Joshua 7
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespasse in the excommunicate thing: for Achan the sonne of Carmi, the sonne of Zabdi, the sonne of Zerah of the tribe of Iuda tooke of the excommunicate thing: wherfore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
Yahweh had commanded that all the things [that they had captured in Jericho] should be [destroyed to show that they belong] to him. But there was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan. He was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi and great-grandson of Zerah. He disobeyed [what] Yahweh [had commanded] and took for himself some of those things. So Yahweh was very angry with the Israelis.
2 And Ioshua sent men from Iericho to Ai, which is beside Bethauen, on ye East side of Bethel, and spake vnto them, saying, Goe vp, and view the countrey. And ye men went vp, and viewed Ai,
Joshua told some of his men to go from Jericho to Ai [town], which was east of Bethel [city] and near Beth-Aven [town]. He said to them, “Go to Ai and (spy out the area/see what the area is like).” So the men went.
3 And returned to Ioshua, and saide vnto him, Let not al the people go vp, but let as it were two or three thousand men go vp, and smite Ai, and make not al the people to labour thither, for they are fewe.
When they returned to Joshua they said, “There are only a few people in Ai. So we do not need to send all of our soldiers to defeat them. Send 2.000 or 3,000 men to attack them. That will be enough.”
4 So there went vp thither of the people about three thousande men, and they fledde before the men of Ai.
So about 3,000 Israeli men went [to attack Ai]. But the men of Ai defeated them badly.
5 And the men of Ai smote of them vpon a thirtie and sixe men: for they chased them from before the gate vnto Shebarim, and smote them in the going downe: wherfore the heartes of the people melted away like water.
They killed about 36 Israelis and chased the rest of Israeli men from the city gate to the bottom of the hill. When the other Israelis saw that this had happened, they became very discouraged.
6 Then Ioshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth vpon his face before the Arke of the Lord, vntill the euentide, he, and the Elders of Israel, and put dust vpon their heads.
Joshua and the other Israeli leaders tore their clothes [because they were very sad about being defeated]. They prostrated themselves on the ground in front of [the Sacred Tent in which was] the sacred chest. They stayed there until that evening. They also threw dirt on their heads [to show that they were very sad about what had happened].
7 And Ioshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou brought this people ouer Iorden, to deliuer vs into the hande of the Amorites, and to destroye vs? would God we had bene content to dwell on the other side Iorden.
Then Joshua prayed and said, “Lord God, you brought us Israelis [safely] across the Jordan River. So why are you now allowing the Amor people-group to defeat us [RHQ]? [This would not have happened] if we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan River!
8 Oh Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turne their backes before their enemies?
Lord, we Israelis have been defeated by our enemies, so I do not know what to say now [RHQ].
9 For the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land shall heare of it, and shall compasse vs, and destroy our name out of the earth: and what wilt thou doe vnto thy mightie Name?
The Canaan people-group and all the other people who are living in this land will hear about this. Then they will surround us and kill all of us! Then what will you do (to defend your reputation [MTY]/to show that you are a powerful God)?”
10 And the Lord said vnto Ioshua, Get thee vp: wherefore lyest thou thus vpon thy face?
But Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Stop lying there with your face on the ground [RHQ]!
11 Israel hath sinned, and they haue transgressed my couenant, which I commanded them: for they haue euen taken of the excommunicate thing, and haue also stollen, and dissembled also, and haue put it euen with their owne stuffe.
You Israelis have sinned! You have disobeyed the commands that I told you to obey. [One of] your men has taken some of the things that I told you to destroy. He has stolen them and taken them for himself and lied [about it].
12 Therefore ye children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies, but haue turned their backes before their enemies, because they be execrable: neither will I bee with you any more, except ye destroy the excommunicate from among you.
That is why you Israelis have been unable to be strong when you went to attack your enemies. That is why you have run away from them. And now you yourselves may be destroyed. If you do not do as I commanded you and destroy everything [that you captured in Jericho] I will not help you any more!”
13 Vp therefore, sanctifie the people, and say, Sanctifie your selues against to morowe: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an execrable thing among you, O Israel, therefore ye cannot stand against your enemies, vntill ye haue put the execrable thing from among you.
“Now go and tell this to the people: ‘Tomorrow you must [perform the rituals that will] cause yourselves to become acceptable to Yahweh again. Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says that one of you has kept things that he told you to destroy. You will never defeat your enemies until you get rid of those things.
