Joshua 6
1 Now all the entrances to Jericho were closed because of the army of Israel. No one went out and no one came in.
Meanwhile, the guards of Jericho shut the gates of the city tightly, because [they were afraid] of the Israeli [army]. No one was allowed to go into the city or go out of it.
2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, its king, and its trained soldiers.
Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Listen [to what I say]! I am going to enable your army [SYN] to capture/conquer [MTY] Jericho and its king and its soldiers.
3 You must march around the city, all the men of war going around the city one time. You must do this for six days.
So your army must march around the city for six days, once each day.
4 Seven priests must carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you must march around the city seven times, and the priests must sound blasts on the trumpets.
Tell seven priests to march around with them. Each priest must carry a trumpet. Four other priests must carry the sacred chest, and they must walk behind the priests who are carrying the trumpets. On the seventh day, the army must march around the city seven times, and the priests must be blowing the trumpets while they march.
5 Then they must sound a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet all the people must shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat. The soldiers must attack, each one going straight ahead.”
[After they have all marched around the city seven times], the priests must blow their trumpets [once], very loudly. When the Israeli people/soldiers hear that, they must shout loudly. Then the wall of the city will collapse, and all the Israeli people/soldiers will go straight into the city.”
6 Then Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh.”
So Joshua summoned the priests and said to them, “Tell four priests to carry the chest [that contains] the Ten Commandments that Yahweh [gave to us]. [Tell] seven [other] priests to carry trumpets and walk in front of them.”
7 He said to the people, “Go over and march around the city, and the armed men will go ahead of the ark of Yahweh.”
And Joshua told the soldiers, “Start marching! March around the city, with several soldiers with weapons marching in front. Behind them will march the seven priests with trumpets, and behind them will march the four priests carrying Yahweh’s [sacred] chest.”
8 Just as Joshua had said to the people, the seven priests carried the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh. As they advanced, they gave a blast on the trumpets. The ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed after them.
After Joshua told that to the army, the seven priests, each carrying a sacred trumpet, started marching, blowing their trumpets. The four priests who were carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest followed them.
9 Armed men walked before the priests, and they made a blast on their trumpets, but then the rear guard walked up behind the ark, and the priests blew their trumpets continually.
The group of soldiers carrying weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing their trumpets, and the rest of the soldiers followed [the four men carrying] the chest. While [they were all marching], [the seven priests] were blowing their trumpets.
10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “Do not shout. No sound must leave your mouths until the day I tell you to shout. Only then you must shout.”
But [the rest of] the people [were silent, because] Joshua had commanded them, “Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say anything until the day when I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout [loudly]!”
11 So he caused the ark of Yahweh to go around the city one time that day. Then they entered their camp, and they stayed the night in the camp.
So the men carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest and all the others did what Joshua told them to do. They marched around the city once. Then they all returned to their camp and stayed there that night.
12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the ark of Yahweh.
The next morning, Joshua and the priests got up early, and the four priests carried Yahweh’s sacred chest [again].
13 The seven priests, who were carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark of Yahweh, walked steadily and gave blasts on the trumpets. Armed soldiers were walking in front of them. But when the rear guard walked after the ark of Yahweh, then the trumpets gave out continual blasts.
The seven priests who were carrying trumpets went in front of [the men carrying] the chest. The seven priests were blowing their trumpets as they marched. The group of soldiers carrying weapons went in front of all the others, and the rest of the army followed all the others. All the time, the seven priests were blowing their trumpets.
14 They marched around the city one time the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
So on that second day they again marched around the city once and then returned to their camp. They did the same thing for six days.
15 It was on the seventh day that they got up early at daybreak, and they marched around the city in the same way that was their pattern, this time for seven times. It was on this day that they marched around the city seven times.
On the seventh day, they got up at dawn, and they all marched around the city the same way that they had done before, but this time they marched around the city seven times.
16 It was on the seventh day, when the priests gave a blast with the trumpets, that Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city.
As they were marching around the seventh time, when the priests were about to blow the long/loud blast on their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout, because Yahweh will enable you to capture the city!
17 The city and all that is in it will be set apart to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute will live—she and all the ones with her in her house—because she hid the men we sent.
Yahweh has declared that you must destroy [IDM] the city and everything in it [to show that it belongs to him]. You must spare only Rahab the prostitute and the others who are in her house, because she hid the spies whom we sent there.
18 But as for you, be on guard about taking the things set apart for destruction, so that after you mark them for destruction, you do not then take any of them. If you do this, you will make the camp of Israel something that must be destroyed and you will bring trouble on it.
And because Yahweh has declared that everything must be destroyed [IDM], you must not take [EUP] any of the things in the city. If you take anything, you will cause Yahweh to destroy our own camp and cause terrible things to happen to us.
19 All the silver, gold, and the things made of bronze and iron are set apart to Yahweh. They must go into the treasury of Yahweh.”
But all the silver and gold and articles made from iron and bronze that you find, you must set apart for Yahweh. You must put those things in his treasury.”
20 When they gave blasts with the trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so every man charged straight in and captured the city.
So they did what Joshua told them to do. When the priests blew a long blast on their trumpets, the people/army shouted loudly, and the wall of the city collapsed! Then the Israeli soldiers rushed in and captured the city.
21 They completely destroyed all that was in the city by the edge of the sword—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep and donkeys.
They killed [IDM] every living thing in the city—men and women, young people and old people, even cattle and sheep and donkeys.
22 Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute's house. Bring out the woman and all who are with her, as you swore to her.”
Then Joshua said to the two men (who had spied on/whom he had sent to learn all they could about) the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring her out, along with all her family, just as you promised to her.”
23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all the relatives that were with her. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel.
So those two spies/men went into Rahab’s house and brought her out. They also brought out her father and mother and her brothers, and all the rest of her family. Joshua’s men spared Rahab the prostitute. They also did not kill all her relatives, because she had hidden and protected the spies/men whom Joshua had sent to Jericho. The two men brought them all out and put them in a place outside the camp of the Israelis. Rahab still lives among us Israeli people. Then the soldiers gathered the articles made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron that they found and they put them all into Yahweh’s treasury. But they burned everything else that was in the city.
24 They burned the city and everything in it. Only the silver, gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron were put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh.
25 But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all that were with her to live. She lives in Israel to this day because she hid the men whom Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.
26 Then Joshua commanded them at that time with an oath, and he said, “Cursed is the man in Yahweh's sight who rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay the foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates.”
At that time, Joshua warned the people, “Yahweh will curse/punish anyone who tries to rebuild this city, Jericho. When that person lays/builds its foundation, his oldest son will die. And when he finishes building the city wall and sets up its gates, his youngest son will die.”
27 So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Because of what happened that day, it was clear that Yahweh was with/helped Joshua, and Joshua became famous throughout the land.
