Joshua 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
1 Now Jericho was in a state of siege because of the presence of the Israelites. No one left or entered. 2 And to Joshua the Lord said: I have delivered Jericho, its king, and its warriors into your power. 3 (A)Have all the soldiers circle the city, marching once around it. Do this for six days, 4 with seven priests carrying ram’s horns ahead of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, and have the priests blow the horns. 5 When they give a long blast on the ram’s horns and you hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout aloud. The wall of the city will collapse, and the people shall attack straight ahead.
6 Summoning the priests, Joshua, son of Nun, said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant with seven of the priests carrying ram’s horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 And he ordered the people, “Proceed and surround the city, with the picked troops marching ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 When Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests who carried the ram’s horns before the Lord marched and blew their horns, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 9 In front of the priests with the horns marched the picked troops; the rear guard followed the ark, and the blowing of horns was kept up continually as they marched. 10 But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not shout or make any noise or outcry until I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you must shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going once around it, after which they returned to camp for the night.
12 Early the next morning, Joshua had the priests take up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests bearing the ram’s horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Ahead of these marched the picked troops, while the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, and the blowing of horns was kept up continually. 14 On this second day they again marched around the city once before returning to camp; and for six days in all they did the same.
15 On the seventh day, beginning at daybreak, they marched around the city seven times in the same manner; on that day only did they march around the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the horns and Joshua said to the people, “Now shout, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 (B)The city and everything in it is under the ban. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are in the house with her are to live, because she hid the messengers we sent. 18 (C)But be careful not to covet or take anything that is under the ban;[a] otherwise you will bring upon the camp of Israel this ban and the misery of it. 19 All silver and gold, and the articles of bronze or iron, are holy to the Lord. They shall be put in the treasury of the Lord.”
The Fall of Jericho. 20 As the horns blew, the people began to shout. When they heard the sound of the horn, they raised a tremendous shout. The wall collapsed,[b] and the people attacked the city straight ahead and took it.(D) 21 They observed the ban by putting to the sword all living creatures(E) in the city: men and women, young and old, as well as oxen, sheep and donkeys.
22 (F)To the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out the woman with all her family, as you swore to her you would do.” 23 The spies entered and brought out Rahab, with her father, mother, brothers, and all her family; her entire family they led forth and placed outside the camp of Israel. 24 The city itself they burned with all that was in it;(G) but the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron they placed in the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 [c]Because Rahab the prostitute had hidden the messengers whom Joshua had sent to reconnoiter Jericho, Joshua let her live, along with her father’s house and all her family, who dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.
26 (H)On that occasion Joshua imposed the oath: Cursed before the Lord be the man who attempts to rebuild this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn will he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son will he set up its gates.[d]
27 Thus the Lord was with Joshua so that his fame spread throughout the land.(I)
Footnotes
- 6:18 Under the ban: doomed to destruction; see notes on Lv 27:28; Nm 18:14; 21:3.
- 6:20 The blowing of the horns and the shouting, features of the ritual procession with the ark of the covenant (cf. 1 Chr 15:28; 2 Chr 5:11–14), are the people’s counterpart of the Lord’s theophany; cf. note on Jgs 5:4–5; and Jgs 7:15–22; 2 Chr 13:15. The Lord gives the victory; this is the theological point of the story.
- 6:25 The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew (1:2–16) presents Rahab the prostitute as the wife of Salmon (1:5) and so the ancestor of David (Ru 4:18–22) and of Jesus.
- 6:26 At the cost of his firstborn…its gates: this curse was fulfilled when Hiel rebuilt Jericho as a fortified city during the reign of Ahab, king of Israel; cf. 1 Kgs 16:34.
Joshua 6
Jubilee Bible 2000
6 ¶ Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel; no one went out, and no one came in.
2 But the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given Jericho and its king into thy hand, with its mighty men of valour.
3 Therefore, ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, going round about the city once; and thou shalt do this six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven shofarot {or rams horns} of jubilee; and the seventh day ye shall go around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the shofarot.
5 And when they make a long sound of jubilee with the horn so that ye hear the voice of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat; then the people shall ascend up each man straight before him.
6 ¶ And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD.
7 And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city and let those that are armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.
8 And when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee passed on before the LORD and blew with the shofarot; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the shofarot, and the congregation came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot.
10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, Shout; then ye shall shout.
11 So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
13 And the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD walked continually, and blew with the shofarot; and the armed men went before them; but the congregation came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot.
14 Likewise the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did for six days.
15 And on the seventh day they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And when the priests had blown the shofarot the seventh time, Joshua said unto the people, Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.
17 ¶ And the city shall be anathema unto the LORD, even it, and all the things that are in it; only Rahab, the harlot, shall live, she and all that are with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 But keep yourselves from the anathema, that ye not touch nor take any thing of the anathema so that ye not make the camp of Israel anathema and trouble it.
19 For all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
20 Then the people shouted when the priests blew with the shofarot, and it came to pass when the people heard the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him and they took the city.
21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.
22 But Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman out of there with all that she has, as ye swore unto her.
23 And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and put them outside in the camp of Israel.
24 And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 And Joshua gave Rahab, the harlot, her life and also to her father’s household and to all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even unto this day because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD that rises up and builds this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.
27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame went throughout all the land.
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