Joshua 5–6

CIRCUMCISION OF THE ISRAELITES

5When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea^s heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over,^t they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.

²At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.”^{u 3}So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibeath-haaraloth.^{B 4}This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. ⁵Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. ⁶For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the Lord.^a So the Lord vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{b 7}He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. ⁸After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered.^{c 9}The Lord then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal^C today.^d

FOOD FROM THE LAND

¹⁰While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.^{e 11}The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.^{f 12}And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased.^g Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY

¹³When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.^h Joshua approached him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴“Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.”ⁱ

Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in homage^j and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?”

¹⁵The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^k And Joshua did that.

THE CONQUEST OF JERICHO

6Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites—no one leaving or entering. ²The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you.^{l 3}March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. ⁴Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns.^{m 5}When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”

⁶So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” ⁷He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

⁸After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved forward and blew the rams’ horns; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the rams’ horns, and the rear guard went behind the ark.^{n 10}But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout!’ Then you are to shout.” ¹¹So the ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.^A

¹²Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, ¹³and the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the Lord. ¹⁴On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.^o Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,^p because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. ¹⁹For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”^a

²⁰So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpets, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.^b The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. ²¹They completely destroyed^c everything in the city with the sword—every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.

RAHAB AND HER FAMILY SPARED

²²Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”^{d 23}So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel^e today.^f

²⁶At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

The man who undertakes

the rebuilding of this city, Jericho,

is cursed before the Lord.^g

He will lay its foundation

at the cost of his firstborn;

he will finish its gates

at the cost of his youngest.^h

²⁷And the Lord was with Joshua,ⁱ and his fame spread throughout the land.