Conquest of the Southern Cities
Joshua moves steadily from Makkedah through Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir, taking each city and striking down its king and people. Even Gezer's king, who comes to help Lachish, is cut down, as the same pattern of conquest repeats from place to place.
T29hen Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. 30And the LORD also delivered that city and its king into the hand of Israel, and Joshua put all the people to the sword, leaving no survivors. And he did to the king of Libnah as he had done to the king of Jericho. 31And Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 32And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, and Joshua captured it on the second day. He put all the people to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah. 33At that time Horam king of Gezer went to help Lachish, but Joshua struck him down along with his people, leaving no survivors. 34So Joshua moved on from Lachish to Eglon, and all Israel with him. They laid siege to it and fought against it. 35That day they captured Eglon and put it to the sword, and Joshua devoted to destruction everyone in the city, just as he had done to Lachish. 36Then Joshua and all Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron and fought against it. 37They captured it and put to the sword its king, all its villages, and all the people. Joshua left no survivors, just as he had done at Eglon; he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it. 38Finally Joshua and all Israel with him turned toward Debir and fought against it. 39And they captured Debir, its king, and all its villages. They put them to the sword and devoted to destruction everyone in the city, leaving no survivors. Joshua did to Debir and its king as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king.
The chapter gathers the campaign into a broad summary: Joshua conquers the southern regions, their kings, and their land from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and Goshen to Gibeon. It explains the speed of the campaign by saying the LORD fought for Israel, then returns the army to Gilgal.
40So Joshua conquered the whole region— the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, and the slopes, together with all their kings— leaving no survivors. He devoted to destruction everything that breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41Joshua conquered the area from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza, and the whole region of Goshen as far as Gibeon. 42And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign. 43Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.