The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan. At the sound of the cries of his stallions, the whole land quakes. They have entered to completely devastate the land, Jerusalem, and its inhabitants.
“People of Benjamin, flee for your lives! Leave Jerusalem! Blow the shofar to warn the city of Tekoa! Send up a smoke signal at Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, a great destruction threatens you.
The Israelites were united as one man from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those living in Gilead on the other side of the Jordan. Everyone assembled together before Yahweh at Mizpah.
So they dedicated three cities on the west side of the Jordan River: Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
Joshua said to them, “If the hill country of Ephraim is too small for the large number of people in your tribes, then go into the forests which belong to the Perizzites and the Rephaites, and clear ground for yourselves there.”
What a beautiful sight to behold— the precious feet of the messenger coming over the mountains to announce good news! He comes to refresh us with wonderful news, announcing salvation to Zion and saying, “Your Mighty God reigns!”
Look, there is news to report! There’s a roar and a rumble coming from the north, coming to make the cities of Judah a rubble and turn it into a den of jackals.