The Campaign Against the Cities in the North
1Jabin was the king of Hazor. He heard about the battles Israel had won. So he sent a message to Jobab. Jobab was the king of Madon. Jabin sent the same message to the kings of Shimron and Akshaph. 2He also sent it to many other kings. Some ruled in the mountains in the north. Some ruled in the Arabah Valley south of Kinnereth. Others ruled in the western hills. Still others ruled in Naphoth Dor in the west. 3Jabin sent the same message to the people of east Canaan and west Canaan. He sent it to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites. They lived in the central hill country. He also sent it to the Hivites who lived below Mount Hermon in the area of Mizpah. 4Those kings marched out with all their troops. They had a large number of horses and chariots. It was a huge army. The fighting men were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. 5All those kings gathered their armies together to fight against Israel. They set up camp together at the Waters of Merom.
6The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel. All of them will be killed. You must cut the legs of their horses. You must burn their chariots.”
7So Joshua and his whole army attacked them suddenly. They fought against them at the Waters of Merom. 8The Lord handed them over to Israel. The Israelites won the battle over them. They hunted them down all the way to Greater Sidon. They chased them to Misrephoth Maim. They chased them to the Valley of Mizpah in the east. Not one of them was left alive. 9Joshua did to them what the Lord had ordered him to do. He cut the legs of their horses. He burned up their chariots.
10At that time Joshua turned back. He captured Hazor. He killed its king with his sword. Hazor was the most important city in all those kingdoms. 11The army of Israel killed everyone in Hazor with their swords. Its people had been set apart to the Lord to be destroyed. Israel’s army didn’t spare anyone who breathed. Then Joshua burned down the city.
12Joshua captured all those royal cities and their kings. He and his men killed everyone in those cities with their swords. He totally destroyed them. He did just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded. 13Many cities were built on top of earlier cities that had been destroyed. Israel didn’t burn any of those except Hazor. Joshua burned it down. 14The army of Israel kept for themselves the livestock and everything else they took from those cities. But they killed all the people with their swords. They completely destroyed them. They didn’t spare anyone who breathed. 15The Lord had commanded his servant Moses to do all these things. Moses had passed that command on to Joshua. And Joshua carried it out. He did everything the Lord had commanded Moses.
16So Joshua captured the whole land. He took over the central hill country and the whole Negev Desert. He took over the whole area of Goshen. He took over the western hills. He took over the Arabah Valley. He took over the mountains of Israel and the hills around them. 17He took over the area that begins at Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir. The area ends at Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. Joshua captured the kings who ruled over that whole land. He put them to death. 18He fought battles against all those kings for a long time. 19Only the Hivites who lived in Gibeon made a peace treaty with the Israelites. No other city made a treaty with them. So Israel captured all those cities in battle. 20The Lord himself made their people stubborn. He made them go to war against Israel so he could totally destroy them. He wanted to wipe them out. He didn’t show them any mercy. The Lord had commanded Moses to destroy the Canaanites.
21At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites. They lived all through the hill country of Judah and Israel. They lived in Hebron, Debir and Anab. Joshua totally destroyed the Anakites and their towns. 22There weren’t any Anakites left alive in Israel’s territory. But a few were left alive in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod.
23So Joshua captured the whole land, just as the Lord had directed Moses. Joshua gave the land to Israel as their very own. He divided it up and gave each tribe its share. Then the land had peace and rest.
Wafalme Wa Kaskazini Washindwa
111:1 Amu 4:2, 7, 23; Za 83:9; Yos 12:19; 15:23-25; 19:36; 1Sam 12:9; 1Fal 9:15; 2Fal 15:29; Neh 11:33; Yer 49:28, 33; Yos 12:20; 19:25Ikawa Yabini mfalme wa Hazori aliposikia habari za mambo haya, akatuma ujumbe kwa Yobabu mfalme wa Madoni, na kwa mfalme wa Shimroni, na kwa mfalme wa Akishafu, 211:2 Yos 12:1; 18:18; Hes 34:11; Kum 3:17; Yos 19:35; 1Fal 15:20; Yos 12:23; 17:11; Amu 1:27; 1Fal 4:11; 1Nya 7:29na pia kwa wafalme wa upande wa kaskazini wale waliokuwa milimani, katika Araba upande wa kusini mwa Kinerethi, kwenye shefela, upande wa magharibi na katika miinuko ya Nafoth-Dori upande wa magharibi; 311:3 Yos 3:10; Hes 13:17; Kut 3:8; Kum 7:1; Amu 3:3-5; 1Fal 9:20; Kum 3:8; Mwa 31:49; Yos 15:38; 18:26; Amu 11:11; 20:1; 21:1; 1Sam 7:5-6; 1Fal 15:22; 2Fal 25:23kwa Wakanaani upande wa mashariki na magharibi; kwa Waamori, Wahiti, Waperizi na Wayebusi katika nchi ya vilima; na kwa Wahivi chini ya Hermoni katika eneo ya Mispa. 411:4 Mwa 12:2; Amu 7:12; 1Sam 13:5; Mwa 22:17; 32:12Wakaja na vikosi vyao vyote na hesabu kubwa ya farasi na magari ya kuvutwa na farasi, jeshi kubwa, kama wingi wa mchanga ulio pwani ya bahari. 511:5 Amu 5:19Wafalme hawa wote wakaunganisha majeshi yao na kupiga kambi pamoja kwenye Maji ya Meromu, ili kupigana dhidi ya Israeli.
