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Joshua 5:1-7:15
New American Standard Bible

Israel Is Circumcised

5 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the (A)Canaanites who were by the sea, (B)heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until [a]they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make for yourself (C)flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at [b]Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: (D)all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel walked (E)forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, [c]perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, (F)to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua [d]circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.

8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away (G)the shame of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called [e]Gilgal to this day.

10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal (H)they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the (I)fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 Then on the day after the Passover, on [f]that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. 12 And (J)the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.

13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, (K)a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” And Joshua (L)fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 And the captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “(M)Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The Conquest of Jericho

6 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2 But the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have handed Jericho over to you, with (N)its king and the valiant warriors. 3 And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. 4 Also seven priests shall carry seven (O)trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down [g]flat, and the people shall go up, everyone [h]straight ahead.”

6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 Then [i]he said to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, and the armed men shall go on ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 And the armed men went ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and (P)the rear guard came after the ark, while they continued to blow the trumpets. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, nor let a word proceed from your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord [j]taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

12 Now Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 Then (Q)the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went ahead of them, and (R)the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while they continued to blow the trumpets. 14 So the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did the same for six days.

15 Then on the seventh day they got up early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same way seven times; only on that day did they march around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “(S)Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17 But the city shall be (T)designated for [k]destruction, it and everything that is in it belongs to the Lord; only Rahab the prostitute [l]and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things designated for destruction, so that you do not covet them and (U)take some of the designated things, and turn the camp of Israel into something designated for destruction and bring disaster on it. 19 (V)But all the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and [m]the priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the (W)wall fell down [n]flat, so that the people went up into the city, everyone straight [o]ahead, and they took the city. 21 (X)They [p]utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “(Y)Go into the prostitute’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, just as you have sworn to her.” 23 So the young men who were spies went in and (Z)brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then (AA)they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the [q]house of the Lord. 25 However, (AB)Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua [r]spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because (AC)she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, “(AD)Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.” 27 So (AE)the Lord was with Joshua, and his (AF)fame was in all the land.

Israel Is Defeated at Ai

7 (AG)But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things designated for destruction, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the designated things; therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near (AH)Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “[s]Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up; have only about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai; do not trouble all the people there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but (AI)they fled [t]from the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck and killed about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them [u]from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them on the mountainside; and the (AJ)hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6 Then Joshua (AK)tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and (AL)they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Oh, Lord [v]God! Why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan, only to hand us over to the Amorites, to eliminate us? If only we had been willing [w]to live beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their [x]back before their enemies? 9 (AM)For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and they will surround us and eliminate our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?”

10 So the Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and (AN)they have also violated My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things designated for destruction, and have both stolen and kept it a secret. Furthermore, they have also put them among their own things. 12 Therefore the (AO)sons of Israel cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their [y]backs before their enemies, because they have become designated for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you eliminate from your midst the things designated for destruction. 13 Stand up! (AP)Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord, the God of Israel, has said this: “(AQ)There are things designated for destruction in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you have removed the designated things from your midst.” 14 So in the morning you shall come forward by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which (AR)the Lord selects by lot shall come forward by families, and the family which the Lord selects shall come forward by households, and the household which the Lord selects shall come forward man by man. 15 And (AS)it shall be that the one who is selected with the things designated for destruction shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has violated the covenant of the Lord, and because he (AT)has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Other mss we
  2. Joshua 5:3 I.e., the hill of the foreskins
  3. Joshua 5:6 Lit were finished
  4. Joshua 5:7 Lit circumcised them
  5. Joshua 5:9 I.e., wheel, or stone circle
  6. Joshua 5:11 Lit this
  7. Joshua 6:5 Lit in its place
  8. Joshua 6:5 Lit before himself
  9. Joshua 6:7 Another reading is they
  10. Joshua 6:11 Lit to go around
  11. Joshua 6:17 I.e., as an offering to God
  12. Joshua 6:17 Lit she and all
  13. Joshua 6:20 Lit they
  14. Joshua 6:20 Lit in its place
  15. Joshua 6:20 Lit before himself
  16. Joshua 6:21 Or put under the ban
  17. Joshua 6:24 I.e., tabernacle
  18. Joshua 6:25 Lit let live
  19. Joshua 7:2 Lit saying, Go
  20. Joshua 7:4 Lit before
  21. Joshua 7:5 Lit before
  22. Joshua 7:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  23. Joshua 7:7 Lit and had lived
  24. Joshua 7:8 Lit neck
  25. Joshua 7:12 Lit necks
Listen to Joshua 5:1-7:15
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Joshua 5:1-7:15
New International Version

5 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast(A) heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear(B) and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives(C) and circumcise(D) the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.[b]

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age(E)—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.(F) 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness(G) forty years(H) until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us,(I) a land flowing with milk and honey.(J) 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.(K)

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal[c](L) to this day.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month,(M) while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.(N) 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land:(O) unleavened bread(P) and roasted grain.(Q) 12 The manna stopped the day after[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.(R)

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man(S) standing in front of him with a drawn sword(T) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown(U) to the ground(V) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”(W) And Joshua did so.

6 Now the gates of Jericho(X) 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(Y) 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(Z) in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.(AA) 5 When you hear them sound a long blast(AB) on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout;(AC) 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.”(AD) 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance(AE)! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark(AF) 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(AG) 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!(AH)” 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.(AI) 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!(AJ) 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[f](AK) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute(AL) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid(AM) the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things,(AN) 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(AO) and bring trouble(AP) on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron(AQ) are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

20 When the trumpets sounded,(AR) the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout,(AS) the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.(AT) 21 They devoted(AU) the city to the Lord and destroyed(AV) 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(AW) who had spied out(AX) 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.(AY)” 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.(AZ) They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

24 Then they burned the whole city(BA) and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron(BB) into the treasury of the Lord’s house.(BC) 25 But Joshua spared(BD) Rahab the prostitute,(BE) with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho(BF)—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

26 At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath:(BG) “Cursed(BH) before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:

“At the cost of his firstborn son
    he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
    he will set up its gates.”(BI)

27 So the Lord was with Joshua,(BJ) and his fame spread(BK) throughout the land.

Achan’s Sin

7 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things[g];(BL) Achan(BM) son of Karmi, the son of Zimri,[h] the son of Zerah,(BN) of the tribe of Judah,(BO) took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned(BP) against Israel.(BQ)

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai,(BR) which is near Beth Aven(BS) to the east of Bethel,(BT) and told them, “Go up and spy out(BU) the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 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.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,(BV) 5 who killed about thirty-six(BW) 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(BX) and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes(BY) and fell facedown(BZ) to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening.(CA) The elders of Israel(CB) did the same, and sprinkled dust(CC) on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why(CD) did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?(CE) If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 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.(CF) What then will you do for your own great name?(CG)”

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

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves(CQ) 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(CR) yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses(CS) 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(CT) shall be destroyed by fire,(CU) along with all that belongs to him.(CV) He has violated the covenant(CW) of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’”(CX)

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Another textual tradition we
  2. Joshua 5:3 Gibeath Haaraloth means the hill of foreskins.
  3. Joshua 5:9 Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll.
  4. Joshua 5:12 Or the day
  5. Joshua 5:14 Or lord
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Joshua 7:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 2:6; Hebrew Zabdi; also in verses 17 and 18.
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