Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal.

Joshua conquered the area between Kadesh Barnea and Gaza and the whole region of Goshen, all the way to Gibeon.

Joshua campaigned against these kings for quite some time.

to the south; all the Canaanite territory, from Arah in the region of Sidon to Aphek, as far as Amorite territory;

Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon – a total of twenty-nine cities and their towns.

Also included were the cities set apart for the tribe of Ephraim within Manasseh’s territory, along with their towns.

The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.

Heshbon, and Jazer, along with the grazing areas of each – a total of four cities.

The Levites received within the land owned by the Israelites forty-eight cities in all and their grazing areas.

When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them.

When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) –

So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside the Israelite camp.

They returned and reported to Joshua, “Don’t send the whole army. About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.”

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had chased them toward the desert (they all fell by the sword), all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it.

They captured it, its king, and all its surrounding cities and put the sword to them. They annihilated everyone who lived there; they left no survivors. They did to Debir and its king what they had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron.

Joshua captured all these royal cities and all their kings and annihilated them with the sword, as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded.

The Israelites plundered all the goods of these cities and the cattle, but they totally destroyed all the people and allowed no one who breathed to live.

I will drive out before the Israelites all who live in the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, all the Sidonians; you be sure to parcel it out to Israel as I instructed you.”

Joshua said to all the people, “Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness against you if you deny your God.”

Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.