Joshua 6
Legacy Standard Bible
The Destruction of Jericho
6 Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out, and no one came in. 2 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with (A)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 (B)trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And it will 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 [a]beneath itself, and the people will go up every man [b]straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Carry the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh.” 7 Then [c]he said to the people, “Go forward, and march around the city, and let the armed men go on before the ark of Yahweh.” 8 And so it happened that, when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh passed on forward and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came after them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and (C)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 out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout!” 11 So he had the ark of Yahweh [d]taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests carried the ark of Yahweh. 13 (D)And the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of Yahweh went on continually and blew the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, and (E)the rear guard came after the ark of Yahweh, and they continued to blow the trumpets. 14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did so for six days.
15 Then it happened that on the seventh day they rose early at the [e]breaking of dawn and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 Now it happened that on the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “(F)Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. 17 And the city shall be (G)devoted to destruction, it and all that is in it belongs to Yahweh; only Rahab the harlot [f]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 devoted to destruction, lest as you are devoting them to destruction, you also (H)take some of the things devoted to destruction and make the camp of Israel devoted to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 (I)But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to Yahweh; they shall go into the treasury of Yahweh.” 20 So the people shouted, and [g]the priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the (J)wall fell down [h]beneath itself, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight [i]ahead, and they took the city. 21 (K)And they devoted to destruction everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 Now to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “(L)Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” 23 So the young men who were spies went in and (M)brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. 24 (N)But they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the [j]house of Yahweh. 25 However, (O)Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua preserved alive; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for (P)she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Then Joshua made them swear an oath at that time, saying, “(Q)Cursed before Yahweh is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.” 27 So (R)Yahweh was with Joshua, and the (S)report about him was in all the land.
Footnotes
- Joshua 6:5 Or in its place
- Joshua 6:5 Lit before himself
- Joshua 6:7 Or they
- Joshua 6:11 Lit to go around
- Joshua 6:15 Lit rising
- Joshua 6:17 Lit she and all
- Joshua 6:20 Or they
- Joshua 6:20 Lit in its place
- Joshua 6:20 Lit before himself
- Joshua 6:24 The tabernacle
Joshua 6
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 6[a]
Jericho Overtaken. 1 Now Jericho was shut up tight on account of the people of Israel, none went out and none came in. 2 The Lord said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho, its king, and its mighty warriors into your hands. 3 Your soldiers are to march all around the city once, doing that for six days. 4 Seven priests will carry seven trumpets made from ram’s horns in front of the Ark. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times while the priests blow their trumpets.[b] 5 Then they will make a long blast on the ram’s horns. As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, have all of the people give a great shout. The walls will fall down, and the people will go on up, every man in a straight line.”
6 So Joshua, the son of Nun, summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant. Have seven priests holding trumpets made from rams’ horns precede the Ark of the Lord.” 7 He gave the command to the people, “Advance! March around the city with the armed soldiers walking in front of the Ark of the Lord.” 8 When Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests carrying trumpets made from rams’ horns walked in front of the Lord and moved forward, blowing their trumpets, and the Ark of the Lord followed them. 9 The armed soldiers marched in front of the priests who were blowing their trumpets, and a rear guard followed the Ark. The whole time the trumpets were being blown. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “Do not shout or raise your voices. Do not say a thing until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout.”
11 So he had the Ark of the Lord carried around the city once. They then went back into the camp where they spent the night. 12 Joshua rose early the next morning, and the priests took the Ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the trumpets made from rams’ horns went ahead of the Ark of the Lord, blowing on their trumpets as they went. The armed soldiers marched in front of them, and a rear guard followed the Ark of the Lord, with the trumpets being blown the whole time. 14 Thus they went around the city once on the second day, and then they returned to the camp. They did this for six days in a row.
