Joshua 7
1 But the children of Israel did wrong about the cursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the family of Judah, took of the cursed thing, moving the Lord to wrath against the children of Israel.
But the sons of Israel had committed an act of unfaithfulness in respect of what was devoted, —for Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah had taken of what was devoted, and the anger of Yahweh had kindled against the sons of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is by the side of Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and said to them, Go up and make a search through the land. And the men went up and saw how Ai was placed.
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai which was beside Beth-aven on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them saying, Go up and spy out the land. So the men went up, and spied out Ai.
3 Then they came back to Joshua and said to him, Do not send all the people up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and make an attack on Ai; there is no need for all the people to be tired with the journey there, for it is only a small town.
And they returned unto Joshua and said unto him—Let not all the people go up, about two thousand men or three thousand men, can go up and smite Ai, —do not weary the whole people to go thither, for, but few, they are.
4 So about three thousand of the people went up, and were sent in flight by the men of Ai.
There went up thither of the people therefore, about three thousand men, —but they fled before the men of Ai.
5 The men of Ai put to death about thirty-six of them, driving them from before the town as far as the stoneworks, and overcoming them on the way down: and the hearts of the people became like water.
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men, and pursued them before the gate as far as the Shebarim, and smote them on the slope, —so that the heart of the people melted and became as water.
6 Then Joshua, in great grief, went down on the earth before the ark of the Lord till the evening, and all the chiefs of Israel with him, and they put dust on their heads.
Then Joshua rent his clothes and fell upon his face to the earth before the ark of Yahweh until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, —and they lifted up dust upon their heads.
7 And Joshua said, O Lord God, why have you taken us over Jordan only to give us up into the hands of the Amorites for our destruction? If only it had been enough for us to keep on the other side of Jordan!
And Joshua said—Alas! My Lord Yahweh! Wherefore hast thou, brought, this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us? Would then we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan!
8 O Lord, what am I to say now that Israel have given way before their attackers?
Oh My Lord, —what shall I say, after Israel have turned their backs before their enemies?
9 For when the news comes to the Canaanites and all the people of the land, they will come up, shutting us in and cutting off our name from the earth: and what will you do for the honour of your great name?
Only let the Canaanite and all the inhabitants of the land hear, and they will surround us, and cut off our name out of the earth, —what then wilt thou do for thy great name?
10 Then the Lord said to Joshua, Get up; what are you doing with your face to the earth?
And Yahweh said unto Joshua—Get thee up! wherefore is it that thou art lying upon thy face?
11 Israel has done wrong, sinning against the agreement which I made with them: they have even taken of the cursed thing; acting falsely like thieves they have put it among their goods.
Israel hath sinned, yea moreover they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them, —yea moreover they have taken of what was devoted, yea moreover they have stolen, yea moreover they have dissembled, yea moreover they have put it among their own goods.
12 For this reason the children of Israel have given way, turning their backs in flight before their attackers, because they are cursed: I will no longer be with you, if you do not put the cursed thing away from among you.
Therefore cannot the sons of Israel stand before their enemies, their back, do they turn before their enemies, because they have become devoted, —I will no more be with you, except ye destroy the devoted thing out of your midst.
13 Up! make the people holy; say to them, Make yourselves holy before tomorrow, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, There is a cursed thing among you, O Israel, and you will give way before your attackers in the fight till the cursed thing has been taken away from among you.
Up! hallow the people, and thou shalt say, Hallow yourselves by to-morrow, —for, Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel: A devoted thing, is in the midst of thee O Israel, Thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye have put away the devoted thing out of your midst.
14 So in the morning you are to come near, tribe by tribe; and the tribe marked out by the Lord is to come near, family by family; and the family marked out by the Lord is to come near, house by house; and the house marked out by the Lord is to come near, man by man.
Therefore shall ye be brought near in the morning by your tribes, —and it shall be that—the tribe which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, by families, and the family which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, by households, and the household which Yahweh shall seize, shall come near, man by man;
15 Then the man who is taken with the cursed thing is to be burned, with everything which is his; because he has gone against the agreement of the Lord and has done an act of shame in Israel.
and it shall be, that—He that is seized with the devoted thing, shall be burned with fire, he and all that he hath, —because he hath transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he hath wrought impiety in Israel.
16 So Joshua got up early in the morning, and made Israel come before him by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken;
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes, —and, the tribe of Judah, was seized;
17 Then he made Judah come forward, and the family of the Zerahites was taken; and he made the family of the Zerahites come forward man by man; and Zabdi was taken;
and he brought near the family of Judah, and, the family of the Zarhites, was seized, —and he brought near the family of the Zarhites, man by man, and, Zabdi, was seized;
18 Then the house of Zabdi came forward man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
and he brought near his household, man by man, —and, Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was seized.
19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give glory and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel; give me word now of what you have done, and keep nothing back from me.
And Joshua said unto Achan—My son give I pray thee glory unto Yahweh God of Israel and make to him confession, —and tell me I pray thee what thou hast done, do not hide it from me.
20 And Achan, answering, said to Joshua, Truly I have done wrong against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done:
And Achan answered Joshua and said, —Of a truth, I, have sinned against Yahweh God of Israel, and, thus and thus, have I done:
21 When I saw among their goods a fair robe of Babylon and two hundred shekels of silver, and a mass of gold, fifty shekels in weight, I was overcome by desire and took them; and they are put away in the earth in my tent, and the silver is under it.
When I saw among the spoil a certain goodly mantle of Babylonia and two hundred shekels of silver and a certain wedge of gold—fifty shekels the weight thereof, then I coveted them, then I took them, —and, there they are, hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
22 So Joshua sent men quickly, and looking in his tent, they saw where the robe had been put away secretly with the silver under it.
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent, —and, there it was, hid in his tent, and, the silver, under it.
23 And they took them from the tent and came back with them to Joshua and the children of Israel, and put them before the Lord.
And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them in unto Joshua, and unto all the sons of Israel, —and poured them out before Yahweh.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver and the robe and the mass of gold, and his sons and his daughters and his oxen and his asses and his sheep and his tent and everything he had; and they took them up into the valley of Achor.
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan—son of Zerah, and the silver and the mantle and the wedge of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his asses and his sheep and his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up the valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, Why have you been a cause of trouble to us? Today the Lord will send trouble on you. And all Israel took part in stoning him; they had him stoned to death and then burned with fire.
And Joshua said—Why hast thou troubled us? Yahweh, will trouble thee, this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them up with fire, and covered them with stones;
26 And over him they put a great mass of stones, which is there to this day; then the heat of the Lord's wrath was turned away. So that place was named, The Valley of Achor, to this day.
yea they raised over him a great heap of stones [which remaineth] until this day. And Yahweh turned from the fierceness of his anger, —for which cause, hath the name of that place been called—The Valley of Achor, until this day.
