Joshua 10:1-14
When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had
utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho
and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel
and were among them, he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a
large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all
its men were warriors. So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to
King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish,
and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, "Come up and help me, and let us
attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites."
Then 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 their forces, and went up with all their armies and camped
against Gibeon, and made war against it.
And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not
abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us;
for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are
gathered against us." So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the
fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. The LORD said to
Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of
them shall stand before you." So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having
marched up all night from Gilgal. And the LORD threw them into a panic
before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibeon, chased
them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far
as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel, while they were going
down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven
on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because
of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
On the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua
spoke to the LORD; and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon."
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven,
and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day
like it before or since, when the LORD heeded a human voice; for the LORD
fought for Israel.
