5 When all the kings of the Amorites on the western side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites near the Sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the sake of the Israelites until they crossed over, they lost heart, and no spirit was left in them because of the Israelites.
2At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and proceed with a second circumcision of the Israelites.” 3So Joshua had flint knives made, and the Israelites were circumcised at Gibeath-haaraloth.a
4This is the reason why Joshua had the circumcision performed: All the people who had come out of Egypt, all the males of military age, had died during the desert wanderings after leaving Egypt. 5Now, whereas all the people who came out of Egypt had been circumcised, none of the people born after the exodus, during the desert wanderings, had been circumcised. 6For the Israelites had traveled in the wilderness forty years, until the entire nation—the men of military age who had left Egypt—had perished; because they had not obeyed the LORD, and the LORD had sworn never to let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to assign to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7But He had raised up their sons in their stead; and it was these that Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, not having been circumcised on the way. 8After the circumcising of the whole nation was completed, they remained where they were, in the camp, until they recovered.
9And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.”b So that place was called Gilgal,c as it still is.
10Encamped at Gilgal, in the steppes of Jericho, the Israelites offered the passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the month, toward evening.
11On the day after the passover offering, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the country, unleavened bread and parched grain. 12On that same day,d when they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. The Israelites got no more manna; that year they ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
13Once, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him, drawn sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and asked him, “Are you one of us or of our enemies?” 14He replied, “No, I am captain of the LORD’s host. Now I have come!” Joshua threw himself face down to the ground and, prostrating himself, said to him, “What does my lord command his servant?” 15The captain of the LORD’s host answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
6 Now Jericho was shut up tight because of the Israelites; no one could leave or enter.
2The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I will deliver Jericho and her king [and her] warriors into your hands. 3Let all your troops march around the city and complete one circuit of the city. Do this six days, 4with seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns preceding the Ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5And when a long blast is sounded on the horn—as soon as you hear that sound of the horn—all the people shall give a mighty shout. Thereupon the city wall will collapse, and the people shall advance, every man straight ahead.”
6Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and let seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns precede the Ark of the LORD.” 7And he instructed the people, “Go forward, march around the city, with the vanguard marching in front of the Ark of the LORD.” 8When Joshua had instructed the people, the seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns advanced before the LORD, blowing their horns; and the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant followed them. 9The vanguard marched in front of the priests who were blowing the horns, and the rear guard marched behind the Ark, with the horns sounding all the time. 10But Joshua’s orders to the rest of the people were, “Do not shout, do not let your voices be heard, and do not let a sound issue from your lips until the moment that I command you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”
11So he had the Ark of the LORD go around the city and complete one circuit; then they returned to camp and spent the night in camp. 12Joshua rose early the next day; and the priests took up the Ark of the LORD, 13while the seven priests bearing the seven ram’s horns marched in front of the Ark of the LORD, blowing the horns as they marched. The vanguard marched in front of them, and the rear guard marched behind the Ark of the LORD, with the horns sounding all the time. 14And so they marched around the city once on the second day and returned to the camp. They did this six days.
15On the seventh day, they rose at daybreak and marched around the city, in the same manner, seven times; that was the only day that they marched around the city seven times. 16On the seventh round, as the priests blew the horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. 17The city and everything in it are to be proscribed for the LORD; only Rahab the harlot is to be spared, and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers we sent. 18But you must beware of that which is proscribed, or else you will be proscribed:a if you take anything from that which is proscribed, you will cause the camp of Israel to be proscribed; you will bring calamity upon it. 19All the silver and gold and objects of copper and iron are consecrated to the LORD; they must go into the treasury of the LORD.”
20So the people shouted when the horns were sounded. When the people heard the sound of the horns, the people raised a mighty shout and the wall collapsed. The people rushed into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they captured the city. 21They exterminated everything in the city with the sword: man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass. 22But Joshua bade the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring out the woman and all that belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and her mother, her brothers and all that belonged to her—they brought out her whole family and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24They burned down the city and everything in it. But the silver and gold and the objects of copper and iron were deposited in the treasury of the House of the LORD. 25Only Rahab the harlot and her father’s family were spared by Joshua, along with all that belonged to her, and she dwelt among the Israelites—as is still the case. For she had hidden the messen-gers that Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed of the LORD be the man who shall undertake to fortify this city of Jericho: he shall lay its foundations at the cost of his first-born, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.”
27The LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
7 The Israelites, however, violated the proscription: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of that which was proscribed, and the LORD was incensed with the Israelites.
2Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which lies close to Beth-aven— east of Bethel—with orders to go up and spy out the country. So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3They returned to Joshua and reported to him, “Not all the troops need go up. Let two or three thousand men go and attack Ai; do not trouble all the troops to go up there, for [the people] there are few.” 4So about three thousand of the troops marched up there; but they were routed by the men of Ai. 5The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, pursuing them outside the gate as far as Shebarim, and cutting them down along the descent. And the heart of the troops a-sank in utter dismay.-a
6Joshua thereupon rent his clothes. He and the elders of Israel lay until evening with their faces to the ground in front of the Ark of the LORD; and they strewed earth on their heads. 7“Ah, Lord GOD!” cried Joshua. “Why did You lead this people across the Jordan only to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to be destroyed by them? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan! 😯 Lord, what can
