Northern Palestine Defeated 1And when Jabin king of Asor had heard these things, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Semeron, and to the king of Achsaph: 2And to the kings of the north, that dwelt in the mountains and in the plains over against the south side of Ceneroth, and in the levels and the countries of Dor by the sea side : 3To the Chanaanites also on the ease and on the west, and the Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Jebusite in the mountains: to the Hevite also who dwelt at the foot of Hermon in the land of Maspha. 4And they all came out with their troops, a people exceeding numerous as the sand that is on the sea shore, their horses also and chariots a very great multitude, 5And all these kings assembled together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. 6And the Lord said to Josue: Fear them not: for to morrow at this same hour I will deliver all these to be slain in the sight of Israel: thou shalt hamstring their horses, and thou shalt burn their chariots with fire. 7And Josue came, and all the army with him, against them to the waters of Merom on a sudden, and fell upon them. 8And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Israel. And they defeated them, and chased them as far as the great Sidon, and the waters of Maserophot, and the field of Masphe, which is on the east side thereof. He slew them all, so as to leave no remains of them: 9And he did as the Lord had commanded him, he hamstringed their horses and burned their chariots. 10And presently turning back he took Asor: and slew the king thereof with the sword. Now Asor of old was the head of all these kingdoms. 11And he cut off all the souls that abode there: he left not in it any remains, but utterly destroyed all, and burned the city itself with fire. 12And he took and put to the sword and destroyed all the cities round about, and their kings, as Moses the servant of God had commanded him. 13Except the cities that were on hills and high places, the rest Israel burned: only Asor that was very strong he consumed with fire. 14And the children of Israel divided among themselves all the spoil of these cities and the cattle, killing all the men. 15As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Josue, and he accomplished all: he left not one thing undone of all the commandments which the Lord had commanded Moses. Joshua Takes the Whole Land 16So Josue took all the country of the hills, and of the south, and the land of Gosen, and the plains and the west country, and the mountain of Israel, and the plains thereof: 17And part of the mountain that goeth up to Seir as far as Baalgad, by the plain of Libanus under mount Hermon: all their kings he took, smote and slew. 18Josue made war a long time against these kings. 19There was hot a city that delivered itself to the children of Israel, except the Hevite, who dwelt in Gabaon: for he took all by fight. 20For it was the sentence of the Lord, that their hearts should be hardened, and they should fight against Israel, and fall, and should not deserve any clemency, and should be destroyed as the Lord had commanded Moses. 21At that time Josue came and cut off the Enacims from the mountains, from Hebron, and Dabir, and Anab, and from all the mountain of Juda and Israel, and destroyed their cities. 22He left not any of the stock of the Enacims, in the land of the children of Israel: except the cities of Gaza, and Geth, and Azotus, in which alone they were left. 23So Josue took all the land, as the Lord spoke to Moses, and delivered it in possession to the children of Israel, according to their divisions and tribes. And the land rested from wars. |