Joshua 7:10–26

¹⁰The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! What are you doing bowing on the ground? ¹¹Israel has sinned. They have ignored the requirements^athat I have placed on them. They have taken what I claimed for myself and put it among their own goods. They have not only stolen, but they have also lied. 

¹²“The people of Israel will not be able to defend themselves against their enemies. They will run away from their enemies because the people of Israel are now claimed for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy what I have claimed for myself. 

¹³“Get up! Tell the people, ‘Get ready for tomorrow by performing the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: You have what I claimed for myself, Israel. You will not be able to defend yourselves against your enemies until you get rid of what I have claimed. ¹⁴In the morning come forward by tribes ⸤to the tent of meeting⸥. The tribe the Lord selects will come forward by families. Then the family the Lord selects will come forward by households, and the household the Lord selects will come forward man by man. ¹⁵The man who is selected, along with everything he has, must be burned because he has ⸤stolen⸥ what the Lord has claimed. He has ignored the Lord’s requirements and done a godless thing in Israel.’ ” 

¹⁶Joshua got up early in the morning. He had Israel come forward by tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected. ¹⁷Then he had the families of Judah come forward, and the family of Zerah was selected. Then he had the family of Zerah come forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected. ¹⁸Then he had Zabdi’s household come forward man by man, and Achan was selected. Achan from the tribe of Judah was the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah. 

¹⁹Joshua said to Achan, “Son, give honor and praise to the Lord God of Israel! Tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.” 

²⁰Then Achan answered Joshua, “It’s true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did: ²¹I saw a fine robe from Babylonia, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one pound among the loot. I wanted them, so I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent with the silver beneath them.” 

²²Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. The loot was buried inside with the silver beneath it. ²³They took the loot from the tent and brought it to Joshua and all the people of Israel. Then they laid it out in the presence of the Lord. 

²⁴Joshua and all Israel took Achan (son of Zerah), the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, and his tent—everything he had—and brought them to the valley of Achor ^[Disaster^[. 

²⁵Then Joshua said, “Why did you bring this disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” And all Israel stoned Achan and his family to death. Then they burned the bodies and piled stones over them. ²⁶They made such a large pile of stones over Achan that it is still there today. Then the Lord withdrew his burning anger. For this reason that place is still called the valley of Achor today.