Return to Main Page
Return to List of Readings

Excerpts from the Old Testament Book of Joshua

INTRODUCTION
Palestine was the object of conquest for thousands of years. As the land bridge linking the African and Asian continents it was highly desirable for military and economic reasons. Past conquerors include the Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, and the Turks. The book of Joshua is the story of how the Israelites entered the land of Canaan in order to create a homeland. Under the leadership of Joshua, the descendants of Jacob, now called the Israelites, entered Canaan and began to settle there. The book of Joshua picks up the story where Deuteronomy left off--with the death of Moses. It exhibits both historical and thematic continuity with the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament). One of the central themes is the promise of land, and the book of Joshua details the actualization of this promise through the conquest of Canaan and the divinely-sanctioned slaughter of the various Canaanite tribes already inhabiting the Jewish "promised land."
 
NOTE:  These excerpts come from the online Bible.
1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses's minister, saying,
1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, to the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel.
1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given to you, as I said to Moses.
1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea towards the setting of the sun, shall be your border.
1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for to this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate in it day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all [that is] written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.
1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
1:11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you provisions; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.
1:12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spoke Joshua, saying,
1:13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.
1:14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and help them;
1:15 Until the LORD shall have given your brethren rest, as [he hath given] you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return to the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side of Jordan towards the sun-rising.
1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us, we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
1:17 According as we hearkened to Moses in all things, so will we hearken to thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
1:18 Every one that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken to thy words in all that thou commandest him, shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage. . . .
6:1 Now Jericho was closely shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
6:2 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and its king, [and] the mighty men of valor.
6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round the city once: thus shalt thou do six days.
6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long [blast] with the ram's horn, [and] when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout: and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend every man straight before him.
6:6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.
6:7 And he said to the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
6:8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed.
6:9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rear-guard came after the ark, going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
6:10 And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall [any] word proceed from your mouth, until the day I bid you shout, then shall ye shout.
6:11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about [it] once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
6:12 Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
6:13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rear-guard came after the ark of the LORD, [the priests] going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
6:14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did six days.
6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
6:16 It came to pass at the 7th time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city.
6:17 And the city shall be accursed, [even] it, and all that [are] in it, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that [are] with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
6:18 And ye, in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, lest ye make [yourselves] accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.
6:19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, [are] consecrated to the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
6:20 So the people shouted when [the priests] blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
6:21 And they utterly destroyed all that [was] in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
6:22 But Joshua had said to the two men that spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore to her.
6:23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel.
6:24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that [was] in it: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel [even] to this day; because she hid the messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
6:26 And Joshua adjured at that time, saying, Cursed [be] the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay its foundation in his first-born, and in his youngest [son] shall he set up the gates of it.
6:27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was [noised] throughout all the country. . . .
8:1 And the LORD said to Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
8:2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst to Jericho and her king: only its spoil, and its cattle, shall ye take for a prey to yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
8:3 So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valor, and sent them away by night.
8:4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, [even] behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready:
8:5 And I, and all the people that [are] with me, will approach to the city: and it shall come to pass when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,
8:6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.
8:7 Then ye shall rise from the ambush and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand,
8:8 And it shall be when ye have taken the city, [that] ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
8:9 Joshua therefore sent them forth; and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people.
8:10 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.
8:11 And all the people, [even the people] of war that [were] with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now [there was] a valley between them and Ai.
8:12 And he took about five thousand men; and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city.
8:13 And when they had set the people, [even] all the host that [was] on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
8:14 And it came to pass when the king of Ai saw [it], that they hasted and rose early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain: but he knew not that [there were] liers in ambush against him behind the city.
8:15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
8:16 And all the people that [were] in Ai were called together to pursue them: and they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
8:17 And there was not a man left in Ai, or Beth-el that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued Israel.
8:18 And the LORD said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear that [is] in thy hand towards Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that [he had] in his hand towards the city.
8:19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted, and set the city on fire.
8:20 When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again and slew the men of Ai.
8:22 And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
8:23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
8:24 And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they chased them, and when they had all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.
