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12 It was then, when the Lord delivered up the Amorites to the Israelites, that Joshua prayed to the Lord, and said in the presence of Israel:

Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
    Moon, in the valley of Aijalon!
13 The sun stood still,
    the moon stayed,
    while the nation took vengeance on its foes.(A)

This is recorded[a] in the Book of Jashar. The sun halted halfway across the heavens; not for an entire day did it press on.

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Footnotes

  1. 10:13 This is recorded: the reference is to the preceding poetic passage. Evidently the Book of Jashar, like the Book of the Wars of the Lord (Nm 21:14), recounted in epic style the exploits of Israel’s early heroes. The sun halted: lit., “the sun stood”; this obscure passage may suppose a longer than natural day caused when the sun stopped moving across the sky, or it may refer to the sun stopping its light-giving function, perhaps through an eclipse. In any case it was seen as a sign that God fought Israel’s battle (v. 42; cf. Ex 14:14).