6 Now the gates of Jericho^(A) were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered^(B) Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ³ March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns^(C) in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.^{(D) 5} When you hear them sound a long blast^(E) on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout;^(F) then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”^{(G) 7} And he ordered the army, “Advance^(H)! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark^(I) of the Lord.”

⁸ When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹ The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard^(J) followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!^(K)” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. ¹⁴ So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times.^{(L) 16} The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!^{(M) 17} The city and all that is in it are to be devoted^[a](N) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute^(O) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid^(P) the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things,^(Q) so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction^(R) and bring trouble^(S) on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron^(T) are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded,^(U) the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout,^(V) the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.^{(W) 21} They devoted^(X) the city to the Lord and destroyed^(Y) with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.^(A)

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.^(B)

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[a](C)

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,^(D) Barak,^(E) Samson^(F) and Jephthah,^(G) about David^(H) and Samuel^(I) and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms,^(J) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,^{(K) 34} quenched the fury of the flames,^(L) and escaped the edge of the sword;^(M) whose weakness was turned to strength;^(N) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.^{(O) 35} Women received back their dead, raised to life again.^(P) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging,^(Q) and even chains and imprisonment.^{(R) 37} They were put to death by stoning;^[b](S) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.^(T) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,^(U) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves^(V) and in holes in the ground.

³⁹ These were all commended^(W) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,^{(X) 40} since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us^(Y) would they be made perfect.^(Z)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run^(AA) with perseverance^(AB) the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus,^(AC) the pioneer^(AD) and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,^(AE) scorning its shame,^(AF) and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.^(AG)