A.C. 1451. sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.

u Deut. xx. 16, 17.

1445.

38 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:

39 And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.

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.

41 And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

42 And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel..

43 And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to Gilgal.

Heb. asscm-bled by ap

pointment

SECTION VIII.

The Conquest of Canaan completed.

JOSHUA XI.

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 of Achshaph,

2 And to the kings that were on the north of the mountains, and of the plains south of Chinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the west,

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.

4 And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.

5 And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.

6 And the LORD said unto 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.

7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, A. C. 1445. against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they

fell upon them.

8 And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel,

who smote them, and chased them unto *

great Zidon, and

* Or, Zidon

rabbah.

+ Heb. burn

unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh +Or, salt pits. eastward; and they smote them, until they left none re- ings. maining.

9 And Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire.

10 ¶ And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms.

11 And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them: there was not any left to breathe: and he burnt Hazor with fire.

12 And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded.

13 But as for the cities that stood still* in their strength, Israel burned none of them, save Hazor only; that did Joshua burn.

14 And all the spoil of these cities, and the cattle, the children of Israel took for a prey unto themselves; but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.

|| Heb. any breath.

x

Num.

xxxiii. 52. Deut. vii. 2. & xx. 16, 17.

*

Heb. on

their heap.

y Ex. xxxiv. 11, 12.

+ Heb. he removed no

thing.

15 ¶ As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; † he left Deut vii. 2. nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses. 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;

smooth moun

17 Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, or, the even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mountain. Hermon and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

Till 1445.

ver. 23.

18 § Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save a the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: a Ch. ix. 3. all other they took in battle.

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, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

A.C. 1445.

53.

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.

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.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an in

b Num. xxvi. heritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their And the land rested from war.

tribes.

30

JOSHUA VIII. VER. 30, TO THE END.

Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the

с

c Ex. xx. 25. children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of

Deut. xxvii.

5, 6.

d Deut. xi. 29. & xxvii.

12.

Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

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.

33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare 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.

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.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, e Deut. xxxie with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them,

12.

* Heb.

walked.

1444.

*

SECTION IX.

The Tribe of Reuben, &c. return Home 8.

JOSHUA XXII

1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,

We read (Josh. i. 16.) that the wives and children of the Reubenites were directed to remain on the other side of the river, in the settlements assigned to

2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the A.C. 1444. servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:

3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.

4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on f Num. xxxii the other side Jordan.

33. ch. xiii. 8.

5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, & Deut. x. 12. to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

6 So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their tents.

7¶ Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof Joshua gave their brethren on this side Joramong dan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their tents, then he blessed them,

8 And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with brethren.

your

9 ¶ And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

10 ¶ And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, thatre in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and

them by Moses; which had been conquered previously to the rest of the promised land. The men, however, who were fit for war, in compliance with an offer made to Moses, were directed by Joshua to assist their brethren in taking possession of Canaan. The war had now lasted seven years; the country was conquered, and the land at rest. It is but natural to conclude, that the Reubenites, &c. would return to their homes when their presence was no longer indispensably necessary to their brethren. I have therefore placed this chapter immediately after the accounts of the conquest, and before the division of the provinces of Palestine among the remaining tribes.

A.C. 1444. the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.

Heb. house of the father.

h Num. xxv. 4.

i Ch. vii. 1. 5.

11 And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of the children of Israel.

12 And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to war against them.

13 And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,

*

14 And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers among the thousands of Israel.

15 And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake with them, saying,

16 Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day against the LORD?

h

17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

18 But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.

19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.

20 i Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.

21 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,

22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he