4. So the armies of all these kings came together with their horses and chariots. There were as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore.
5. All of these kings met together at the waters of Merom, joined their armies together into one camp, and made plans to fight against the Israelites.
6. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will cripple their horses and burn all their chariots.”
7. So Joshua and his whole army surprised the enemy by attacking them at the waters of Merom.
8. The Lord handed them over to Israel. They chased them to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Valley of Mizpah in the east. Israel fought until none of the enemy was left alive.
9. Joshua did what the Lord said to do; he crippled their horses and burned their chariots.
10. Then Joshua went back and captured the city of Hazor and killed its king. (Hazor had been the leader of all the kingdoms that fought against Israel.)
11. Israel killed everyone in Hazor, completely destroying them; no one was left alive. Then they burned Hazor itself.
12. Joshua captured all of these cities, killed all of their kings, and completely destroyed everything in these cities. He did this just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded.
13. But the Israelites did not burn any cities that were built on their mounds, except Hazor; only that city was burned by Joshua.
14. The people of Israel kept for themselves everything they found in the cities, including all the animals. But they killed all the people there; they left no one alive.
15. Long ago the Lord had commanded his servant Moses to do this, and then Moses had commanded Joshua to do it. Joshua did everything the Lord had commanded Moses.
16. So Joshua defeated all the people in the land. He had control of the mountains and the area of southern Canaan, all the areas of Goshen, the western hills, and the Jordan Valley. He controlled the mountains of Israel and all the hills near them.
17. Joshua controlled all the land from Mount Halak near Edom to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon, below Mount Hermon. Joshua also captured all the kings in the land and killed them.