Conquest of the Northern Cities

1And it came to pass that Jabin king of Hazor heard, and he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, 2and to the kings who were from the north in the hill country, and in the plain south of Chinnereth, and in the Shephelah,† and in Naphoth-dor† on the west, 3to the Canaanite in the east and in the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

4And they went out, they and all their armies with them, a people as numerous as the sand that is on the shore of the sea in multitude, and a horse and a chariot—very many. 5And all these kings met together, and they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

6And YHWH said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before the face of Israel. Their horses you shall hamstring and their chariots you shall burn with the fire.”

7And Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. 8And YHWH delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them down and they chased them to Greater Sidon and to Misrephoth-maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward. And they struck them down until he did not leave to them a remnant. 9And Joshua did to them as YHWH had told him; their horses he hamstrung and their chariots he burned with the fire.

10And Joshua turned back at that time, and he took Hazor, and he struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all these kingdoms. 11And they struck every soul that was in it with the mouth of the sword, devoting them to destruction.† There was not left anyone breathing. And he burned Hazor with the fire.

12And all the cities of these kings and all their kings Joshua took, and he struck them with the mouth of the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the servant of YHWH had commanded. 13Yet any cities that stood on their mounds Israel did not burn—except Hazor only, which Joshua burned.

14And all the spoil of these cities, and the livestock, the sons of Israel plundered for themselves. But every man they struck with the mouth of the sword, until they had completely destroyed them; and they left not anyone breathing. 15As YHWH had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses had commanded Joshua. And so Joshua did; he left undone not a thing of all that YHWH had commanded Moses.

Joshua Takes the Whole Land

16And Joshua took all this land: The hill country, and all the Negev, and all the land of Goshen, and the Shephelah, and the plain, and the mountains of Israel, and its lowland, 17from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, and to Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And all their kings He captured, and struck them and killed them.

18Many days Joshua made war with all these kings. 19There was not a city that made peace with the sons of Israel—except the Hivite dwellers of Gibeon—they took all in battle. 20For it was of YHWH to strengthen† their hearts to engage in battle with Israel, in order that they would be devoted to destruction and that they would not receive favor, but that he might destroy them as YHWH had commanded Moses.

21And Joshua came at that time and cut off the Anakim from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel with their cities. Joshua devoted them to destruction. 22None were left of the Anakim in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did they remain.

23And Joshua took all the land, according to all that YHWH had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Footnotes:

2 Or foothills or lowlands; that is, the western foothills of Judea; also in verse 16
2 Or in the heights of Dor; Naphoth-dor is a variant of Naphath-dor; see Joshua 12:23.
11 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to YHWH, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 12, 20, and 21.
20 Or stiffen or harden