26. After this, Joshua put them to death and hung their bodies on five poles until evening.
27. When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take them down from the poles. Then they threw them into the cave where they had been hiding and put large stones over the mouth of the cave. These stones are still there today.
28. That same day Joshua captured Makkedah, and the Israelites killed its people and king with swords. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Makkedah that he had done to the king of Jericho.
29. Joshua and all Israel marched from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it.
30. The Lord also handed Libnah and its king over to Israel. He killed all the people. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to the king of Libnah that he had done to the king of Jericho.
31. Joshua and all Israel marched from Libnah to Lachish, camped there, and attacked it.
32. The Lord handed Lachish over to Israel. He captured it on the next day and killed all the people, the same way he had captured Libnah.
33. At that time King Horam of Gezer had come to help Lachish. But Joshua killed him and his troops. There were no survivors.
34. Joshua and all Israel marched from Lachish to Eglon, camped there, and attacked it.
35. They captured it that day and killed everyone in it. He claimed it for the Lord by destroying it the same way he had destroyed Lachish.
36. Then Joshua and all Israel marched from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it.
37. They captured it and its neighboring villages and killed its king and all the people. There were no survivors, the same as at Eglon. He claimed the city and all its people for the Lord by destroying them.
38. Then Joshua and all Israel went back to Debir and attacked it.
39. He captured it and its king and all its neighboring villages and killed everyone. So they claimed them all for the Lord by destroying them. There were no survivors. He did the same thing to Debir and its king that he had done to Hebron and Libnah and their kings.
40. So Joshua captured the whole land—the mountains, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes. There were no survivors. He claimed every living creature for the Lord by destroying it, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.
41. So Joshua defeated the people from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from all the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon.
42. Joshua captured all these kings and their territories in one campaign because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
43. Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal.