shua himself and the
Israelites; and they, instead of being full of hopes of good success,
were superstitiously timorous, with the great terror with which they
were stricken. Whereupon God upbraided them with the fear they were in,
and asked them whether they desired a greater help than he could afford
them; and promised them that they should overcome their enemies; and
withal charged them to make their enemies' horses useless, and to burn
their chariots. So Joshua became full of courage upon these promises
of God, and went out suddenly against the enemies; and after five days'
march he came upon them, and joined battle with them, and there was a
terrible fight, and such a number were slain as could not be believed
by those that heard it. He also went on in the pursuit a great way, and
destroyed the entire army of the enemies, few only excepted, and all
the kings fell in the battle; insomuch, that when there wanted men to
be killed, Joshua slew their horses, and burnt their chariots and passed
all over their country without opposition, no one daring to meet him in
battle; but he still went on, taking their cities by siege, and again
killing whatever he took.

19. The fifth year was now past, and there was not one of the Canaanites
remained any longer, excepting some that had retired to places of great
strength. So Joshua removed his camp to the mountainous country, and
placed the tabernacle in the city of Shiloh, for that seemed a fit place
for it, because of the beauty of its situation, until such thee as their
affairs would permit them to build a temple; and from thence he went to
Shechem, together with all the people, and raised an altar where Moses
had beforehand directed; then did he divide the army, and placed one
half of them on Mount Gerizzim, and the other half on Mount Ebal, on
which mountain the altar was; he also placed there the tribe of Levi,
and the priests. And when they had sacrificed, and denounced the
[blessings and the] curses, and had left them engraven upon the altar,
they returned to Shiloh.

20. And now Joshua was old, and saw that the cities of the Canaanites
were not easily to be taken, not only because they were situate in such
strong places, but because of the strength of the walls themselves,
which being built round about, the natural strength of the places on
which the cities stood, seemed capable of repelling their enemies from
besieging them, and of making those enemies despair of taking