וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ יָבִין מֶלֶךְ חָצוֹר וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל יוֹבָב מֶלֶךְ מָדוֹן וְאֶל מֶלֶךְ שִׁמְרוֹן וְאֶל מֶלֶךְ אַכְשָׁף

It was when Yavin king of Hatzor heard about the Israelites’ ongoing conquest that he sent a call to arms to Yovav king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Akhshaf,

וְאֶל הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מִצְּפוֹן בָּהָר וּבָעֲרָבָה נֶגֶב כִּנֲרוֹת וּבַשְּׁפֵלָה וּבְנָפוֹת דּוֹר מִיָּם

and to the kings who were to the north of the land: in the highlands, in the Arava, south of Kinerot, the Sea of Galilee, in the lowlands, and in the districts of Dor to the west, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

הַכְּנַעֲנִי מִמִּזְרָח וּמִיָּם וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי בָּהָר וְהַחִוִּי תַּחַת חֶרְמוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ הַמִּצְפָּה

Residents of these areas were from the following nations: the Canaanites from the east and from the west, and the Emorites, the Hitites, the Perizites, and the Yevusites, who lived in the highlands, and the Hivites below Hermon in the land of the Mitzpa.

וַיֵּצְאוּ הֵם וְכָל מַחֲנֵיהֶם עִמָּם עַם רָב כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב וְסוּס וָרֶכֶב רַב מְאֹד

They came out, they and all their camps with them, a numerous people, like the sand that is on the seashore, and very many horses and chariots. Their army was more organized that that of the kings of the south.

וַיִּוָּעֲדוּ כֹּל הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ יַחְדָּו אֶל מֵי מֵרוֹם לְהִלָּחֵם עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל

All these kings convened; they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to make war with Israel.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אַל תִּירָא מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי מָחָר כָּעֵת הַזֹּאת אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן אֶת כֻּלָּם חֲלָלִים לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת סוּסֵיהֶם תְּעַקֵּר וְאֶת מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ

The Lord said to Joshua: Do not fear them, as tomorrow, at this time, I will render them all corpses before Israel; you shall hamstring their horses, damage them so that they can no longer run, and you shall burn their chariots in fire, so that the enemy cannot use them against you; the people of Israel were unskilled in the use of horses and chariots.

וַיָּבֹא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל עַם הַמִּלְחָמָה עִמּוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם עַל מֵי מֵרוֹם פִּתְאֹם וַיִּפְּלוּ בָּהֶם

Joshua and all the people of war with him came upon them suddenly, by the waters of Merom, and fell upon them.

וַיִּתְּנֵם ה' בְּיַד יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכּוּם וַיִּרְדְּפוּם עַד צִידוֹן רַבָּה וְעַד מִשְׂרְפוֹת מַיִם וְעַד בִּקְעַת מִצְפֶּה מִזְרָחָה וַיַּכֻּם עַד בִּלְתִּי הִשְׁאִיר לָהֶם שָׂרִיד

The Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they smote them, and they pursued them to great Sidon, and to Misrefot Mayim, and to the Valley of Mitzpe eastward. They smote them until they left no remnant of them.

וַיַּעַשׂ לָהֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר לוֹ ה'אֶת סוּסֵיהֶם עִקֵּר וְאֶת מַרְכְּבֹתֵיהֶם שָׂרַף בָּאֵשׁ

Joshua did to them as the Lord had said to him; he hamstrung their horses, and burned their chariots in fire.

וַיָּשָׁב יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת חָצוֹר וְאֶת מַלְכָּהּ הִכָּה בֶחָרֶב כִּי חָצוֹר לְפָנִים הִיא רֹאשׁ כָּל הַמַּמְלָכוֹת הָאֵלֶּה

At that time, Joshua returned and captured Hatzor, and smote its king with the sword, as Hatzor, in the north of the Land of Israel, was previously the head of all those kingdoms.

וַיַּכּוּ אֶת כָּל הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר בָּהּ לְפִי חֶרֶב הַחֲרֵם לֹא נוֹתַר כָּל נְשָׁמָה וְאֶת חָצוֹר שָׂרַף בָּאֵשׁ

They smote every soul that was in it by the sword, utterly destroying them; no one with breath remained, and he burned Hatzor with fire.

וְאֶת כָּל עָרֵי הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה וְאֶת כָּל מַלְכֵיהֶם לָכַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיַּכֵּם לְפִי חֶרֶב הֶחֱרִים אוֹתָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד ה'

Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, and he smote them by the sword, utterly destroying them, as Moses servant of the Lord had commanded.

