Book of Joshua

“When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.” 


The Book of Joshua (Hebrew: ‘Sefer Y'hoshua’) is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land. 


'Joshua' forms part of the biblical account of the emergence of Israel which begins with the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, continues with the book of Joshua, and culminates in the Judges with the conquest and settlement of the land. The book is in two roughly equal parts. The first part depicts the campaigns of the Israelites in central, southern and northern Canaan, as well as the destruction of their enemies. The second part details the division of the conquered land among the twelve tribes. The two parts are framed by set-piece speeches by God and Joshua commanding the conquest and at the end warning of the need for faithful observance of the Law (torah) revealed to Moses. 


It's a story of miracles, bloody battles, and dividing the land among the 12 tribes. Characterized as an historical account, the book of Joshua tells how a leader's obedience to God resulted in divine help in the face of overwhelming odds. 


Book of Joshua is presented here in five different versions, a gallery of art inspired by the book over the ages featuring work from John Martin, Jean Fouquet, Giovanni Lanfranco and and other renowned artists. There is also Matthew Henry’s concise commentary and links to free complete audio recordings of different versions of ‘Joshua.’ 


The King James Version 

Douay-Rheims Version 

The American Standard Version 

Bible in Basic English Version 

Webster Bible Version 


Image gallery 


Matthew Henry Commentary 


Links to free complete audio recordings of Joshua.