The Fall of Jericho

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, (A)I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven (B)trumpets of (C)rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and (D)the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat,[a] and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let (E)the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the (F)rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and (G)the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 And the city and all that is within it shall be (H)devoted to the Lord for destruction.[b] Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she (I)hid the messengers whom we sent. 18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel (J)a thing for destruction and (K)bring trouble upon it. 19 But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and (L)the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. 21 Then they (M)devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, (N)as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and (O)her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. 24 And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. (P)Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And (Q)she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, (R)“Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho.

“At the cost of his firstborn shall he
    lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest son
    shall he set up its gates.”

27 (S)So the Lord was with Joshua, and (T)his fame was in all the land.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 6:5 Hebrew under itself; also verse 20
  2. Joshua 6:17 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verses 18, 21

Conquests in Northern Canaan

11 When Jabin, king of Hazor, heard of this, he (A)sent to Jobab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph, and to the kings who were in the northern hill country, and in the (B)Arabah south of (C)Chinneroth, and in the lowland, and (D)in Naphoth-dor on the (E)west, to the Canaanites in the east and the west, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the (F)Jebusites in the hill country, and the (G)Hivites under (H)Hermon in the land of (I)Mizpah. And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number (J)like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots. And all these kings joined their forces and came and encamped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.

And the Lord said to Joshua, (K)“Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall (L)hamstring their horses and burn their (M)chariots with fire.” So Joshua and all his warriors came (N)suddenly against them by the waters of Merom and fell upon them. And the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as (O)Great Sidon and (P)Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of (Q)Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining. And Joshua did to them (R)just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.

10 And Joshua turned back at that time and captured (S)Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction;[a] (T)there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire. 12 And all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua captured, and struck them with the edge of the sword, devoting them to destruction, (U)just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But none of the cities that stood on mounds did Israel burn, except Hazor alone; that Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed. 15 (V)Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, (W)so Moses commanded Joshua, (X)and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

16 So Joshua took all that land, (Y)the hill country and all the Negeb and (Z)all the land of Goshen (AA)and the lowland (AB)and the Arabah (AC)and the hill country of Israel and its lowland 17 (AD)from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as (AE)Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon below (AF)Mount Hermon. And he captured (AG)all their kings and struck them and put them to death. 18 Joshua made war (AH)a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except (AI)the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord's doing (AJ)to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, (AK)just as the Lord commanded Moses.

21 And Joshua came at that time and cut off (AL)the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua devoted them to destruction with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, (AM)in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. 23 So Joshua took the whole land, (AN)according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. (AO)And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel (AP)according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 11:11 That is, setting apart (devoting) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verses 12, 20, 21

Kings Defeated by Joshua

And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to (A)Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession (B)according to their allotments, (C)in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of (D)the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): (E)the king of Jericho, one; (F)the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10 (G)the king of Jerusalem, one; (H)the king of Hebron, one; 11 (I)the king of Jarmuth, one; (J)the king of Lachish, one; 12 (K)the king of Eglon, one; (L)the king of Gezer, one; 13 (M)the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 (N)the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 (O)the king of Makkedah, one; (P)the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 (Q)the king of Madon, one; (R)the king of Hazor, one; 20 (S)the king of Shimron-meron, one; (T)the king of Achshaph, one; 21 (U)the king of Taanach, one; (V)the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 (W)the king of Dor in (X)Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee,[a] one; 24 the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 12:23 Septuagint; Hebrew Gilgal

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