Defeat of the Northern Coalition and Hazor Destroyed
Joshua 11:1-23
1When Jabin king of Hazor heard, he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph.2He also sent to the kings who lived north of the mountain, in the Arabah south of (Sea of) Chinnereth, in the Shephelah, and in the heights of Dor by the sea.3These included the Canaanite from the east and from the sea, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountain, and the Hivite under (Mount) Hermon in the land of Mizpah.4They came out with all their forces, a very numerous people like the sand on the seashore in abundance, together with many horses and chariots.5All these kings assembled, advanced, and encamped together by the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.6The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."7Joshua and all the fighting men with him came upon them suddenly at the waters of Merom and fell upon them.8The LORD gave them into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them and pursued them as far as Greater Sidon, Misrephoth-maim, and the valley of Mizpeh eastward, striking them down until no survivor remained.9Joshua did to them as the LORD had commanded him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.10At that time Joshua returned and captured Hazor; he struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the head of all these kingdoms.11They devoted every person in it to destruction with the edge of the sword; no one breathing remained, and they burned Hazor with fire.12Joshua captured all the cities of these kings and all their kings, and he struck them down with the edge of the sword and devoted them to destruction, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.13Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds, except Hazor alone, which Joshua burned.14The sons of Israel took as plunder all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, but they struck down every person with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them and left no one breathing.15As the LORD had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua acted; he did not turn aside from anything that the LORD had commanded Moses.16Joshua took all this land: the hill country, the Negeb, all the land of Goshen, the Shephelah, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel, and its Shephelah.17The territory extended from (Mount) Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon below (Mount) Hermon; he captured all their kings, struck them down, and put them to death.18Joshua waged war against all these kings for many days.19No city made peace with the sons of Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon; Israel took all the others in battle.20It was the LORD who hardened their hearts to meet Israel in battle so that they would be devoted to destruction without mercy, fulfilling the command the LORD had given Moses.21At that time Joshua went and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country, from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah and all the hill country of Israel together with their cities; Joshua devoted them to destruction.22No Anakites remained in the land of the sons of Israel except those who stayed in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.23Joshua took the entire land just as the LORD had spoken to Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions; then the land had rest from war.