14 In the morning therefore ye shall come according to your tribes, and the tribe which the Lord taketh, shall come according to the families: and the familie which the Lord shall take, shall come by the housholds: and the houshold which the Lord shall take, shall come man by man.
‘Tomorrow morning you must present yourselves before Yahweh, tribe by tribe. Then Yahweh will indicate to which tribe [the man who took those things belongs]. Then Yahweh will indicate to which clan from that tribe [the guilty man belongs]. Then Yahweh will indicate to which family he belongs. And then he will indicate which person [in that family took those things].
15 And he that is taken with the excommunicate thing, shall be burnt with fire, hee, and all that he hath, because he hath transgressed the couenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
Then the one who has taken some of the things that should have been destroyed will be destroyed in a fire. And everything he owns will be destroyed with him, because he has disobeyed the command that Yahweh gave us and has done something that is disgraceful to us Israeli people.’”
16 So Ioshua rose vp earely in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes: and the tribe of Iudah was taken.
Early the next morning, Joshua told all the Israeli people to stand before the Sacred Tent, tribe by tribe. [When they did that], Yahweh indicated that a man from the tribe of Judah [was the one who had taken the things].
17 And he brought the families of Iudah, and tooke the familie of the Zarhites, and he brought the familie of the Zarhites, man by man, and Zabdi was taken.
Then the clans of Judah presented themselves, and Yahweh indicated that someone from the clan of Zerah was the guilty one. Then the families of Zerah’s clan presented themselves, and Yahweh indicated that someone from the family of Zabdi [was the guilty one].
18 And he brought his houshold, man by man, and Achan ye sonne of Carmi, the sonne of Zabdi, the sonne of Zerah of the tribe of Iudah was take.
Then Joshua told the men from that family to present themselves. And Yahweh indicated that Achan was guilty.
19 Then Ioshua said vnto Achan, My sonne, I beseech thee, giue glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession vnto him, and shewe me now what thou hast done: hide it not from me.
Then Joshua said to Achan, “Son, tell the truth [IDM]. Confess to Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship, what you have done]. And tell me what you did, and do not try to (conceal anything/prevent me from knowing what you did).”
20 And Achan answered Ioshua, and saide, In deede, I haue sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus, and thus haue I done.
Achan replied, “It is true. I have sinned against Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].
21 I sawe among the spoyle a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundreth shekels of siluer, and a wedge of golde of fiftie shekels weight, and I coueted them, and tooke them: and behold, they lye hid in the earth in the mids of my tent, and the siluer vnder it.
Among the things [in Jericho] that I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia. I also saw 200 pieces of silver and some gold that weighed as much as 50 pieces of silver. I wanted those things very much for myself, so I took them. I buried them all in the ground under my tent. You will find them there. The silver is buried under the other things.”
22 Then Ioshua sent messengers, which ran vnto the tent, and beholde, it was hid in his tent, and the siluer vnder it.
So Joshua sent some men [to find those things]. They ran to Achan’s tent and found all the things hidden there.
23 Therefore they tooke them out of the tent, and brought them vnto Ioshua, and vnto all the children of Israel, and layd them before the Lord.
The men brought them all out of the tent and took them to Joshua and the rest of the Israeli people. Then they spread/laid them out on the ground, where Yahweh could see them.
24 Then Ioshua tooke Achan the sonne of Zerah, and the siluer, and the garment and the wedge of golde and his sonnes, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheepe, and his tent, and all that hee had: and all Israel with him brought them vnto the valley of Achor.
Then Joshua and the rest of the people led Achan down to the valley. They also took down there the silver, the coat, the gold, Achan’s [wife and] sons and daughters, and his cattle and donkeys and sheep, and his tent, and everything else that he owned.
25 And Ioshua said, In as much as thou hast troubled vs, the Lord shall trouble thee this day: and all Israel threwe stones at him, and burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.
Joshua said, “(I do not know why you caused so much trouble for us/You have caused a lot of trouble for us) [RHQ], but now Yahweh will cause trouble for you.” Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they all died. Then the people burned their corpses.
26 And they cast vpon him a great heape of stones vnto this day: and so the Lord turned from his fierce wrath: therefore hee called the name of that place, The valley of Achor, vnto this day.
They piled rocks over [the ashes of] their [corpses], and those rocks are still there. That is why that valley is called Trouble Valley. After that, Yahweh was no longer angry [with the Israeli people].
