Joshua 5–6

The Israelites Are Circumcised

5And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites^a who were by the sea heard that Yahweh dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of the Israelites^b until they crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no courage left in them^c because of the presence of the Israelites. ^d

²At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make for yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the Israelites^e a second time.” ³So Joshua made knives of flint, and he circumcised the Israelites^f at the hill of the foreskins.^{g 4}This is the reason why Joshua circumcised all the people: all the males who went out from Egypt, all the warriors, died in the wilderness as they went out from Egypt on the journey.^{h 5}For all the people who left were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the journeyⁱ after they left from Egypt were not circumcised. ⁶For forty years the Israelites^j traveled in the wilderness until all the nation, the warriors that left Egypt, perished, because they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh. To them Yahweh swore that they would not see the land that he^k swore to their ancestors^l to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷And it was their children whom he raised in their place that Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the journey.^m

The Israelites Celebrate Passover in Canaan

⁸And it happened, when all the nation had finished circumcising, they remained where they were in the camp until they recovered. ⁹And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, the name of that place is called Gilgalⁿ to this day. ¹⁰And the Israelites^o camped at Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. ¹¹On the next day after the Passover, on that^p very day, they ate from the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted corn. ¹²And the manna ceased the day after, when they started eating the produce of the land, and there was no longer manna for the Israelites.^q They ate from the crop of the land of Canaan in that year.

The Commander of Yahweh’s Army Appears Before Joshua

¹³And it happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up,^r and he saw a man standing opposite him^s with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said, “Are you with us, or with our adversaries?” ¹⁴And he said, “Neither. I have come now as the commander of Yahweh’s army.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and he bowed down^t and said to him, “What is my lord commanding his servant?” ¹⁵The commander of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals^u from your feet,^v for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The Battle of Jericho

6Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the presence of the Israelites;^a no one was going out or coming in. ²And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Look, I am giving Jericho into your hand, its king and the soldiers of the army. ³You will march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once; you will do so for six days. ⁴And seven priests will bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests will blow on the trumpets. ⁵And when they blow long on the horn of the ram, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people will shout with a great war cry, and the wall of the city will fall flat,^b and the people will charge, each one straight ahead.”^{c 6}So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry the trumpets of the rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh.” ⁷And he said^d to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and let the armed men pass before the ark of Yahweh.

⁸And when Joshua spoke^e to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the presence of Yahweh went forward and they blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed behind them. ⁹And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while they were blowing the trumpets. ¹⁰But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You will not shout, and you will not let your voice be heard; a word will not go out from your mouth until the day I say to you ‘Shout!’ Then you will shout.” ¹¹And the ark of Yahweh went around the city, circling once,^f and they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. ¹²Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh. ¹³The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of the rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh went on continually, and they blew on the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of Yahweh, while the trumpets blew continually. ¹⁴And they marched around the city once on the second day, and they returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵Then on the seventh day they rose early at dawn, and they marched around the city in this manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶And at the seventh time the priests blew on the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. ¹⁷The city and all that is in it will be devoted to Yahweh; only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in the house will live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. ¹⁸As for you, keep away from the things^g devoted to destruction so that you do not take them and bring about your own destruction, making the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble upon it. ¹⁹But all of the silver and gold, and the items of bronze and iron, are holy to Yahweh, and they must go to Yahweh’s treasury.” ²⁰So the people shouted, and they^h blew on the trumpets. And when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell flat. The people charged, each one straight ahead into the city,ⁱ and they captured it. ²¹And they utterly destroyed by the edge of the sword^j all who were in the city, both men and women, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey.

²²Then Joshua said to the two men who spied on the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, just as you swore to her.” ²³So the young men who were spies went and brought Rahab and her father and mother, her brothers, and all who were with her. And they brought all her family out and set them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴And they burned the city and all that was in it with fire; they put only the silver and gold, and the items of copper and iron, into the treasury of the house of Yahweh. ²⁵But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her family^k and all who were with her, and she has lived in the midst of Israel until this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶And Joshua swore at that time, saying, “Cursed is anyone before Yahweh who gets up and builds Jericho, this city. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” ²⁷So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.