רַק כָּל הֶעָרִים הָעֹמְדוֹת עַל תִּלָּם לֹא שְׂרָפָם יִשְׂרָאֵל זוּלָתִי אֶת חָצוֹר לְבַדָּהּ שָׂרַף יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

But all the cities that stood intact, which were not destroyed in the war, Israel did not burn them; Joshua burned only Hatzor alone, since Hatzor initiated the war, and because it was a central, fortified city.

וְכֹל שְׁלַל הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהַבְּהֵמָה בָּזְזוּ לָהֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רַק אֶת כָּל הָאָדָם הִכּוּ לְפִי חֶרֶב עַד הִשְׁמִדָם אוֹתָם לֹא הִשְׁאִירוּ כָּל נְשָׁמָה

All the spoils of those cities, and the animals, the children of Israel looted for themselves, as was the general practice in war, but all the people they smote by the sword, until they destroyed them; they did not leave anyone with breath.

כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ כֵּן צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכֵן עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא הֵסִיר דָּבָר מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה

As the Lord had commanded Moses, His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He did not omit anything of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. They killed all the men because this was what they were commanded to do; they were not motivated by military considerations.

וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הָהָר וְאֶת כָּל הַנֶּגֶב וְאֵת כָּל אֶרֶץ הַגֹּשֶׁן וְאֶת הַשְּׁפֵלָה וְאֶת הָעֲרָבָה וְאֶת הַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וּשְׁפֵלָתֹה

Joshua took that entire land: the southern highlands, and the entire south, and the entire land of Goshen, on the inner plains, and the lowlands, and the Arava, and the highlands of Israel, the mountains further north that would later be part of the territory of the Kingdom of Israel, and its lowlands,

מִן הָהָר הֶחָלָק הָעוֹלֶה שֵׂעִיר וְעַד בַּעַל גָּד בְּבִקְעַת הַלְּבָנוֹן תַּחַת הַר חֶרְמוֹן וְאֵת כָּל מַלְכֵיהֶם לָכַד וַיַּכֵּם וַיְמִיתֵם

from the bare mountain, which was perhaps called by that name because little vegetation grew there, or because its paths were smooth, that goes up to Se’ir, which was probably located south of the Dead Sea, and which served as the southern endpoint, to Baal Gad in the Valley of the Lebanon below Mount Hermon, which was the northern endpoint; and he, Joshua, captured all their kings, and smote them, and killed them.

יָמִים רַבִּים עָשָׂה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה מִלְחָמָה

Although the chapter summarizes the battles in brief, they actually went on for a long time: For many years, Joshua made war with all those kings. It can be inferred from another verse (14:10) that the conquest took around seven years, as the Sages state in various places. The Sages further note that the phrase yamim rabim, “for many years,” indicates that this was a period of suffering.

לֹא הָיְתָה עִיר אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁלִימָה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלְתִּי הַחִוִּי יֹשְׁבֵי גִבְעוֹן אֶת הַכֹּל לָקְחוּ בַמִּלְחָמָה

There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except for the Hivites, inhabitants of Givon; they, the Israelites, took everything, all the rest, by warfare, in accordance with God’s command to Joshua through Moses. However, some Canaanites remained.

כִּי מֵאֵת ה' הָיְתָה לְחַזֵּק אֶת לִבָּם לִקְרַאת הַמִּלְחָמָה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעַן הַחֲרִימָם לְבִלְתִּי הֱיוֹת לָהֶם תְּחִנָּה כִּי לְמַעַן הַשְׁמִידָם כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה' אֶת מֹשֶׁה

For it was from the Lord, to harden their hearts toward the war against Israel in order to utterly destroy them, so that they would have no reprieve, or pardon, in order to destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

וַיָּבֹא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בָּעֵת הַהִיא וַיַּכְרֵת אֶת הָעֲנָקִים מִן הָהָר מִן חֶבְרוֹן מִן דְּבִר מִן עֲנָב וּמִכֹּל הַר יְהוּדָה וּמִכֹּל הַר יִשְׂרָאֵל עִם עָרֵיהֶם הֶחֱרִימָם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

At that time, during his campaigns of conquest, Joshua went and eliminated the remaining giants from the highlands, from Hebron, from Devir, from Anav, and from the entire highlands of Judah, as it would later be called, and from the entire highlands of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

לֹא נוֹתַר עֲנָקִים בְּאֶרֶץ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רַק בְּעַזָּה בְּגַת וּבְאַשְׁדּוֹד נִשְׁאָרוּ

No giants remained in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gat, and in Ashdod.

וַיִּקַּח יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיִּתְּנָהּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְנַחֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמַחְלְקֹתָם לְשִׁבְטֵיהֶם וְהָאָרֶץ שָׁקְטָה מִמִּלְחָמָה

Joshua took the entire land, in accordance with everything that the Lord spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel, in accordance with their divisions, to their tribes. And the land was quiet from war.