Joshua 7
1 And the sons of Israel commit a trespass in the devoted thing, and Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, takes from the devoted thing, and the anger of YHWH burns against the sons of Israel.
The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
2 And Joshua sends men from Jericho to Ai, which [is] near Beth-Aven, on the east of Bethel, and speaks to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land”; and the men go up and spy Ai,
Meanwhile, Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 and they return to Joshua, and say to him, “Do not let all the people go up; let about two thousand men, or about three thousand men, go up, and they strike Ai; do not cause all the people to labor there; for they [are] few.”
On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
4 So about three thousand men of the people go up from there, and they flee before the men of Ai,
So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai.
5 and the men of Ai strike about thirty-six men from them, and pursue them before the gate to Shebarim, and they strike them in Morad; and the heart of the people is melted, and becomes water.
And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the gate as far as the quarries and striking them down on the slopes. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 And Joshua tears his garments, and falls on his face to the earth before the Ark of YHWH until the evening, he and [the] elderly of Israel, and they cause dust to go up on their head.
Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
7 And Joshua says, “Aah! Lord YHWH, why have You caused this people to pass over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hand of the Amorite to destroy us? And oh that we had been willing—and we dwell beyond the Jordan!
“O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
8 Oh, Lord, what do I say, after that Israel has turned the neck before its enemies?
O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
9 And the Canaanite and all the inhabitants of the land hear, and have come around against us, and cut off our name from the earth; and what do You do for Your great Name?”
When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
10 And YHWH says to Joshua, “Rise, for you—why this—[that] you [are] falling on your face?
But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and also taken of the devoted thing, and also stolen, and also deceived, and also put [it] among their vessels,
Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
12 and the sons of Israel have not been able to stand before their enemies; they turn the neck before their enemies, for they have become a devoted thing; I do not add to be with you—if you do not destroy the devoted thing from your midst.
This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you whatever is devoted to destruction.
13 Rise, sanctify the people, and you have said, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus said YHWH, God of Israel: A devoted thing [is] in your midst, O Israel, you are not able to stand before your enemies until your turning aside the devoted thing from your midst;
Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
14 and you have been brought near in the morning by your tribes, and it has been [that] the tribe which YHWH captures draws near by families, and the family which YHWH captures draws near by households, and the household which YHWH captures draws near by men;
In the morning you must present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD selects shall come forward clan by clan, and the clan that the LORD selects shall come forward family by family, and the family that the LORD selects shall come forward man by man.
15 and it has been, he who is captured with the devoted thing is burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of YHWH, and because he has done folly in Israel.”
The one who is caught with the things devoted to destruction must be burned, along with all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD and committed an outrage in Israel.’”
16 And Joshua rises early in the morning, and brings Israel near by its tribes, and the tribe of Judah is captured;
So Joshua arose early the next morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
17 and he brings the family of Judah near, and he captures the family of the Zerahite; and he brings the family of the Zerahite near by men, and Zabdi is captured;
He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward, and the family of Zabdi was selected.
18 and he brings his household near by men, and Achan—son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah—is captured.
And he had the family of Zabdi come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 And Joshua says to Achan, “My son, please give glory to YHWH, God of Israel, and give thanks to Him, and now declare to me what you have done—do not hide [it] from me.”
So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 And Achan answers Joshua and says, “Truly I have sinned against YHWH, God of Israel, and I have done thus and thus;
“It is true,” Achan replied, “I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I did:
21 and I see among the spoil a good robe of Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one wedge of gold, whose weight [is] fifty shekels, and I desire them, and take them; and behold, they [are] hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver [is] under it.”
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22 And Joshua sends messengers, and they run to the tent, and behold, it is hidden in his tent, and the silver [is] under it;
So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.
23 and they take them out of the midst of the tent, and bring them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and pour them out before YHWH.
They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before the LORD.
24 And Joshua takes Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, and the robe, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his ox, and his donkey, and his flock, and his tent, and all that he has, and all Israel with him, and they brought them up [to] the Valley of Achor.
Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua says, “Why have you troubled us? YHWH troubles you this day!” And all Israel cast stone at him, and they burn them with fire, and they stone them with stones,
“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
26 and they raise up a great heap of stones over him to this day, and YHWH turns back from the heat of His anger, therefore [one] has called the name of that place “Valley of Achor” until this day.
And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So the LORD turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor to this day.
