Conquest of the Northern Cities
Jabin of Hazor summons kings from across the north, and their armies gather in overwhelming numbers at the waters of Merom to fight Israel. The scene sets the scale of the threat before the battle begins.
N1ow when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph; 2to the kings of the north in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Chinnereth, in the foothills, and in Naphoth-dor to the west; 3to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4So these kings came out with all their armies, a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with a great number of horses and chariots. 5All these kings joined forces and encamped at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.
The LORD tells Joshua not to fear, promises victory by the next day, and commands him to disable the horses and burn the chariots. Joshua attacks suddenly at Merom, and Israel routs the coalition exactly as the LORD had said.
6Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for by this time tomorrow I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.” 7So by the waters of Merom, Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly and attacked them, 8and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. 9Joshua treated them as the LORD had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
Joshua turns back to take Hazor, the leading city of the coalition, and destroys it along with the other captured kings and cities. The section closes by stressing that Joshua does all this in keeping with the command passed from the LORD to Moses and then to Joshua.
10At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword, because Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms. 11The Israelites put everyone in Hazor to the sword, devoting them to destruction. Nothing that breathed remained, and Joshua burned down Hazor itself. 12Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded. 13Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds, except Hazor, which Joshua burned. 14The Israelites took for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but they put all the people to the sword until they had completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone who breathed. 15As the LORD had commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses.