Joshua 6
1 Now Jericho was closely shut up and besieged, and none went out of it, and none came in.
Jericho's gates were shut and barred because of the Israelites. Nobody was allowed in or out.
2 And the Lord said to Joshua, Behold, I deliver Jericho into your power, and its king in it, [and its] mighty men.
But the Lord told Joshua, “I'm handing over the city of Jericho to you, along with its king and its army of warriors.
3 And do you set the men of war round about it.
March around the city with your armed men once a day for six days.
4 And it shall be [that] when you shall sound with the trumpet, all the people shall shout together.
Seven priests are to go ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day, march seven times around the city, with the priests blowing their rams' horns.
5 And when they have shouted, the walls of the city shall fall of themselves; and all the people shall enter, each one rushing direct into the city.
When you hear a long blast on the rams' horns, everyone shall give a really loud shout. The city walls will collapse, and every man can go right in.”
6 And Joshua the [son] of Naue went in to the priests, and spoke to them, saying,
So Joshua, son of Nun, sent for the priests, and told them, “Pick up the Ark of Agreement, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns and go ahead of the Ark of the Lord.”
7 And let seven priests having seven sacred trumpets proceed thus before the Lord, and let them sound loudly; and let the ark of the covenant of the Lord follow.
Then he told the people, “Move out! March around the city with the armed men up front ahead of the Ark of the Lord!”
8 Charge the people to go round, and encompass the city; and let your men of war pass on armed before the Lord.
When Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns in the presence of the Lord started out, blowing the horns, with the Ark following behind.
9 And let the men of war proceed before, and the priests bringing up the rear behind the ark of the covenant of the Lord [proceed] sounding the trumpets.
Some of the armed men marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while some followed the Ark, the horns being blown continually.
10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Cry not out, nor let any one hear your voice, until he himself declare to you the time to cry out, and then you shall cry out.
However, Joshua ordered them, “Don't shout, don't even talk. Don't say anything until I tell you all to shout—then shout!”
11 And the ark of the covenant of God having gone round immediately returned into the camp, and lodged there.
So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. Then they returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12 And on the second day Joshua rose up in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the Ark of the Lord.
13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets went on before the Lord; and afterwards the men of war went on, and the remainder of the multitude went after the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
The seven priests with the seven rams' horns went ahead of the Ark of the Lord, blowing the horns. The armed men went before them and behind the Ark of the Lord, the horns being blown continually.
14 And all the rest of the multitude compassed the city six times from within a short distance, and went back again into the camp; this they did six days.
So on the second day they marched around the city, circling it once, and returned to the camp. They did this for a total of six days.
15 And on the seventh day they rose up early, and compassed the city on that day seven times.
On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city in the usual way, except that this day they circled the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh circuit the priests blew the trumpets; and Joshua said to the children of Israel, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city.
The seventh time around when the priests blew the horns, Joshua told the people, “Shout! For today the Lord has given the city to you!
17 And the city shall be devoted, it and all things that are in it, to the Lord of Hosts: only do you save Raab the harlot, and all things in her house.
The city and everything in it is to be set apart for the Lord and destroyed. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
18 But keep yourselves strictly from the accursed thing, lest you set your mind upon and take of the accursed thing, and you make the camp of the children of Israel and accursed thing, and destroy us.
But stay away from everything set apart for the Lord, for if you were to take anything you too would be liable to be destroyed, and you would also bring disaster on the camp of Israel.
19 And all the silver, or gold, or brass, or iron, shall be holy to the Lord; it shall be carried into the treasury of the Lord.
All the silver and the gold, and everything made of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord and they must be placed in the Lord's treasury.”
20 And the priests sounded with the trumpets: and when the people heard the trumpets, all the people shouted at once with a loud and strong shout; and all the wall fell round about, and all the people went up into the city:
So as soon as they heard the sound of the horns, the people gave a loud shout, and the city walls collapsed. The men went in right away and captured the city.
21 and Joshua devoted it to destruction, and all things that were in the city, man and woman, young man and old, and calf and ass, with the edge of the sword.
They destroyed everything in the city: men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys, all were killed by the sword.
22 And Joshua said to the two young men who had acted a spies, Go into the house of the woman, and bring her out thence, and all that she has.
Joshua had told the two men who had gone to explore the land, “Go to the house of Rahab the prostitute and bring her out together with all her family, as you promised.”
23 And the two young men who had spied out the city entered into the house of the woman, and brought out Raab the harlot, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and her kindred, and all that she had; and they set her without the camp of Israel.
So the spies went and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, and all who were with her. They brought out the whole family and took them to a place near the Israelite camp.
24 And the city was burnt with fire with all things that were in it; only of the silver, and gold, and brass, and iron, they gave to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.
Then the Israelites burned down the city and everything in it, except for the silver and the gold, and everything made of bronze and iron, which they placed in the treasury of the Lord's house.
25 And Joshua saved alive Raab the harlot, and all the house of her father, and caused her to dwell in Israel until this day, because she hid the spies which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her family because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26 And Joshua adjured [them] on that day before the Lord, saying, Cursed [be] the man who shall build that city: he shall lay the foundation of it in his firstborn, and he shall set up the gates of it in his youngest son. And so did Hozan of Baethel; he laid the foundation in Abiron his firstborn, and set up the gates of it in his youngest surviving son.
At that time Joshua declared a curse, saying: “Cursed before the Lord is anyone who attempts to rebuild this city of Jericho. He lays its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son; he sets up its gates at the cost of his youngest son.”
27 And the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was in all the land.
So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
