Joshua prayed, ¹  “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us?

The Israelites plundered all the goods of these cities and the cattle, but they totally destroyed all the people ¹  and allowed no one who breathed to live.

The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. ¹  I will no longer be with you, ²  unless you destroy what has contaminated you. ³ 

Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought with you, but I handed them over to you; you conquered ¹  their land and I destroyed them from before you.

The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. ¹  They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived. ² 

If ¹  you abandon the Lord and worship ²  foreign gods, he will turn against you; ³  he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, ⁴  though he once treated you well.” ⁵ 

They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects ¹  how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified ²  we would lose our lives, so we did this thing.

But in the same way every faithful promise the Lord your God made to you has been realized, ¹  it is just as certain, if you disobey, that the Lord will bring on you every judgment ²  until he destroys you from this good land which the Lord your God gave you.

When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us ¹  from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” ² 

Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. ¹ 

for the Lord determined to make them obstinate so they would attack Israel. He wanted Israel to annihilate them without mercy, as he had instructed Moses. ¹ 

That day they captured it and put the sword to all who lived there. That day they ¹  annihilated it just as they ²  had done to Lachish.

They annihilated everyone who lived there with the sword ¹  – no one who breathed remained – and burned ²  Hazor.

At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country ¹  – from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and Israel. ²  Joshua annihilated them and their cities.

They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, ¹  including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, ¹  the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.

Joshua captured all these royal cities and all their kings and annihilated them with the sword, ¹  as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded.

Adoni-Zedek, king of Jerusalem, ¹  heard how Joshua captured Ai and annihilated it and its king as he did Jericho ²  and its king. ³  He also heard how ⁴  the people of Gibeon made peace with Israel and lived among them.

They ¹  captured it, its king, and all its surrounding cities and put the sword to them. They annihilated everyone who lived there; they ²  left no survivors. They ³  did to Debir and its king what they ⁴  had done to Libnah and its king and to Hebron. ⁵ 

For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. ¹