So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon. (Joshua 10:40-41 KJV)

Israel has just killed everyone in Jericho and Ai, and are preparing to kill everyone else in the Promised Land. Because they didn’t ask the Lord for advice, they accidentally make a peace treaty with Gibeon. They don’t make that mistake twice.

First, five kings ally themselves to drive Israel out of Canaan, but they get themselves and their towns slaughtered. While doing this, they destroy three other named towns. And then the narrator gets tired of naming them, and just talks of them rampaging across the peninsula.

In chapter 11, another group of kings band together to try to stop them, but also get destroyed. In the end, “There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle”. (Joshua 11:19 KJV)

In all this story, we don’t have any idea what these dead people did to deserve this. All that we have is a rampaging army, led by a sociopathic deity. No rhyme, no reason; just blood.

Next: Joshua 12-15.