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 I say after Israel has turned tail before its enemies? 9When the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear of this, they will turn upon us and wipe out our very name from the earth. And what will You do about Your great name?”
10But the LORD answered Joshua: “Arise! Why do you lie prostrate? 11Israel has sinned! They have broken the covenant by which I bound them. They have taken of the proscribed and put it in their vessels; they have stolen; they have broken faith! 12Therefore, the Israelites will not be able to hold their ground against their enemies; they will have to turn tail before their enemies, for they have become proscribed. I will not be with you any more unless you root out from among you what is pro-scribed. 13Go and purify the people. Order them: Purify yourselves for tomorrow. For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Something pro-scribed is in your midst, O Israel, and you will not be able to stand up to your enemies until you have purged the proscribed from among you. 14Tomorrow morning you shall present yourselves by tribes. Whichever tribe the LORD indicatesb shall come forward by clans; the clan that the LORD indicates shall come forward by ancestral houses, and the ancestral house that the LORD indicates shall come forward man by man. 15Then he who is c-indicated for proscription,-c and all that is his, shall be put to the fire, because he broke the Covenant of the LORD and because he committed an outrage in Israel.”
16Early next morning, Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes; and the tribe of Judah was indicated. 17He then had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of Zerah was indicated. Then he had the clan of Zerah come forward by d-ancestral houses,-d and Zabdi was indicated. 18Finally he had his ancestral house come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was indicated.
19Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, pay honor to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make confession to Him. Tell me what you have done; do not hold anything back from me.” 20Achan answered Joshua, “It is true, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21I saw among the spoil a fine Shinar mantle, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, and I coveted them and took them. They are buried in the ground in my tent, with the silver under it.”e
22Joshua sent messengers, who hurried to the tent; and there ite was, buried in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23They took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and displayedf them before the LORD. 24Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah—and the silver, the mantle, and the wedge of gold—his sons and daughters, and his ox, his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all his be-longings, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25And Joshua said, “What calamity you have brought upon us! The LORD will bring calamity upon you this day.” And all Israel pelted him with stones. They put them to the fire and stoned them. 26They raised a huge mound of stones over him, which is still there. Then the anger of the LORD subsided. That is why that place was named the Valley of Achorg—as is still the case.
8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be frightened or dismayed. Take all the fighting troops with you, go and march against Ai. See, I will deliver the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land into your hands. 2You shall treat Ai and her king as you treated Jericho and her king; however, you may take the spoil and the cattle as booty for yourselves. Now set an ambush against the city behind it.”
3 So Joshua and all the fighting troops prepared for the march on Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, valiant warriors, and sent them ahead by night. 4He instructed them as follows: “Mind, you are to lie in ambush behind the city; don’t stay too far from the city, and all of you be on the alert. 5I and all the troops with me will approach the city; and when they come out against us, as they did the first time, we will flee from them. 6They will come rushing after us until we have drawn them away from the city. They will think, ‘They are fleeing from us the same as last time’; but while we are fleeing before them, 7you will dash out from your am-bush and seize the city, and the LORD your God will deliver it into your hands. 8And when you take the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded. Mind, I have given you your orders.”
9Joshua then sent them off, and they proceeded to the ambush; they took up a position between Ai and Bethel—west of Ai—while Joshua spent the night with the rest of the troops.
10Early in the morning, Joshua mustered the troops; then he and the elders of Israel marched upon Ai at the head of the troops. 11All the fighting force that was with him advanced near the
