A coalition of five Amorite kings gathers against Gibeon after hearing that the city has made peace with Israel. The Gibeonites send urgently to Joshua at Gilgal and ask him not to abandon them.

Joshua marches with his fighting men. He receives assurance that the opposing kings have been delivered into his hand.

After an all-night march, Israel attacks suddenly. The enemy forces break and flee, and Joshua describes divine intervention through confusion and a severe hailstorm.

During the battle Joshua speaks before Israel, calling for the sun to stand still over Gibeon and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon until the nation has taken vengeance on its enemies.

The text says that the sun stopped and the moon stayed until the people had prevailed, describing the day as unlike any other because the LORD listened to the voice of a man.

The five kings hide in a cave at Makkedah. Joshua orders the cave sealed while the pursuit continues. After the battle, the kings are brought out and publicly defeated.

The account belongs to Joshua’s larger conquest narrative, but this particular battle begins with Israel honoring an obligation to Gibeon. The extraordinary daylight scene has made the chapter famous, while the narrative itself emphasizes that the victory belongs to the God who fights for Israel.