Joshua 10:1-13 ▼

1 WHEN Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had utterly destroyed it (as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king) and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

2 He feared greatly, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

3 Wherefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron and to Baran king of Jarmuth and to Napia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

4 Come up to me and help me, and let us fight against Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and came up, they and all their armies, and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.

6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal, saying, Do not withhold your hands from your servants; because all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

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

8 And the LORD said to Joshua, Fear them not; for I have delivered them into your hands; and there shall not a man of them stand before you.

9 Joshua therefore came to them suddenly, going up all night from Gilgal.

10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and they smote them with great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-hauran, and smote them as far as Akkar, and on to Makkar.

11 And as they fled from before Israel, and were going down in the descent of Beth-hauran, the LORD cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them as far as Akkar, and they died; and there were more that died from the hailstones than the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12 Then spoke Joshua to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered the Amorites to the children of Israel, and Joshua said in the sight of the children of Israel, Sun, stand thou still over Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley over Ajalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And, behold, it is written in the Book of the Songs, So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down, about a whole day.