1. Now when King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem heard that Joshua captured Ai and destroyed it, 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 and his people were very afraid. Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors.
3. So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon:
4. “Come and help me! Let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and all the children of Israel.”
5. So the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon—and all their armies gathered, advanced, and camped against Gibeon. Then they waged war against it.
6. The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the Gilgal settlement: “Do not abandon your slaves. Come up to us quickly. Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country have 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.
8. The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for I have given them into your hand. Not a single man can stand before you.”
9. Then Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal.
10. The Lord panicked them before Israel. They struck them with overwhelming force at Gibeon, then Israel pursued them on the road that rises to Beth Horon and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11. As they fled from Israel on the downslope from Beth Horon, the Lord hurled large hailstones down upon them from the sky as far as Azekah. They died, and in fact more died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.
12. On the day the Lord gave over the Amorites to the children of Israel, Joshua spoke to the Lord and said in full view of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon;and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
13. So the sun stood still,and the moon stood in placeuntil the people brought vengeance on their enemies.Is this not written in the book of Jashar?The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day.
14. There has not been a day like this either before or after it, when the Lord obeyed a man, for the Lord waged war for Israel.