While the sun hung in the Heavens near the western horizon, and while the Am'o-rites who still lived were fleeing to a smaller town nearby, Josh'u-a made an earnest prayer to the LORD. He asked that the sun and moon in the Heavens be made to stand still, and the waning day prolonged, until the last of the enemies of Is'ra-el had been put to death. A poet has described the prayer and its answer in these words:
"Sun, stand thou still upon Gib'eon;
And thou, Moon, in the valley of Ai'ja-lon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies."
It is said that the day was prolonged to twice its usual length, until the Is'ra-el-ites had slain every soldier of the five united kings. The kings themselves were captured in a cave where they had sought to hide, and were brought before Josh'u-a. They were forced to submit to a custom of the times which may seem cruel to us. Certain princes of Is'ra-el pressed their feet upon the necks of the kings, thereby showing that humiliating defeat was sure to be inflicted upon all who opposed the conquest of Ca'naan by the Is'ra-el-ites. Then the unhappy kings were hanged on a tree, and after the sun had gone down they were buried in the cave where they had hidden.
Then followed a new series of battles and victories in which five other important cities were destroyed by the Is'ra-el-ites. Before this triumphant campaign ended, the entire southern territory of Ca'naan was conquered by Josh'u-a. Then Josh'u-a and his army returnt to Gil'gal, leaving the banners of conquest floating over the entire land from Ka'desh-Bar'ne-a on the south to Ga'za on the north, and from the low-lands of the Med'i-ter-ra'ne-an on the west to the city of Gib'eon on the east.
