Joshua 11

The Northern Conquest

1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard thesethings, that he *Josh. 10:3sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king *Josh. 19:15of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain south of *Num. 34:11Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights *Josh. 17:11; Judg. 1:27; 1 Kin. 4:11of Dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the *Josh. 9:1Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, *Deut. 7:1; Judg. 3:3, 5; 1 Kin. 9:20and the Hivite below *Josh. 11:17; 13:5, 11Hermon *Gen. 31:49in the land of Mizpah. 4 So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people *Gen. 22:17; 32:12; Judg. 7:12; 1 Sam. 13:5as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

6 But the Lord said to Joshua, *Josh. 10:8"Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall *2 Sam. 8:4hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire." 7 So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. 8 And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater *Gen. 49:13Sidon, to the Brook *Josh. 13:6Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. 9 So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10 Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, *Deut. 20:16utterly destroying them. There was none left *Josh. 10:40breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.

12 So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, *Num. 33:50–56; Deut. 7:2; 20:16as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But asfor the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua burned. 14 And all the *Deut. 20:14–18spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing. 15 *Ex. 34:10–17As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so *Deut. 31:7, 8Moses commanded Joshua, and *Josh. 1:7so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests

16 Thus Joshua took all this land: *Josh. 12:8the mountain country, all the South, *Josh. 10:40, 41all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, 17 *Josh. 12:7from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured *Deut. 7:24all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except *Josh. 9:3–7the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All theothers they took in battle. 20 For *Deut. 2:30it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, *Deut. 20:16, 17as the Lord had commanded Moses.

21 And at that time Joshua came and cut off *Num. 13:22, 33; Deut. 1:28; 9:2; Josh. 15:13, 14the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. 22 None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only *1 Sam. 17:4in Gaza, in Gath, *Josh. 15:46; 1 Sam. 5:1; Is. 20:1and in Ashdod.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, *Ex. 33:2; Num. 34:2–15according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel *Num. 26:53; Josh. 14; 15according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land *Deut. 12:9, 10; 25:19; (Heb. 4:8)rested from war.