26 Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, (A)for it is an [a]accursed thing.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 7:26 devoted or banned

26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.(A) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

Read full chapter

17 (A)So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may (B)turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and [a]multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers,

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:17 increase

17 and none of the condemned things[a] are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger,(A) will show you mercy,(B) and will have compassion(C) on you. He will increase your numbers,(D) as he promised(E) on oath to your ancestors—

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 13:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

“Ephraim shall say, ‘What have I to do anymore with idols?’
I have heard and observed him.
I am like a green cypress tree;
(A)Your fruit is found in Me.”

Read full chapter

Ephraim, what more have I[a] to do with idols?(A)
    I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(B)
    your fruitfulness comes from me.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim

18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its (A)detestable things and all its abominations from there.

Read full chapter

18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images(A) and detestable idols.(B)

Read full chapter

22 (A)You will also defile the covering of your images of silver,
And the ornament of your molded images of gold.
You will throw them away as an unclean thing;
(B)You will say to them, “Get away!”

Read full chapter

22 Then you will desecrate your idols(A) overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold;(B) you will throw them away like a menstrual(C) cloth and say to them, “Away with you!(D)

Read full chapter

22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, (A)do you rob temples?

Read full chapter

22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?(A)

Read full chapter

For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself.

Read full chapter

“‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner(A) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block(B) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire(C) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself.

Read full chapter

Defeat at Ai

But the children of Israel [a]committed a (A)trespass regarding the (B)accursed[b] things, for (C)Achan the son of Carmi, the son of [c]Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people, (D)but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore (E)the[d] hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Then Joshua (F)tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they (G)put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord [e]God, (H)why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its [f]back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and (I)cut off our name from the earth. Then (J)what will You do for Your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

10 So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. (K)For they have even taken some of the [g]accursed things, and have both stolen and (L)deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 (M)Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because (N)they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Get up, (O)sanctify[h] the people, and say, (P)‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” 14 In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which (Q)the Lord takes shall come according to families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come man by man. 15 (R)Then it shall be that he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has (S)transgressed[i] the covenant of the Lord, and because he (T)has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”

16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, (U)was taken.

19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, (V)give glory to the Lord God of Israel, (W)and make confession to Him, and (X)tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed (Y)I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I [j]coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and (Z)all that he had, and they brought them to (AA)the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, (AB)“Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” (AC)So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

26 Then they (AD)raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So (AE)the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called (AF)the Valley of [k]Achor to this day.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:1 acted unfaithfully
  2. Joshua 7:1 devoted
  3. Joshua 7:1 Zimri, 1 Chr. 2:6
  4. Joshua 7:5 the people’s courage failed
  5. Joshua 7:7 Heb. YHWH, Lord
  6. Joshua 7:8 Lit. neck
  7. Joshua 7:11 devoted
  8. Joshua 7:13 set apart
  9. Joshua 7:15 overstepped
  10. Joshua 7:21 desired
  11. Joshua 7:26 Lit. Trouble

Achan’s Sin

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things[a];(A) Achan(B) son of Karmi, the son of Zimri,[b] the son of Zerah,(C) of the tribe of Judah,(D) took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned(E) against Israel.(F)

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai,(G) which is near Beth Aven(H) to the east of Bethel,(I) and told them, “Go up and spy out(J) the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,(K) who killed about thirty-six(L) of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear(M) and became like water.

Then Joshua tore his clothes(N) and fell facedown(O) to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening.(P) The elders of Israel(Q) did the same, and sprinkled dust(R) on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why(S) did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?(T) If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth.(U) What then will you do for your own great name?(V)

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned;(W) they have violated my covenant,(X) which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied,(Y) they have put them with their own possessions.(Z) 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies;(AA) they turn their backs(AB) and run(AC) because they have been made liable to destruction.(AD) I will not be with you anymore(AE) unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves(AF) in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

14 “‘In the morning, present(AG) yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses(AH) shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things(AI) shall be destroyed by fire,(AJ) along with all that belongs to him.(AK) He has violated the covenant(AL) of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’”(AM)

16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen.(AN) He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah,(AO) was chosen.(AP)

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory(AQ) to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell(AR) me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder(AS) a beautiful robe from Babylonia,[c] two hundred shekels[d] of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels,[e] I coveted(AT) them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord.

24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons(AU) and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.(AV) 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble(AW) on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him,(AX) and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.(AY) 26 Over Achan they heaped(AZ) up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.(BA) Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.(BB) Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor[f](BC) ever since.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 11, 12, 13 and 15.
  2. Joshua 7:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 2:6; Hebrew Zabdi; also in verses 17 and 18.
  3. Joshua 7:21 Hebrew Shinar
  4. Joshua 7:21 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
  5. Joshua 7:21 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  6. Joshua 7:26 Achor means trouble.

28 (A)‘Nevertheless no [a]devoted offering that a man may devote to the Lord of all that he has, both man and beast, or the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted offering is most holy to the Lord. 29 (B)No person under the ban, who may become doomed to destruction among men, shall be redeemed, but shall surely be put to death.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 27:28 Given exclusively and irrevocably

28 “‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes[a](A) to the Lord—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy(B) to the Lord.

29 “‘No person devoted to destruction[b] may be ransomed; they are to be put to death.(C)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 27:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  2. Leviticus 27:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

17 Now the city shall be (A)doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only (B)Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because (C)she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 And you, (D)by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, (E)and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are [a]consecrated to the Lord; they [b]shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that (F)the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they (G)utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, (H)as you swore to her.” 23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, (I)her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. 24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 6:19 set apart
  2. Joshua 6:19 shall go

17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a](A) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute(B) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid(C) the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things,(D) 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(E) and bring trouble(F) on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron(G) are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

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

22 Joshua said to the two men(M) who had spied out(N) the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.(O) 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her.(P) They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

24 Then they burned the whole city(Q) and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron(R) into the treasury of the Lord’s house.(S)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 6:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 18 and 21.

“I will send out the curse,” says the Lord of hosts;
“It shall enter the house of the (A)thief
And the house of (B)the one who swears falsely by My name.
It shall remain in the midst of his house
And consume (C)it, with its timber and stones.”

Read full chapter

The Lord Almighty declares, ‘I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of anyone who swears falsely(A) by my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely, both its timbers and its stones.(B)’”

Read full chapter

“Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house,
That he may (A)set his nest on high,
That he may be delivered from the [a]power of disaster!
10 You give shameful counsel to your house,
Cutting off many peoples,
And sin against your soul.
11 For the stone will cry out from the wall,
And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 2:9 Lit. hand of evil

“Woe to him who builds(A) his house by unjust gain,(B)
    setting his nest(C) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(D) of many peoples,
    shaming(E) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(F) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

Read full chapter

20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,

Read full chapter

20 In that day(A) people will throw away
    to the moles and bats(B)
their idols of silver and idols of gold,(C)
    which they made to worship.(D)

Read full chapter