Episode 83: The Genocide Continues (and the marriage of Caleb's daughter)

(Joshua 11-24)

The genocide of twenty kingdoms

11 ^1-2 After word spread about Joshua's massacres, the surrounding kings united in a coalition to defend themselves.

³ There were Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Hivites.

⁴ The army sent by the coalition had as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on all of the earth's seashores.

⁶ God said to Joshua,

Don't be afraid of them. Tomorrow I'll deliver their dead bodies to you.

In the meantime, cripple their horses and burn their chariots.

⁸ God delivered the coalition's army into Joshua's hand, and he smote them all. ^9-10 He crippled their horses, burned their chariots, and killed their kings, as God commanded.

¹⁴ He took everything from the cities, including cattle, but killed all the inhabitants with the edge of the sword, leaving none left to breathe.

²⁰ God hardened the kings’ hearts so that they would fight against Israel, so he could utterly destroy them.

12 The Israelites kill 33 kings and take their land

13-14 Joshua divides the conquered land

Caleb’s daughter

15 ¹⁶ Caleb said, “I'll give my daughter, Achsah, to whoever captures the city of Kirjathsepher.” ¹⁷ Caleb's nephew Othniel took Kirjathsepher and Caleb gave his daughter to him for a wife.

16-17 The allotments for Manasseh and Ephraim

18-19 The land is divided by casting lots

20 Cities of Refuge

21 Suburbs for Levites

An altar named Ed

22 ¹⁰ When the eastern tribes (the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh) returned to the country of Gilead on the west side of the Jordan River, they built an altar.

¹² When the Israelites heard about the altar, they gathered together at Shiloh to go to war against them. ¹⁵ They said to them,

¹⁶ Why have you rebelled against God by building an altar?

Now God will be angry at all of us.

²⁶ The eastern tribes replied,

The altar that we built will be a witness between you and us.

It will not be used for burnt offerings or sacrifice.

³³ This pleased the Israelites. So they decided not to go to war with the eastern tribes.

³⁴ And they called the altar "Ed".

Joshua's final speech

23 ¹ After God had finished helping the Israelites slaughter all of their enemies, Joshua was getting old. ² He called all of Israel together and said to them,

24 ¹⁴ I'm going to die today.

God has this to say to you:

⁵ I plagued Egypt.

⁷ I drowned the Egyptians.

¹¹ I helped you massacre Jericho, and kill the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and the Jebusites.

¹² I sent hornets in front of you to drive out the Amorites.

You didn't even have to use a sword or a bow.

¹³ I gave you land that you didn't work for, cities you didn't build, and vineyards and olive trees that you didn't plant.

²⁰ If you forsake the Lord, he'll turn on you, hurt you, and consume you, even though he was good to you before.

²⁶ Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God and took a big stone and set it under an oak, near the sanctuary of the Lord.

²⁷ This stone is a witness to us. It will be a witness to you if you ever reject your God.

²⁹ Joshua died at the age of 110.