15 On the seventh day they rose at daybreak and went around the city seven times just as they had before, but that day they went around the city seven times. 16 On the seventh time around when the priests blew their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout out, for the Lord has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it are devoted[c] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are in her household, for she hid the spies whom we sent there. 18 But avoid those things that are dedicated, lest you call a curse on yourself when you take something that is dedicated and you bring a curse and destruction upon the camp of Israel. 19 All the silver and gold and objects of bronze and iron are dedicated to the Lord. They must go into the treasury of the Lord.”
20 The people shouted and the priests blew their trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpets and the people let out a great shout, the wall collapsed, and each man went up in a straight line and they took the city. 21 They wiped out everything that was in the city, men and women, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, by the edge of the sword.
22 Rahab’s Family Spared. But Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the countryside, “Go to the harlot’s house and bring her out to me, her and everyone who is with her, just as you promised her that you would do.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and everyone whom she had with her. They brought out the entire family and left them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They then burned the entire city with everything that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and the objects of bronze and iron were put into the treasury in the house of the Lord. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, along with her father’s household, and all that she owned because she had hid the spies whom Joshua had sent. She lives among the Israelites up to the present.
26 Joshua then said, “May the man who attempts to rebuild this city, Jericho, be cursed by the Lord. May he lose his firstborn[d] if he lays its foundation, may he lose his youngest if he sets up its gates.” 27 The Lord was with Joshua, and his reputation became known throughout the land.
Footnotes
- Joshua 6:1 The entire ceremonial that precedes the fall of Jericho gives the event the character of a liturgical action rather than of a conquest; God is at work in giving the Promised Land to his people, just as he was at the crossing of the Jordan. The account is therefore not to be taken literally but as giving religious expression to a real intervention of God, whatever the manner of this intervention may have been. The story combines two different traditions that cannot be fully harmonized. One describes a procession accompanied by the playing of trumpets; the other says that the war shout was uttered after seven processional circlings of the city made in silence.
- Joshua 6:4 Such trumpets were weapons of war, intended to frighten the enemy (see Jdg 7:8-20) or to direct military operations (2 Sam 2:28; 20:22; Neh 4:12-14), but they were also used in some religious ceremonies, where they were accompanied by acclamations (Lev 25:9; 2 Chr 15:14).
- Joshua 6:17 Devoted: a reference to the anathema (i.e., consecrated to God), by which inhabitants and animals were condemned to destruction; the warriors were obliged not to take any booty; any precious objects were reserved for the sanctuary. In this case, the anathema has the character of simple destruction rather than of a complete offering to God.
- Joshua 6:26 Lose his firstborn: this is fulfilled in 1 Ki 16:34 when Jericho is rebuilt by a man whose son subsequently dies.
Josué 6
Louis Segond
6 Jéricho était fermée et barricadée devant les enfants d'Israël. Personne ne sortait, et personne n'entrait.
2 L'Éternel dit à Josué: Vois, je livre entre tes mains Jéricho et son roi, ses vaillants soldats.
3 Faites le tour de la ville, vous tous les hommes de guerre, faites une fois le tour de la ville. Tu feras ainsi pendant six jours.
4 Sept sacrificateurs porteront devant l'arche sept trompettes retentissantes; le septième jour, vous ferez sept fois le tour de la ville; et les sacrificateurs sonneront des trompettes.
5 Quand ils sonneront de la corne retentissante, quand vous entendrez le son de la trompette, tout le peuple poussera de grands cris. Alors la muraille de la ville s'écroulera, et le peuple montera, chacun devant soi.
6 Josué, fils de Nun, appela les sacrificateurs, et leur dit: Portez l'arche de l'alliance, et que sept sacrificateurs portent sept trompettes retentissantes devant l'arche de l'Éternel.
7 Et il dit au peuple: Marchez, faites le tour de la ville, et que les hommes armés passent devant l'arche de l'Éternel.
8 Lorsque Josué eut parlé au peuple, les sept sacrificateurs qui portaient devant l'Éternel les sept trompettes retentissantes se mirent en marche et sonnèrent des trompettes. L'arche de l'alliance de l'Éternel allait derrière eux.