8:25 And [so] it was, [that] all that fell that day, both of men and women, [were] twelve thousand, [even] all the men of Ai.
8:26 For Joshua drew not his hand back with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
8:27 Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey to themselves, according to the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.
8:28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, [even] a desolation to this day.
8:29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening: and as soon as the sun		 was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise upon it a great heap of stones, [that remaineth] to this day.
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
8:31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lifted up [any] iron: and they offered upon it burnt-offerings to the LORD, and sacrificed peace-offerings.
8:32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
8:33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark, and on that side, before the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
8:34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
8:35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
10:2 That they feared greatly, because Gibeon [was] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [was] greater than Ai, and all the men of it [were] mighty.
10:3 Wherefore Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
10:4 Come up to me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
10:5 Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, assembled themselves, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.
10:6 And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains, are assembled against us.
10:7 So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
10:8 And the LORD said to Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.
10:9 Joshua therefore came to them suddenly, [and] went up from Gilgal all night.
10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and to Makkedah.
10:11 And it came to pass as they fled from before Israel, [and] were in the descent to Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them to Azekah, and they died: [they were] more who died with hailstones than [they] whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
10:12 Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down for a whole day.
10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened to the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
10:15 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
10:16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
10:17 And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah.
10:18 And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to keep them:
10:19 And stay you not, [but] pursue your enemies, and smite the hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the LORD your God hath delivered them into your hand.
10:20 And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were consumed, that the rest [who] remained of them entered into fortified cities.
10:21 And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.
10:22 Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of the cave.
10:23 And they did so, and brought those five kings to him out of the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, [and] the king of Eglon.
10:24 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
10:25 Joshua said to them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
10:26 And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
10:27 And it came to pass at the time of the setting of the sun, [that] Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees, and cast them into the cave in which they had been hid, and laid great stones upon the cave's mouth, [which remain] until this very day.
10:28 And that day Joshua took Makkedah, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king of it he utterly destroyed, them, and all the souls that [were] in it; he let none remain: and he did to the king of Makkedah as he did to the king of Jericho.
10:29 Then Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah:
10:30 And the LORD delivered it also, and its king, into the hand of Israel; and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] in it; he let none remain in it; but did to the king of it as he did to the king of Jericho.
10:31 And Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it:
10:32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, who took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.
10:33 Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua smote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.
10:34 And from Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it:
10:35 And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that [were] in it he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.
10:36 And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it:
10:37 And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and its king, and all its cities, and all the souls that [were] in them; he left none remaining (according to all that he had done to Eglon) but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that [were] in it.
10:38 Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:
10:39 And he took it, and its king, and all its cities, and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that [were] in them; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king.
10:40 So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
10:41 And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.
10:42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time; because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
10:43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp in Gilgal.
11:1 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard [those things], that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king Achshaph,
11:2 And to the kings that [were] on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Cinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,
11:3 [And to] the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and [to] the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and [to] the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh.
11:4 And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, many people, even as the sand that [is] upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very numerous.
11:5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
11:6 And the LORD said to Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to-morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: thou shalt hough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.
11:7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and they fell upon them.
11:8 And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them to great Zidon, and to Misrephoth-maim, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left to them none remaining.
11:9 And Joshua did to them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.
11:10 And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote its king with the sword: for Hazor before-time was the head of all those kingdoms.
11:11 And they smote all the souls that [were] in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying [them]: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.
11:12 And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, Joshua took, and smote them with the edge of the sword, [and] he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.
11:13 But [as for] the cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; [that] did Joshua burn.
11:14 And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey to themselves: but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.
11:15 As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua: he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
11:16 So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;
11:17 [Even] from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even to Baal-gad, in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.
11:18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.
11:19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all [other] they took in battle.
11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
11:21 And at that time came Joshua and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.
11:22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.