1
As soon as all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, heard of this,
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they gathered together as one to fight against Joshua and Israel.
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But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,
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they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended,
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with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly.
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And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us."
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But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?"
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They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." And Joshua said to them, "Who are you? And where do you come from?"
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They said to him, "From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
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and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth.
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So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, "We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us."'
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Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly.
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These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey."
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So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD.
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And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
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At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and that they lived among them.
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And the people of Israel set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.
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But the people of Israel did not attack them, because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.
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But all the leaders said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them.
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This we will do to them: let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them."
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And the leaders said to them, "Let them live." So they became cutters of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, just as the leaders had said of them.
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Joshua summoned them, and he said to them, "Why did you deceive us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you dwell among us?
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Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you shall never be anything but servants, cutters of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God."
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They answered Joshua, "Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you- so we feared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing.
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And now, behold, we are in your hand. Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it."
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So he did this to them and delivered them out of the hand of the people of Israel, and they did not kill them.
27
But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that he should choose.
1
As soon as Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had captured Ai and had devoted it to destruction, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,
2
he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
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So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,
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"Come up to me and help me, and let us strike Gibeon. For it has made peace with Joshua and with the people of Israel."
5
Then the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it.
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And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us."
7
So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
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And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you."
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So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal.
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And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11
And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
12
At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
13
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
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There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD obeyed the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.
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So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
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These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.
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And it was told to Joshua, "The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah."
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And Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them,
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but do not stay there yourselves. Pursue your enemies; attack their rear guard. Do not let them enter their cities, for the LORD your God has given them into your hand."
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When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,
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then all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a man moved his tongue against any of the people of Israel.
22
Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave."
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And they did so, and brought those five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.
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And when they brought those kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come near; put your feet on the necks of these kings." Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.
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And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight."
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And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.
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But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.
28
As for Makkedah, Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king, with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.
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Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah.
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And the LORD gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel. And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
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Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish and laid siege to it and fought against it.
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And the LORD gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.
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Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he left none remaining.
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Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on from Lachish to Eglon. And they laid siege to it and fought against it.
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And they captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day, as he had done to Lachish.
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Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron. And they fought against it
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and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every person in it. He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and devoted it to destruction and every person in it.
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Then Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and fought against it
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and he captured it with its king and all its towns. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king.
40
So Joshua struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded.
41
And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-barnea as far as Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon.
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And Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel.
43
Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
1
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2
Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
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But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
4
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
5
Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
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And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.
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For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
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So there was much joy in that city.
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But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
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They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great."
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And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
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But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
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Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
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Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
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who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
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for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
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Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
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Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money,
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saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
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But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
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You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
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Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
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For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity."
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And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
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Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
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Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is a desert place.
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And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
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and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
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And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot."
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So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
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And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
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Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.
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In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."
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And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"
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Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
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And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?"
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And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
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And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
40
But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
