Storyline
| Joshua takes over Israelite leadership | 1 | |
| Joshua spies on Jericho | 2 | |
| The Israelites cross the Jordan River | 3-4 | |
| The Israelites get circumcised | 5 | |
| The conquest of Jericho | 6-7 | |
| The conquest of Ai | 7-8 | |
| The Promised Land occupants unite against the Israelites | 9 | |
| God helps the Israelites revenge the attack on the Gibeonites | 10 | |
| The Israelites conquer many lands | 10-12 | |
| Conquests continue as the land is given tribal assignments | 13-21 | |
| The eastern tribes build their own altar to God | 22 | |
| Joshua reminds the Israelites to obey the Law, and then dies | 23-24 |
Joshua
BG | SAB | God tells Joshua to lead the people across the river Jordan, saying He will never leave or forsake Joshua, and no one will stand up against him and everywhere he walks will belong to him. God reminds Joshua to follow the laws completely, for only then will he prosper. Joshua tells the leaders of the tribes they will cross the Jordan in 3 days. The leaders say they will obey Joshua as they did Moses, and will put to death those that do not obey.
BG | SAB | Joshua sent 2 of spies ahead to survey the land and especially the city of Jericho. The 2 spies go to Jericho and stay the night in an inn, or possibly a prostitute's house, run by Rahab. The king of Jericho recognizes that the spies are there, and they are from the Israelites, so the king sends for the spies. Rahab hid the 2 spies and lied to the guards, saying the spies left before the city gate was closed. Rahab explains that God has put the fear of the Israelites in her people and makes a deal to protect her and her family since she protected the spies. The spies say to keep this secret, and tie a scarlet cord in her window, and thereby all in her house will be saved. Then the spies sneak back and report the people are melting in fear to Joshua.
BG | SAB | Joshua prepares the Israelites to cross the Jordan, commanding the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant in front of the Israelites, and the people are to follow behind about 1000 yards. God tells Joshua that He will prove that God is with Joshua with miracles. Joshua says to the people when the Ark of the Covenant enters the Jordan, its water will stop and rise up in a heap as a sign that God is with the Israelites and will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites without fail. As soon as the priests' feet touch the Jordan (which was flooded at the time) its upstream water began heaping in a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the rest of the Jordan drained dry. The Israelites crossed the dry Jordan.
BG | SAB | God tells Joshua to tell a representative from each tribe to each take a stone from the Jordan river bed and place it where they sleep tonight. The 12 did this to serve as a reminder. 40,000 armed men from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed the Jordan in front of the other Israelites. As soon as the priests with the Ark left the riverbed, the waters returned. The Israelites treated Joshua as they did Moses since God exalted him. The stones were placed at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho, where the Israelites camped that night. The stones are a reminder to fear God forever.
BG | SAB | God tells Joshua to circumcise all the Israelites, because apparently circumcisions had not been performed while in the desert. The party encamped there until everyone was healed from the circumcisions, and took Passover there. They also ate produce from the land of Canaan. At that time, the manna stopped. The commander of God's army appeared to Joshua and told him to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground.
BG | SAB | God tells Joshua how to wage psychological warfare on the city of Jericho, which was now closed up due to the Israelites' proximity. For 6 days, all the armed men matched once around the city, followed by the priests carrying the Ark, while 7 priests blew 7 trumpets. On the seventh day, the same group marched 7 times around the city. For the 7th march, Joshua gave the instructions for the men to shout, for the wall will collapse, and Rahab's household should be spared, and all gold, silver, bronze, and iron spoils belong to God, and they should stay away from “devoted things”, things that should be destroyed for God. The men shouted. The wall collapsed. The men killed every living thing in the city, including the livestock, with the exception of Rahab and her family for saving the spies. The metal spoils were put in God's treasury. Then the city was burned. Joshua cursed anyone who would rebuild Jericho, saying it will cost that man his first born and his youngest son. God was pleased.
BG | SAB | When the Israelites had attacked Jericho, Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some plunder. God was angry with all of the Israelites for Achan's theft. So when the Israelites sent 3000 men to conquer Ai, the Israelites were defeated, 36 were killed, and the Israelites subsequently lost heart in taking the Promised Land. God tells Joshua that He will point out the guilty party, and everything that belongs to that person, as well as the plunder, must be destroyed. Achan is identified and Achan admits his wrongdoing. Achan son of Zerah, his sons and daughters, and his livestock were stoned to death. Then they were burned. A large pile of rocks were placed over him that are there in the Valley of Achor to this day. God was happy again.
BG | SAB | God said to Joshua attack Ai with the whole army using an ambush. God says they can keep the plunder and livestock this time. Joshua sets 5,000 men up for the ambush, and 25,000 men to “attack” the city. The army of Ai chased the 25,000. The 5,000 plundered the city and burned it. Then the combined 30,000 attacked the army of Ai. All 12,000 people from Ai were killed, and the king was hanged and then buried under a pile of rocks at the destroyed city's gates that's still there to this day. Joshua makes an altar, makes some sacrifices, copies God's laws on stone tablets, and read them to the entire Israelite community at Mount Ebal.
