יהושע 7
| וימעלו בני ישראל מעל בחרם ויקח עכן בן כרמי בן זבדי בן זרח למטה יהודה מן החרם ויחר אף יהוה בבני ישראל | 1 |
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.
| וישלח יהושע אנשים מיריחו העי אשר עם בית און מקדם לבית אל ויאמר אליהם לאמר עלו ורגלו את הארץ ויעלו האנשים וירגלו את העי | 2 |
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.
| וישבו אל יהושע ויאמרו אליו אל יעל כל העם--כאלפים איש או כשלשת אלפים איש יעלו ויכו את העי אל תיגע שמה את כל העם כי מעט המה | 3 |
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.”
| ויעלו מן העם שמה כשלשת אלפים איש וינסו לפני אנשי העי | 4 |
So about 3,000 Israeli men went [to attack Ai]. But the men of Ai defeated them badly.
| ויכו מהם אנשי העי כשלשים וששה איש וירדפום לפני השער עד השברים ויכום במורד וימס לבב העם ויהי למים | 5 |
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.
| ויקרע יהושע שמלתיו ויפל על פניו ארצה לפני ארון יהוה עד הערב--הוא וזקני ישראל ויעלו עפר על ראשם | 6 |
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].
| ויאמר יהושע אהה אדני יהוה למה העברת העביר את העם הזה את הירדן לתת אתנו ביד האמרי להאבידנו ולו הואלנו ונשב בעבר הירדן | 7 |
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!
| בי אדני מה אמר--אחרי אשר הפך ישראל ערף לפני איביו | 8 |
Lord, we Israelis have been defeated by our enemies, so I do not know what to say now [RHQ].
| וישמעו הכנעני וכל ישבי הארץ ונסבו עלינו והכריתו את שמנו מן הארץ ומה תעשה לשמך הגדול | 9 |
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)?”
| ויאמר יהוה אל יהושע קם לך למה זה אתה נפל על פניך | 10 |
But Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Stop lying there with your face on the ground [RHQ]!
| חטא ישראל וגם עברו את בריתי אשר צויתי אותם וגם לקחו מן החרם וגם גנבו וגם כחשו וגם שמו בכליהם | 11 |
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].
| ולא יכלו בני ישראל לקום לפני איביהם--ערף יפנו לפני איביהם כי היו לחרם לא אוסיף להיות עמכם אם לא תשמידו החרם מקרבכם | 12 |
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!”
| קם קדש את העם ואמרת התקדשו למחר כי כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל חרם בקרבך ישראל--לא תוכל לקום לפני איביך עד הסירכם החרם מקרבכם | 13 |
“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.
| ונקרבתם בבקר לשבטיכם והיה השבט אשר ילכדנו יהוה יקרב למשפחות והמשפחה אשר ילכדנה יהוה תקרב לבתים והבית אשר ילכדנו יהוה יקרב לגברים | 14 |
‘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].
| והיה הנלכד בחרם--ישרף באש אתו ואת כל אשר לו כי עבר את ברית יהוה וכי עשה נבלה בישראל | 15 |
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.’”
| וישכם יהושע בבקר ויקרב את ישראל לשבטיו וילכד שבט יהודה | 16 |
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].
| ויקרב את משפחת יהודה וילכד את משפחת הזרחי ויקרב את משפחת הזרחי לגברים וילכד זבדי | 17 |
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].
| ויקרב את ביתו לגברים וילכד עכן בן כרמי בן זבדי בן זרח--למטה יהודה | 18 |
Then Joshua told the men from that family to present themselves. And Yahweh indicated that Achan was guilty.
| ויאמר יהושע אל עכן בני שים נא כבוד ליהוה אלהי ישראל--ותן לו תודה והגד נא לי מה עשית אל תכחד ממני | 19 |
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).”
| ויען עכן את יהושע ויאמר אמנה אנכי חטאתי ליהוה אלהי ישראל וכזאת וכזאת עשיתי | 20 |
Achan replied, “It is true. I have sinned against Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship].
| ואראה (וארא) בשלל אדרת שנער אחת טובה ומאתים שקלים כסף ולשון זהב אחד חמשים שקלים משקלו ואחמדם ואקחם והנם טמונים בארץ בתוך האהלי והכסף תחתיה | 21 |
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.”
| וישלח יהושע מלאכים וירצו האהלה והנה טמונה באהלו והכסף תחתיה | 22 |
So Joshua sent some men [to find those things]. They ran to Achan’s tent and found all the things hidden there.
| ויקחום מתוך האהל ויבאום אל יהושע ואל כל בני ישראל ויצקם לפני יהוה | 23 |
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.
| ויקח יהושע את עכן בן זרח ואת הכסף ואת האדרת ואת לשון הזהב ואת בניו ואת בנתיו ואת שורו ואת חמרו ואת צאנו ואת אהלו ואת כל אשר לו וכל ישראל עמו ויעלו אתם עמק עכור | 24 |
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.
| ויאמר יהושע מה עכרתנו יעכרך יהוה ביום הזה וירגמו אתו כל ישראל אבן וישרפו אתם באש ויסקלו אתם באבנים | 25 |
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.
| ויקימו עליו גל אבנים גדול עד היום הזה וישב יהוה מחרון אפו על כן קרא שם המקום ההוא עמק עכור עד היום הזה | 26 |
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].
