, "We would never forsake the Lord and worship other gods!

17 For the Lord our God is the one who rescued our fathers from their slavery in the land of Egypt. He is the God who did mighty miracles before the eyes of Israel, as we traveled through the wilderness, and preserved us from our enemies when we passed through their land.

18 It was the Lord who drove out the Amorites and the other nations living here in the land. Yes, we choose the Lord, for he alone is our God."

19 But Joshua replied to the people, "You can't worship the Lord God, for he is holy and jealous; he will not forgive your rebellion and sins.

20 If you forsake him and worship other gods, he will turn upon you and destroy you, even though he has taken care of you for such a long time."

21 But the people answered, "We choose the Lord!"

22 "You have heard yourselves say it," Joshua said. "You have chosen to obey the Lord." "Yes," they replied, "we are witnesses."

23 "All right," he said, "then you must destroy all the idols you now own, and you must obey the Lord God of Israel."

24 The people replied to Joshua, "Yes, we will worship and obey the Lord alone."

25 So Joshua made a covenant with them that day at Shechem, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between themselves and God.

26 Joshua recorded the people's reply in the book of the laws of God and took a huge stone as a reminder and rolled it beneath the oak tree that was beside the Tabernacle.

27 Then Joshua said to all the people, "This stone has heard everything the Lord said, so it will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word."

28 Then Joshua sent the people away to their own sections of the country.

29 Soon after this he died at the age of 110.

30 He was buried on his own estate at Timnath-serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north side of the mountains of Gaash.

31 Israel obeyed the Lord throughout the lifetimes of Joshua and the other old men who had personally witnessed the amazing deeds the Lord had done for Israel.

32 The bones of Joseph, the people of Israel had brought them along when they left Egypt--were buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor. (The land was located in the territory assigned to the tribes of Joseph.)

33 Eleazar, the son of Aaron, also died; he was buried in the hill country of Ephraim, at Gibeah, the city that had been given to his son Phinehas.