611:6 Yos 2:24; Mwa 49:6Bwana akamwambia Yoshua, “Usiwaogope, kwa sababu kesho saa kama hii nitawatia wote mikononi mwa Israeli, wakiwa wameuawa. Utakata mishipa ya nyuma ya miguu ya farasi wao na kuyachoma moto magari yao ya vita.”
7Hivyo Yoshua pamoja na jeshi lake lote wakaja dhidi yao ghafula kwenye Maji ya Meromu kuwashambulia, 811:8 Mwa 10:15; Amu 18:7; Yos 13:6naye Bwana akawatia mikononi mwa Israeli. Wakawashinda na kuwafukuza hadi Sidoni Kuu na kuwafikisha Misrefoth-Maimu, hadi Bonde la Mispa upande wa mashariki, hadi pakawa hakuna yeyote aliyebaki. 9Yoshua akawatendea kama Bwana alivyoamuru. Akakata mishipa ya nyuma ya miguu ya farasi wao na kuchoma moto magari yao ya vita.
1011:10 Isa 3:25; Yer 41:2; 44:18Wakati huo Yoshua akarudi na kuuteka mji wa Hazori na kumuua mfalme wake kwa upanga. (Hazori ulikuwa mji mkuu wa falme hizo zote.) 1111:11 Kum 7:2; 20:16-17; Hes 31:10Kila aliyekuwa ndani yake wakamuua kwa upanga. Wakawaangamiza kabisa, wala hawakusaza chochote chenye pumzi na akauchoma Hazori kwenyewe kwa moto.
1211:12 Hes 33:50-52; Kum 7:2Yoshua akaiteka hii miji yote ya kifalme pamoja na wafalme wake na kuwapiga kwa upanga. Akawaangamiza kabisa wote, jinsi Mose mtumishi wa Bwana alivyowaagiza. 13Lakini Israeli hawakuichoma moto hata mojawapo ya miji iliyojengwa katika vilima vyao vidogo isipokuwa mji wa Hazori ambao Yoshua aliuchoma moto. 1411:14 Kum 20:16; Mwa 22:17; 32:12Waisraeli wakajichukulia nyara zote na mifugo yote ya miji hii, bali waliwaua watu wote kwa upanga hadi walipowaangamiza kabisa, pasipo kumbakiza yeyote mwenye pumzi. 1511:15 Kut 34:11; Kum 7:2; Yos 1:7Kama vile Bwana alivyomwagiza Mose mtumishi wake, vivyo hivyo Mose alimwagiza Yoshua, naye Yoshua akafanya kama vivyo, hakukosa kufanya lolote katika yale yote Bwana aliyomwagiza Mose.
1611:16 Hes 13:17; Kum 1:7; Yos 10:41Yoshua akaiteka nchi hii yote: nchi ya vilima, Negebu yote, eneo yote ya Gosheni, shefela ya upande wa magharibi, Araba na milima ya Israeli pamoja na shefela zao, 1711:17 Mwa 14:6; Hes 24:18; Kum 33:2; Yos 13:5; Kum 3:25; Yos 12:7-8; Kum 3:9; 7:24kuanzia Mlima Halaki ambao umeinuka kuelekea Seiri hadi Baal-Gadi katika Bonde la Lebanoni chini ya Mlima Hermoni. Akawateka wafalme wake wote, akawapiga na kuwaua. 18Yoshua akapigana vita dhidi ya wafalme hawa wote kwa muda mrefu. 1911:19 Yos 9:1-3; 9:15Hakuna mji wowote katika eneo hili uliofanya mkataba wa amani na Israeli, isipokuwa hao Wahivi wa Gibeoni. Wengine wote walishindwa katika vita. 2011:20 Kut 4:21; Rum 9:18; Kut 14:17; Kum 7:16; Amu 14:4; Kum 2:30; 1Sam 2:25; 1Fal 12:15; 22:20-23; Yak 1:13-17; Kum 20:16Kwa maana Bwana mwenyewe ndiye aliifanya mioyo yao iwe migumu, ili kupigana vita dhidi ya Israeli ili apate kuwafutilia mbali pasipo huruma, kama Bwana alivyomwagiza Mose.
2111:21 Hes 13:22, 33; Yos 10:3; 15:50; Kum 9:2; Amu 1:10; Yer 3:23Wakati huo Yoshua akaenda kuwaangamiza Waanaki kutoka nchi ya vilima: kuanzia Hebroni, Debiri na Anabu, na kutoka nchi yote ya vilima ya Yuda na kutoka nchi yote ya vilima ya Israeli. Yoshua akawaangamiza kabisa pamoja na miji yao. 2211:22 Mwa 10:19; Yos 12:17; 19:13; 1Sam 5:8; 17:4; 1Fal 2:39; 2Fal 14:25; 1Nya 8:13; Amo 6:2; Yos 15:47; 1Sam 5:1; Isa 20:1Hawakubaki Waanaki wowote katika nchi ya Israeli, ila tu katika nchi ya Gaza, Gathi na Ashdodi. 2311:23 Yos 21:43-45; Neh 9:24; Kum 1:38; 12:9-10; 25:19; Yos 13:7; Hes 26:53; Za 105:44; Kut 33:14; Yos 14:15Hivyo Yoshua akaiteka nchi hiyo yote kama vile Bwana alivyokuwa amemwagiza Mose, naye Yoshua akawapa Israeli kuwa urithi wao, kulingana na walivyogawanyika katika kabila zao.
Ndipo nchi ikawa na amani bila vita.
