Read the Bible

¹ Nowe when Adonizedec kyng of Hierusalem had hearde howe Iosuah had taken Ai and had destroyed it: (and howe that as he had done to Iericho and her king, euen so he had done to Ai and her king) and howe the inhabitours of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them:² They feared exceedingly, for Gibeon was a great citie as any citie of the kingdome, and was greater then Ai, & all the men therof were very mightie.³ Wherfore Adonizedec king of Hierusalem sent vnto Hoham king of Hebron, and vnto Pira king of Iarmuth, and vnto Iaphia king of Lachis, and vnto Dabir king of Eglon, saying:⁴ Come vp vnto me, and helpe me, that we may smite Gibeon: for they haue made peace with Iosuah, and with the children of Israel.⁵ Therfore the fiue kinges of the Amorites, the king of Hierusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Iarmuth, the king of Lachis, and the king of Eglon, gathered them selues together, and went vp, they with all their hoastes, and besieged Gibeon, & made warre against it.⁶ And the men of Gibeon sent vnto Iosuah to the hoast in Gilgal, saying: withdrawe not thy hande from thy seruauntes, come vp to vs quickly, and saue vs, and helpe vs: for all the kinges of the Amorites which dwell in the mountaynes are gathered together agaynst vs.

⁷ And so Iosuah ascended from Gilgal, he and all the people of warre with him, and all the men of might.⁸ And the Lorde sayde vnto Iosuah, Feare them not: for I haue deliuered them into thine hande, neither shall any of them stande agaynst thee.⁹ Iosuah therfore came vnto them sodaynly, and went vp from Gilgal all nyght.¹⁰ And the Lorde troubled them before Israel, and slue them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth vp to Bethoron, and smote them to Azeka and Makeda.¹¹ And as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going downe to Bethoron, the Lorde cast downe great stones from heauen vpon them vntyll Azeka, and they dyed: there were mo dead with hayle stones, then they were whom the children of Israel slue with the sworde.¹² Then spake Iosuah to the Lorde in the day when the Lorde deliuered the Amorites before the children of Israel, & he sayd in the sight of Israel, Sunne, stande thou styll vpon Gibeon, and thou Moone in the valley of Aialon.¹³ And the sunne abode, and the moone stoode styll, vntyll the people auenged them selues vpon their enemies. Is not this written in the booke of the righteous? So the sunne [I say] abode in the middest of heauen, and hasted not to go downe by the space of a whole day.¹⁴ And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lorde hearde the voyce of a man: for the Lorde fought for Israel.

¹⁵ And Iosuah returned and all Israel with him, vnto the campe to Gilgal.¹⁶ But the fiue kinges fled, and were hyd in a caue at Makeda.¹⁷ And it was tolde Iosuah [of one] saying, The fiue kinges are founde hyd in a caue which is at Makeda.¹⁸ And Iosuah sayd, Roule great stones vpon the mouth of the caue, and set men by it, for to kepe it:¹⁹ And stand ye not styll, but folowe after your enemies, & smite all the hindmost, and suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lorde your God hath deliuered them into your hande.²⁰ And when Iosuah and the children of Israel had made an ende of slaying them with an exceedyng great slaughter, tyll they were wasted: the rest that remayned of them, entred into walled cities:²¹ And all the people returned to the hoast to Iosuah at Makeda in peace, neither dyd any man moue his tongue agaynst the children of Israel.²² Then sayde Iosuah, Open the mouth of the caue, and bryng out these fiue kinges vnto me out of the caue.²³ And they did so, and brought those fiue kinges vnto him out of the caue, [euen] the king of Hierusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Iarmuth, the king of Lachis, and the king of Eglon.²⁴ And when they brought out those kinges vnto Iosuah: Iosuah called for all the men of Israel, and saide vnto the chiefe of the men of warre which went with him: Come neare, & put your feete vpo the neckes of these kinges. And they came neare, and put their feete vpon the neckes of them.²⁵ And Iosuah sayd vnto them, Ye shall not feare, nor be faynt hearted: but be strong, and plucke vp your heartes, for thus shall the Lorde do to al your enemies against whom ye fight.²⁶ And then Iosuah smote them, and slewe them, and hanged them on fiue trees: And they hanged still vpon the trees vntill the euening.²⁷ And at the goyng downe of the sunne, Iosuah gaue commaundement: And they toke them downe of the trees, and cast them into the caue wherin they had ben hyd, and layed great stones in the caues mouth, [which remayne] vntil this daye.

²⁸ And that same day Iosuah toke Makeda, and smote it with the edge of the sworde, & the king therof also destroyed he vtterly, with al the soules that were therin, and let none remayne: And he dyd to the king of Makeda, as he dyd vnto the king of Iericho.²⁹ Then Iosuah went from Makeda, and all Israel with him, vnto Libna, and fought agaynst Libna.³⁰ And the Lorde deliuered it & the king therof into the hande of Israel: and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the soules that were therin: He let none remayne in it, but dyd vnto the king therof as he did vnto the king of Iericho.³¹ And Iosuah departed from Libna, and all Israel with him vnto Lachis, and besieged it, and assaulted it.³² And the Lorde deliuered Lachis into the hande of Israel, which toke it the seconde day, and smote it with the edge of the sworde, & all the soules that were therin: doing according to all, as he had done to the citie of Libna.³³ Then Horam king of Geser came vp to helpe Lachis: And Iosuah smote him and his people, vntill none remayned of him.³⁴ And from Lachis Iosuah departed vnto Eglon, and all Israel with him: and they besieged it, and assaulted it.³⁵ And toke it the same day, and smote it with the edge of the sworde: & al the soules that were therin he vtterly destroyed the same day, according to all that he he had done to Lachis.³⁶ And Iosuah departed vp from Eglon, and all Israel with him, vnto Hebron: And they fought against it.³⁷ And when they had taken it, they smote it with the edge of the sworde, & the king therof, and all the townes that parteined to it, and all the soules that were therin, and he left none remayning: but dyd according to all, as he had done to Eglon, and destroyed it vtterly, and all the soules that were therin.³⁸ And Iosuah returned, and all Israel with him to Dabir, & fought against it.³⁹ And when he had taken it, & the king therof, and all the townes that parteyded therto, they smote them with the edge of the sworde, & vtterly destroyed all the soules that were therin, neither let he any remayne: Euen as he dyd to Hebron, so he dyd to Dabir and the king therof, as he had done also to Libna and her king.⁴⁰ Iosuah therfore smote al the hil countreyes, and the south countreyes, & the valleyes, and the downes, and al their kinges, and let none remayne of them, but vtterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lorde God of Israel commaunded.⁴¹ And Iosuah smote them from Cades Barnea vnto Asah, and all the countrey of Gosan [euen] vnto Gibeon.⁴² And all these kinges and their lande dyd Iosuah take at one time: because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.⁴³ And Iosuah and all Israel, returned vnto the hoast that was in Gilgal.