Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 62

Bible text(s)

Joshua Captures More Amorite Territory

28Joshua attacked and captured Makkedah and its king that day. He put everyone in the city to death; no one was left alive. He did to the king of Makkedah what he had done to the king of Jericho.

29After this, Joshua and his army went on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. 30The LORD also gave the Israelites victory over this city and its king. They spared no one, but killed every person in it. They did to the king what they had done to the king of Jericho.

31After this, Joshua and his army went on from Libnah to Lachish, surrounded it and attacked it. 32The LORD gave the Israelites victory over Lachish on the second day of the battle. Just as they had done at Libnah, they spared no one, but killed every person in the city. 33King Horam of Gezer came to the aid of Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army and left none of them alive.

34Next, Joshua and his army went on from Lachish to Eglon, surrounded it and attacked it. 35They captured it the same day and put everyone there to death, just as they had done at Lachish.

36After this, Joshua and his army went from Eglon up into the hills to Hebron, attacked it 37and captured it. They killed the king and everyone else in the city as well as in the nearby towns. Joshua condemned the city to total destruction, just as he had done to Eglon. No one in it was left alive.

38Then Joshua and his army turned back to Debir and attacked it. 39He captured it, with its king and all the nearby towns. They put everyone there to death. Joshua did to Debir and its king what he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king.

40Joshua conquered the whole land. He defeated the kings of the hill country, the eastern slopes, and the western foothills, as well as those of the dry country in the south. He spared no one; everyone was put to death. This was what the LORD God of Israel had commanded. 41Joshua's campaign took him from Kadesh Barnea in the south to Gaza near the coast, including all the area of Goshen, and as far north as Gibeon. 42Joshua conquered all these kings and their territory in one campaign because the LORD, Israel's God, was fighting for Israel. 43After this, Joshua and his army went back to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua Defeats Jabin and his Allies

1When the news of Israel's victories reached King Jabin of Hazor, he sent word to King Jobab of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, 2and to the kings in the hill country in the north, in the Jordan Valley south of Lake Galilee, in the foothills, and on the coast near Dor. 3He also sent word to the Canaanites on both sides of the Jordan, to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, as well as to the Hivites who lived at the foot of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4They came with all their soldiers — an army with as many men as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They also had many horses and chariots. 5All these kings joined forces and came together and set up camp at Merom Brook to fight against Israel.

6The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will have killed all of them for Israel. You are to cripple their horses and burn their chariots.” 7So Joshua and all his men attacked them by surprise at Merom Brook. 8The LORD gave the Israelites victory over them; the Israelites attacked and pursued them as far north as Misrephoth Maim and Sidon, and as far east as the valley of Mizpah. The fight continued until none of the enemy was left alive. 9Joshua did to them what the LORD had commanded: he crippled their horses and burnt their chariots.

10Joshua then turned back, captured Hazor and killed its king. (At that time Hazor was the most powerful of all those kingdoms.) 11They put everyone there to death; no one was left alive, and the city was burnt.

12Joshua captured all these cities and their kings, putting everyone to death, just as Moses, the LORD's servant, had commanded. 13However, the Israelites did not burn any of the cities built on mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua did burn. 14The people of Israel took all the valuables and livestock from these cities and kept them for themselves. But they put every person to death; no one was left alive. 15The LORD had given his commands to his servant Moses, Moses had given them to Joshua, and Joshua obeyed them. He did everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Territory Taken by Joshua

16Joshua captured all the land — the hill country and foothills, both north and south, all the area of Goshen and the dry country south of it, as well as the Jordan Valley. 17-18The territory extended from Mount Halak in the south near Edom, as far as Baalgad in the north, in the valley of Lebanon south of Mount Hermon. Joshua was at war with the kings of this territory for a long time, but he captured them all and put them to death. 19The only city that made peace with the people of Israel was Gibeon, where some of the Hivites lived. All the others were conquered in battle. 20The LORD had made them determined to fight the Israelites, so that they would be condemned to total destruction and all be killed without mercy. This was what the LORD had commanded Moses.

21At this time Joshua went and destroyed the race of giants called the Anakim who lived in the hill country — in Hebron, Debir, Anab, and in all the hill country of Judah and Israel. Joshua completely destroyed them and their cities. 22None of the Anakim were left in the land of Israel; a few, however, were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

23Joshua captured the whole land, as the LORD had commanded Moses. Joshua gave it to the Israelites as their own and divided it into portions, one for each tribe.

So the people rested from war.

The Kings Defeated by Moses

1The people of Israel had already conquered and occupied the land east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Valley up the Jordan Valley and as far north as Mount Hermon. They defeated two kings. 2One was Sihon, the Amorite king who ruled at Heshbon. His kingdom included half of Gilead: from Aroer (on the edge of the valley of the Arnon) and the city in the middle of that valley, as far as the River Jabbok, the border of Ammon; 3it included the Jordan Valley from Lake Galilee south to Beth Jeshimoth (east of the Dead Sea) and on towards the foot of Mount Pisgah.