9 Les hommes armés marchaient devant les sacrificateurs qui sonnaient des trompettes, et l'arrière-garde suivait l'arche; pendant la marche, on sonnait des trompettes.
10 Josué avait donné cet ordre au peuple: Vous ne crierez point, vous ne ferez point entendre votre voix, et il ne sortira pas un mot de votre bouche jusqu'au jour où je vous dirai: Poussez des cris! Alors vous pousserez des cris.
11 L'arche de l'Éternel fit le tour de la ville, elle fit une fois le tour; puis on rentra dans le camp, et l'on y passa la nuit.
12 Josué se leva de bon matin, et les sacrificateurs portèrent l'arche de l'Éternel.
13 Les sept sacrificateurs qui portaient les sept trompettes retentissantes devant l'arche de l'Éternel se mirent en marche et sonnèrent des trompettes. Les hommes armés marchaient devant eux, et l'arrière-garde suivait l'arche de l'Éternel; pendant la marche, on sonnait des trompettes.
14 Ils firent une fois le tour de la ville, le second jour; puis ils retournèrent dans le camp. Ils firent de même pendant six jours.
15 Le septième jour, ils se levèrent de bon matin, dès l'aurore, et ils firent de la même manière sept fois le tour de la ville; ce fut le seul jour où ils firent sept fois le tour de la ville.
16 A la septième fois, comme les sacrificateurs sonnaient des trompettes, Josué dit au peuple: Poussez des cris, car l'Éternel vous a livré la ville!
17 La ville sera dévouée à l'Éternel par interdit, elle et tout ce qui s'y trouve; mais on laissera la vie à Rahab la prostituée et à tous ceux qui seront avec elle dans la maison, parce qu'elle a caché les messagers que nous avions envoyés.
18 Gardez-vous seulement de ce qui sera dévoué par interdit; car si vous preniez de ce que vous aurez dévoué par interdit, vous mettriez le camp d'Israël en interdit et vous y jetteriez le trouble.
19 Tout l'argent et tout l'or, tous les objets d'airain et de fer, seront consacrés à l'Éternel, et entreront dans le trésor de l'Éternel.
20 Le peuple poussa des cris, et les sacrificateurs sonnèrent des trompettes. Lorsque le peuple entendit le son de la trompette, il poussa de grands cris, et la muraille s'écroula; le peuple monta dans la ville, chacun devant soi. Ils s'emparèrent de la ville,
21 et ils dévouèrent par interdit, au fil de l'épée, tout ce qui était dans la ville, hommes et femmes, enfants et vieillards, jusqu'aux boeufs, aux brebis et aux ânes.
22 Josué dit aux deux hommes qui avaient exploré le pays: Entrez dans la maison de la femme prostituée, et faites-en sortir cette femme et tous ceux qui lui appartiennent, comme vous le lui avez juré.
23 Les jeunes gens, les espions, entrèrent et firent sortir Rahab, son père, sa mère, ses frères, et tous ceux qui lui appartenaient; ils firent sortir tous les gens de sa famille, et ils les déposèrent hors du camp d'Israël.
24 Ils brûlèrent la ville et tout ce qui s'y trouvait; seulement ils mirent dans le trésor de la maison de l'Éternel l'argent, l'or et tous les objets d'airain et de fer.
25 Josué laissa la vie à Rahab la prostituée, à la maison de son père, et à tous ceux qui lui appartenaient; elle a habité au milieu d'Israël jusqu'à ce jour, parce qu'elle avait caché les messagers que Josué avait envoyés pour explorer Jéricho.
26 Ce fut alors que Josué jura, en disant: Maudit soit devant l'Éternel l'homme qui se lèvera pour rebâtir cette ville de Jéricho! Il en jettera les fondements au prix de son premier-né, et il en posera les portes au prix de son plus jeune fils.
27 L'Éternel fut avec Josué, dont la renommée se répandit dans tout le pays.
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