Meditate

11. Northern Kings Defeated

The United Kings of Northern Canaan Defeated

11

When King Jabin of Hazor heard of this, he sent to King Jobab of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,²and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and in Naphoth-dor on the west,³to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.⁴They came out, with all their troops, a great army, in number like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.⁵All these kings joined their forces, and came and camped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

⁶ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will hand over all of them, slain, to Israel; you shall hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.”⁷So Joshua came suddenly upon them with all his fighting force, by the waters of Merom, and fell upon them.⁸And the Lord handed them over to Israel, who attacked them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, until they had left no one remaining.⁹And Joshua did to them as the Lord commanded him; he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots with fire.

¹⁰ Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king down with the sword. Before that time Hazor was the head of all those kingdoms.¹¹And they put to the sword all who were in it, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed, and he burned Hazor with fire.¹²And all the towns of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took, and struck them with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.¹³But Israel burned none of the towns that stood on mounds except Hazor, which Joshua did burn.¹⁴All the spoil of these towns, and the livestock, the Israelites took for their booty; but all the people they struck down with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed.¹⁵As the Lord had commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

Summary of Joshua’s Conquests

¹⁶ So Joshua took all that land: the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its lowland,¹⁷from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them down, and put them to death.¹⁸Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.¹⁹There was not a town that made peace with the Israelites, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon; all were taken in battle.²⁰For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts so that they would come against Israel in battle, in order that they might be utterly destroyed, and might receive no mercy, but be exterminated, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²¹ At that time Joshua came and wiped out the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their towns.²²None of the Anakim was left in the land of the Israelites; some remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

13. Final Warnings

Final Greetings and Benediction

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

¹³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

31. Psalm 31

Psalm 31

Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;

do not let me ever be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me.

2

Incline your ear to me;

rescue me speedily.

Be a rock of refuge for me,

a strong fortress to save me.

3

You are indeed my rock and my fortress;

for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,

4

take me out of the net that is hidden for me,

for you are my refuge.

5

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

6

You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,

but I trust in the Lord.

7

I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love,

because you have seen my affliction;

you have taken heed of my adversities,

8

and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;

you have set my feet in a broad place.

9

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;

my eye wastes away from grief,

my soul and body also.

10

For my life is spent with sorrow,

and my years with sighing;

my strength fails because of my misery,

and my bones waste away.

11

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,

a horror to my neighbors,

an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me.

12

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;

I have become like a broken vessel.

13

For I hear the whispering of many—

terror all around!—

as they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

14

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

15

My times are in your hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

16

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love.

17

Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord,

for I call on you;

let the wicked be put to shame;

let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.

18

Let the lying lips be stilled

that speak insolently against the righteous

with pride and contempt.

19

O how abundant is your goodness

that you have laid up for those who fear you,

and accomplished for those who take refuge in you,

in the sight of everyone!

20

In the shelter of your presence you hide them

from human plots;

you hold them safe under your shelter

from contentious tongues.

21

Blessed be the Lord,

for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me

when I was beset as a city under siege.

22

I had said in my alarm,

“I am driven far from your sight.”

But you heard my supplications

when I cried out to you for help.

23

Love the Lord, all you his saints.

The Lord preserves the faithful,

but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.

24

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord.