And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with the Gibeonites, that the Israelites heard that they were their neighbors….

And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them…, "Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you’; when you live among us? Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being slaves, and cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God."

And they answered Joshua, and said, "Because it was certainly told your servants, how that the LORD your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were very afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing. And now, look, we are in your hand: as it seems good and right unto you to do unto us, do."

Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it…and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; That they feared greatly, because Gibeon…was greater than Ai, and all the men there were mighty.
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, "Come up unto me, and help me, that we may strike Gibeon: for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel." Therefore the five kings of the Amorites…gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their army, and camped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying…, "Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the mountains are gathered together against us."

And the LORD said unto Joshua, "Fear them not: for I have delivered them into your hand; there shall not a man of them stand before you."

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of killing the Amorites with a very great slaughter…that the rest, which remained of them, entered into fenced cities. And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great hail stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel killed with the sword.

Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand you still upon Gibeon; and you, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD listened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west, and to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. And they went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand that is upon the seashore in number, with horses and chariots very many. And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, " Be not afraid because of them: for tomorrow about this time will I deliver them up all dead before Israel: you shall hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire." So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them. And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephothmaim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they struck them, until they left them none remaining.

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, "You are old… and there remains yet very much land to be possessed. Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh."

And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, "I am old… And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that has fought for you.

"Be…therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that you turn not aside from there to the right hand or to the left; Else if you do in any way go back, and cling unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you: Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.

"And, look, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you; all are come to pass unto you…not one thing has failed.…

"Know that when you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given unto you.

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you the LORD." And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance…in Mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

REFERENCES

Joshua 9:16, 22-25; Joshua 10:1-6, 8; Joshua 10:7, 20; Joshua 10:11-13a, 14; Joshua 11: 1-8, 23ab; Joshua 11:18, 23c; Joshua 13:1, 7; Joshua 23:2-3, 6, 12-14, 16; Joshua 24:29-30.

CHAPTER 17