Dual PanelThe conquest of the north
1WHEN King Jabin of Hazor heard of these events, he sent to King Jobab of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph,
2to the northern kings in the hill-country, in the Arabah opposite Kinnereth, in the Shephelah, and in the district of Dor on the west,
3the Canaanites to the east and the west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill-country, and the Hivites below Hermon in the land of Mizpah.
4They took the field with all their forces, a great host countless as the grains of sand on the seashore, among them a very large number of horses and chariots.
5All these kings, making common cause, came and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
6The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I shall deliver them to Israel all dead men; you are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”
7Joshua with his whole army launched a surprise attack on them by the waters of Merom,
8and the LORD delivered them into the hands of Israel, who defeated them, cutting down the fugitives the whole way to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth on the west, and the vale of Mizpah on the east. They cut them down until they had left not a single survivor.
9Joshua dealt with them as the LORD had commanded: he hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots.
10At this point, Joshua turned his forces against Hazor, formerly the leader among all these kingdoms. He captured the city and put its king to death with the sword.
11They put under the ban and killed every living thing in it; they spared nothing that drew breath, and Hazor itself was destroyed by fire.
12So Joshua captured these kings and their cities and put them to the sword, destroying them all, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.
13The cities whose ruined mounds are still standing were not burnt by the Israelites; it was Hazor alone that Joshua burnt.
14The Israelites plundered all these cities and kept for themselves the cattle and any other spoil they took; but they put every living soul to the sword until they had destroyed everyone; they did not leave alive anyone that drew breath.
15The LORD had laid his commands on his servant Moses, and Moses laid these same commands on Joshua, and Joshua carried them out. Not one of the commands laid on Moses by the LORD was left unfulfilled.
16Thus Joshua took the whole land, the hill-country, all the Negeb, all the land of Goshen, the Shephelah, the Arabah, and the Israelite hill-country with the adjoining lowlands.
17His conquests extended from the bare mountain which leads up to Seir as far as Baal-gad in the vale of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, struck them down, and put them to death.
18It was a lengthy campaign he waged against all those kingdoms;
19except for the Hivites who lived in Gibeon, not one of their towns or cities came to terms with the Israelites; all had to be taken by storm.
20It was the LORD's purpose that they should offer stubborn resistance to the Israelites, and thus be annihilated and utterly destroyed without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
21It was then that Joshua proceeded to wipe out the Anakim from the hill-country, from Hebron, Debir, Anab, all the hill-country of Judah, and all the hill-country of Israel, destroying both them and their towns.
22No Anakim were left in the land taken by the Israelites; they survived only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
23Joshua took the whole land, fulfilling all the commands that the LORD had laid on Moses; he assigned it to Israel, allotting to each tribe its share. Then the land was at peace.