4They also defeated King Og of Bashan, who was one of the last of the Rephaim; he ruled at Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5His kingdom included Mount Hermon, Salecah, and all of Bashan as far as the boundaries of Geshur and Maacah, as well as half of Gilead, as far as the territory of King Sihon of Heshbon.

6These two kings were defeated by Moses and the people of Israel. Moses, the LORD's servant, gave their land to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to be their possession.

The Kings Defeated by Joshua

7Joshua and the people of Israel defeated all the kings in the territory west of the Jordan, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak in the south near Edom. Joshua divided this land among the tribes and gave it to them as a permanent possession. 8This portion included the hill country, the western foothills, the Jordan Valley and its foothills, the eastern slopes, and the dry country in the south. This land had been the home of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9The people of Israel defeated the kings of the following cities: Jericho, Ai (near Bethel), 10Jerusalem, Hebron, 11Jarmuth, Lachish, 12Eglon, Gezer, 13Debir, Geder, 14Hormah, Arad, 15Libnah, Adullam, 16Makkedah, Bethel, 17Tappuah, Hepher, 18Aphek, Lasharon, 19Madon, Hazor, 20Shimron Meron, Achshaph, 21Taanach, Megiddo, 22Kedesh, Jokneam (in Carmel), 23Dor (on the coast), Goiim (in Galilee), 24and Tirzah — 31 kings in all.

The Land Still to be Taken

1Joshua was now very old. The LORD said to him, “You are very old, but there is still much land to be taken: 2all the territory of Philistia and Geshur, 3as well as all the territory of the Avvim to the south. (The land from the stream of Shihor, at the Egyptian border, as far north as the border of Ekron was considered Canaanite; the kings of the Philistines lived at Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.) 4There is still all the Canaanite country, and Mearah (which belonged to the Sidonians), as far as Aphek, at the Amorite border; 5the land of the Gebalites; all of Lebanon to the east, from Baalgad, which is south of Mount Hermon, to Hamath Pass. 6This includes all the territory of the Sidonians, who live in the hill country between the Lebanon Mountains and Misrephoth Maim. I will drive all these peoples out as the people of Israel advance. You must divide the land among the Israelites, just as I have commanded you to do. 7Now then, divide this land among the other nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh, for them to possess as their own.”

The Division of the Territory East of the Jordan

8The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the other half of the tribe of Manasseh had already received the land that Moses, the LORD's servant, had given them; it was on the east side of the River Jordan. 9Their territory extended to Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and the city in the middle of that valley and included all the plateau from Medeba to Dibon. 10It went as far as the border of Ammon and included all the cities that had been ruled by the Amorite king Sihon, who had ruled at Heshbon. 11It included Gilead, the regions of Geshur and Maacah, all Mount Hermon, and all of Bashan as far as Salecah. 12It included the kingdom of Og, the last of the Rephaim, who had ruled at Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses had defeated these people and driven them out. 13However, the Israelites did not drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah; they still live in Israel.

14Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi. As the LORD had told Moses, they were to receive as their possession a share of the sacrifices burnt on the altar to the LORD God of Israel.

The Territory Assigned to Reuben

15Moses had given a part of the land to the families of the tribe of Reuben as their possession. 16Their territory extended to Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and the city in the middle of that valley and included all the plateau round Medeba. 17It included Heshbon and all the cities on the plateau: Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baalmeon, 18Jahaz, Kedemoth, Mephaath, 19Kiriathaim, Sibmah, Zerethshahar on the hill in the valley, 20Bethpeor, the slopes of Mount Pisgah, and Beth Jeshimoth. 21It included all the cities of the plateau and the whole kingdom of the Amorite king Sihon, who had ruled at Heshbon. Moses defeated him, as well as the rulers of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba. All of them had ruled the land for King Sihon. 22Among those whom the people of Israel killed was the fortune teller Balaam son of Beor. 23The Jordan was the western border of the tribe of Reuben. These were the cities and towns given to the families of the tribe of Reuben as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to Gad

24Moses had also given a part of the land to the families of the tribe of Gad as their possession. 25Their territory included Jazer and all the cities of Gilead, half the land of Ammon as far as Aroer, which is east of Rabbah; 26their land extended from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpeh and Betonim, from Mahanaim to the border of Lodebar. 27In the Jordan Valley it included Beth Haram, Bethnimrah, Sukkoth, and Zaphon, the rest of the kingdom of King Sihon of Heshbon. Their western border was the River Jordan as far north as Lake Galilee. 28These were the cities and towns given to the families of the tribe of Gad as their possession.

The Territory Assigned to East Manasseh

29Moses had given a part of the land to the families of half the tribe of Manasseh as their possession. 30Their territory extended to Mahanaim and included all of Bashan — the whole kingdom of Og, the king of Bashan, as well as all sixty of the villages of Jair in Bashan. 31It included half of Gilead, as well as Ashtaroth and Edrei, the capital cities of Og's kingdom in Bashan. All this was given to half the families descended from Machir son of Manasseh.

32That is how Moses divided the land east of Jericho and the Jordan when he was in the plains of Moab. 33But Moses did not assign any land to the tribe of Levi. He told them that their possession was to be a share of the offerings to the LORD God of Israel.

Joshua 10:28-13:33GNBOpen in Bible reader
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