Joshua 6
Modern English Version
6 Now Jericho was tightly secured before the children of Israel. There was no one leaving or entering.
2 The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho, its king, and mighty men of valor into your hand. 3 All the men of fighting age shall march around the city. Circle the city once. Do this for six days. 4 Seven priests shall carry seven ram’s horn trumpets before the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When they blow a long blast on the ram’s horn and when you hear the trumpet sound, all the people shall shout a loud battle cry. The walls of the city will fall down, and the people will go up, every man straight ahead.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant. Seven priests bearing seven ram’s horn trumpets shall be in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 He said to the people, “Advance and march around the city. Let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
8 So when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing seven ram’s horn trumpets before the Lord advanced and blew their trumpets. The ark of the covenant of the Lord went after them. 9 The armed men went before the priests blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard went after the ark while the trumpets were blowing. 10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not shout a battle cry, and do not let your voices be heard. Do not let a word come out of your mouths until the time I say to you, ‘Shout the battle cry!’ Then shout.” 11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city once. Then they came into the camp and spent the night there.
12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the ark of the Lord. 13 Seven priests bearing seven ram’s horn trumpets before the ark of the Lord moved on, blowing their trumpets continually. The armed men went before them, and the rear guard went after the ark of the Lord while the trumpets were blowing. 14 The second day they circled the city once, and they returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 Then on the seventh day they got up early as dawn was breaking and circled the city in this way seven times. Only on that day did they circle the city seven times. 16 On the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua said to the people, “Shout the battle cry, for the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are dedicated to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute may live, she, and all who are with her in her house, for she hid the messengers we sent. 18 As for you, keep yourselves from that which is dedicated for destruction, lest you be destroyed. If you take from that which is dedicated for destruction, you will set the Israelite camp for destruction and bring trouble upon it. 19 All the silver, gold, and bronze and iron articles are set apart for the Lord. They will go into the treasury of the Lord.”
20 So the people shouted, and they blew the trumpets. When the people heard the trumpet sound, they shouted a loud battle cry, and the wall fell down. So the people went up into the city, one man after the other, and they captured it. 21 They destroyed all that was in the city: man and woman, young and old, and oxen, sheep, and donkey with the edge of the sword.
22 Yet to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Enter the prostitute’s house, and bring out the woman and everyone who belongs to her, as you swore to her.” 23 So the young men who had been spies entered and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, everyone who belonged to her, and her whole extended family. They brought them out and placed them outside of the camp of Israel.
24 They burned the city and everything in it with fire. Only the silver, the gold, the bronze and iron articles they gave to the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 Yet Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and everyone who belonged to her, Joshua let live. They live among Israel to this day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.
26 At that time Joshua made them swear, “Cursed before the Lord will be the man who arises and rebuilds this city of Jericho.
He will establish it
at the cost of his firstborn
and erect its gates
at the cost of his youngest child.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and he became famous throughout the land.
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Joshua 6
21st Century King James Version
6 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And the Lord said unto Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor.
3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
5 And it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every 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 trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”
7 And he said unto the people, “Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.”
8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.
10 And Joshua had 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 bid you shout. Then shall ye 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 seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.
14 And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp. So they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city in the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, “Shout! For the Lord hath given you the city.
17 And the city shall be accursed, even it and all who are therein, to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 And ye, in all ways keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it.
19 But 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 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every 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 had said unto the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out from thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her.”
23 And the young men who were spies went in and brought Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24 And they burned the city with fire and all that was therein. 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 saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household and all that she had; and she dwelleth 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 who riseth up and buildeth 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 was noised throughout all the country.
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