Joshua 6:1–12:24

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 fighting men over to you. ^k3March 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 trumpets. ^l5When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the people 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 trumpets in front of the ark of the Lord.” ⁷He said to the people, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed troops go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

⁸After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven trumpets before the Lord moved forward and blew the trumpets; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹While the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops went in front of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard went behind the ark. ^m10But Joshua had commanded the people: “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. ⁿ

¹²Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, ¹³and the seven priests carrying seven trumpets marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the trumpets were blowing, the armed troops 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 trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction. ^oOnly Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live, ^pbecause she hid the men ^qwe sent. ¹⁸But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you ^rtake any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster on 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.” ^s

²⁰So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. ^tThe people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. ²¹They completely destroyed ^ueverything 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 promised her.” ^v23So 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 up 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 household, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she lives in Israel ^wto this day. ^x

²⁶At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

The man who undertakes

the rebuilding of this city, Jericho,

is cursed before the Lord. ^y

He will lay its foundation

at the cost of his firstborn;

he will set up its gates

at the cost of his youngest. ^z

²⁷And the Lord was with Joshua, ^aand his fame spread throughout the land.

Defeat at Ai

7The Israelites, however, were unfaithful ^bregarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.

²Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, ^ceast of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai.

³After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about 2,000 or 3,000 ^dmen to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.” ⁴So about 3,000 men ^ewent up there, but they fled from the men of Ai. ^f5The men of Ai struck down about 36 of them and chased them from outside the gate to the quarries, ^gstriking them down on the descent. As a result, the people’s hearts melted and became like water. ^h

⁶Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell before the ark of the Lord with his face to the ground until evening, ⁱas did the elders of Israel; they all put dust on their heads. ^j7“Oh, Lord God,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸What can I say, Lord, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? ⁹When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. ^kThen what will You do about Your great name?” ^l

¹⁰The Lord then said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why are you on the ground? ^m11Israel has sinned. They have violated My covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put the things with their own belongings. ⁿ¹²This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction. ^oI will no longer be with you unless you remove from you what is set apart.

¹³“Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow, ^pfor this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart. ¹⁴In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the Lord selects is to come forward family by family. The family the Lord selects is to come forward man by man. ¹⁵The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, ^qalong with everything he has, because he has violated the Lord’s covenant and committed an outrage in Israel.” ^r

Achan Judged

¹⁶Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. ¹⁷He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families, ^sand Zabdi was selected. ¹⁸He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.

¹⁹So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, ^tand make a confession to Him. ^uI urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”

²⁰Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. ^vThis is what I did: ²¹When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon, ^w200 silver shekels, ^xand a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, ^yI coveted them and took them. ^zYou can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the money under the cloak.” ²²So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the money underneath. ²³They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in the Lord’s presence.

²⁴Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. ^a25Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? ^bToday the Lord will trouble you!” So all Israel stoned them ^cto death. They burned their bodies, ^dthrew stones on them, ²⁶and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. ^eThen the Lord turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor ^fto this day.

Conquest of Ai

8The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. ^gTake the whole military force with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land. ^h2Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king; ⁱyou may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. ^jSet an ambush behind the city.” ^k

³So Joshua and the whole military force set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 fighting men and sent them out at night. ⁴He commanded them: “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready. ^l5Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. ⁶They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as before.’ While we are fleeing from them,⁷you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God has handed it over to you. ⁸After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the Lord’s command—see…