Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

When Jabin king of Hazor heard about the defeat of the Canaanite kings, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph.

He summoned all the other kings who ruled north of the mountains, in the plains south of Chinneroth, in the valley, along the borders of Dor on the west, and throughout Canaan. He also called upon the Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Jebusite, and Hivite populations living in the land.

A massive army gathered from all these groups, with an immense multitude like the sand on the seashore. They came equipped with many horses and chariots. All these kings assembled at the waters of Merom to prepare for battle against Israel.

The Lord assured Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, because tomorrow at this time I will deliver all their forces into your hands, slaughtered before you. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

Joshua gathered his entire army of warriors and marched toward the waters of Merom, where they suddenly attacked the enemy forces. The Lord gave Israel victory over them, and in their pursuit of the Canaanites, they reached as far as great Sidon, Misrephoth-maim, and the valley of Mizpeh eastward.

Joshua struck down every last one of those kings, hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire, just as the Lord had instructed him. After that battle, Joshua turned back and laid siege to Hazor, striking its king dead because Hazor had once been the leader among all these kingdoms.

Joshua destroyed everyone living in Hazor with the sword and set it ablaze. He also conquered every city belonging to those kings, putting their inhabitants to death, as Moses, the Lord's servant, had commanded.

However, Joshua spared no other cities except Hazor, which he burned down completely. He took all the spoils from these captured cities and claimed them for himself and his people. They slaughtered every last one of their enemies until there was not a single survivor left.

This is exactly how Moses instructed Joshua to follow through on the Lord's commands. And so, Joshua fulfilled everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. He conquered all the surrounding lands, taking control of the hills, the south country, Goshen, the valley, and the plains. He also claimed the mountainous regions of Israel, as well as the valley below Mount Hermon.

Joshua successfully took on and defeated all those kings from Mount Halak, which rises to Seir, down to Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He captured their leaders and killed them.

For an extended period, Joshua waged war against these kings until not a single city chose to make peace with the Israelites – except for the Hivite residents of Gibeon. All other cities fell to Israel through battle.

The Lord deliberately hardened the hearts of those nations so they would come to fight against Israel in battle, which meant that He could destroy them completely and show no mercy as He had commanded Moses.

Joshua utterly destroyed all Anakim populations from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and throughout the mountains of Judah and Israel. In fact, not a single Anakim survived within the land of Israel except in the cities of Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

Having conquered every inch of Canaan according to God's instructions, Joshua distributed this newly acquired land among the tribes of Israel as their inheritance. The entire region was finally at peace after many years of war.