⁴² And the Lord said to me, ^(A)‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, ^(B)for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’

⁸ O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! ⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and ^(A)cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have ^(B)transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the ^(C)devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ^12 (D)Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They ^(E)turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become ^(F)devoted for destruction.^[a] I will be with you no more, unless you destroy ^(G)the devoted things from among you. ¹³ Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ^(H)‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.”

Evil and Oppression

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, ^(A)and Israel was defeated, ^(B)and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

² The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.

^41 (A)But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed? ^42 (B)Do not go up, ^(C)for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. ⁴³ For there ^(D)the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

¹⁷ I will ^(A)set my face against you, and ^(B)you shall be struck down before your enemies. ^(C)Those who hate you shall rule over you, and ^(D)you shall flee when none pursues you.