BG | SAB | The kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites began to unite for war against the Israelites. But the Gibeonites were smarter, and tricked the Israelites into a piece treaty. The Israelites let them live, but cursed them only to serve as water carriers and woodcutters for the Israelites, which they do to this day in the cities of Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
BG | SAB | Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem appealed to Hoham king of Hebron, Piram king of Jarmuth, Japhia king of Lachish and Debir king of Eglon to unite against Gibeon for making a treaty with the Israelites. They all set to attack Gibeon. Joshua got Gibeon's help cry and marched all night to attack the attackers. God made the attackers' armies confused so they were defeated and they retreated. The Israelites pursued them. God killed many more with huge hailstones. Joshua asked God to make the sun and the moon stand still until the nation was avenged. God does this. There has never been a day before or since when God listened to a man. Joseph locked the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon in a cave where they hid while his army destroyed almost all of the rest of the retreating armies. Then Joseph commanded his army commanders to get the 5 kings from the cave and step on their necks. Then Joseph killed the kings, hung them until nightfall, then buried them under stones at the mouth of the cave. Then his army attacked and devastated Mekkedah, killing all inhabitants. Successively, Joshua and his army devastated and slaughtered all at Libnah, Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. The whole region from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon was conquered because God was on their side.
BG | SAB | The Israelites had similar victories throughout the north, including against an army as numerous as the sand on the beach with a large number of horses and chariots. Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. God had hardened everyone's hearts in the Promised Land to wage war against the Israelites and thereby get slaughtered without mercy. Joshua took from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. No survivors were left except some Anakites in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. All was done as Moses had directed.
BG | SAB | The defeated kings are listed, 31 total, including Og king of Bashan,one of the last of the Rephaites.
BG | SAB | When Joshua was old, God told him that there was still much land to take. God Himself would drive people out of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim. God reminds Joshua to divide the land among the tribes. Then the different tribe inheritance lands thus far are listed.
BG | SAB | The land divisions on the west of the Jordan are discussed. The hill country of Hebron is given to Caleb as a reward for his actions in Deuteronomy 1.
BG | SAB | The land allotment for the tribe of Judah is discussed. Caleb captures his given land and give his daughter to her cousin as a reward for capturing a city in Caleb's new land. Caleb gave his daughter land in Negev and the upper and lower springs. Clan by clan Judah's land division is discussed. Judah couldn't “dislodge” the Jebusites in Jerusalem.
BG | SAB | The allotment for Ephraim and Manasseh are discussed. Clan by clan Ephraim's land division is discussed. They did not dislodge the Canaanites, but turned them into slaves instead.
BG | SAB | Clan by clan Manasseh's land division is discussed. The Manassites were not able to occupy all the towns in their allotment because the Canaanites “were determined to live in that region”. When the Israelites got stronger, they forced the Canaanites into slave labor, but could not drive them out completely. They said that one of the reasons they couldn't beat the Canaanites is that they all had iron chariots. Joseph reassures them that they can drive out the Canaanites.
BG | SAB | Joshua has they remaining 7 tribes survey the remaining land and then he divides it up for them. The allotment for the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan is discussed. The allotment includes the Valley of Rephaim (Valley of the Giants).
BG | SAB | The allotment for the tribe of Simeon, clan by clan is discussed. The allotment for the tribe of Zebulun, clan by clan is discussed. Their allotment included Bethlehem. The allotment for the tribe of Issachar, clan by clan is discussed. The allotment for the tribe of Asher, clan by clan is discussed. The allotment for the tribe of Naphtali, clan by clan is discussed. The allotment for the tribe of Dan, clan by clan is discussed. The Danites had difficulty taking their land, so they went somewhere else. Then Joshua was given Timnath Serah.
BG | SAB | The cities of refuge were set up for those that committed accidental murder: Kedesh, Shechem, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan.
BG | SAB | The Levites get their towns and pasture lands for stewardship. God did all that He had promised and not one of their enemies withstood them.
BG | SAB | Joshua sends the men from the tribes east of the Jordan back to their homes since the promised lad was now taken. The eastern tribes built a replica of God's altar just across the Jordan. The western tribes were afraid the eastern sides were already breaking off from God and prepared for war with the eastern tribes. The western tribes explained the altar was just to serve as a reminder that they were part of God's chosen people as well, and the western tribes were then happy again with the eastern tribes.
BG | SAB | Joshua was about to die, so he summoned all the leaders of the Israelite tribes. He reminds them to love God and follow His laws, the Law of Moses. He says God has fulfilled all of His promises. He reminds the leaders that God will inflict them with “all the evil he has threatened” if they stray from their covenant with God.
BG | SAB | Joshua calls all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, including the elders, leaders, judges and officials. Joshua recounts their history; saying that Abraham and his father had worshiped other gods. Joshua recounts the flight from Egypt and the history thus far. And he reminds the Israelites to keep the covenant with God. Joshua says “[God] is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.” Joshua says God will hurt and destroy them if they worship other gods. The people say they will. Joshua says they're not able to do it. The people say yes we can and we will. Joshua puts a rock against a tree as a witness to their covenant affirmation. Joshua dies. Eleazar dies.
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