Joshua 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
Israelites Defeated at Ai.[a] 1 The Israelites, however, acted treacherously with regard to those things that had been dedicated. Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the dedicated things for himself. The Lord’s anger blazed forth against the Israelites. 2 Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, to the east of Bethel. He said to them, “Go up and take a look at the countryside,” so the men went up and investigated Ai. 3 They returned and said to Joshua, “You should not send the entire nation there, only send about two or three thousand men against Ai to conquer it. You should not bother the whole nation, for there are not that many of them. 4 So about three thousand men went up there, and they had to flee from before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them when they chased them from their gates all the way down to Shebarim. They killed them as they ran down the slopes, and the people’s courage melted away like water.
6 Joshua tore his clothes and threw himself face down on the earth in front of the Ark of the Lord, remaining there until the evening. The elders of Israel did the same, tossing dust upon their heads. 7 [b]Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord, why did you bring this people across the Jordan just to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites so they could destroy us? It would have been better if we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan. 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has fled before its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and all of the other inhabitants of the land will surely hear about this. They will surround us and wipe out remembrance of our name from the earth. What would happen to the grandeur of your name?”
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing on your face? 11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I commanded them to observe. They have taken some of the dedicated things for themselves. They have stolen, they have lied, they have placed these things together with their own property. 12 This is why the Israelites could not stand up to their enemies. They turned their backs and fled because they were under a curse. I will not be with you anymore unless you wipe out those who are cursed from your midst. 13 Arise, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “There are things that have been dedicated in your midst, O Israel. You will not be able to stand up to your enemies until you remove the dedicated things from your midst.” 14 In the morning you will present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the Lord chooses will present itself clan by clan. The clan that the Lord chooses will present itself family by family. The family that the Lord chooses will present itself person by person.[c] 15 That person who has taken dedicated things will be thrown into the flames, he and all that he owns. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.’ ”
16 Achan’s Guilt and Punishment. Early the next morning Joshua had the people of Israel come forward by their tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah then came forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was chosen. The clan of the Zerahites came forward family by family, and the family of Zabdi was chosen. 18 The family came forward person by person, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah was chosen.
19 Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make your confession to him. Tell me now what you have done, do not hide it from me.” 20 Achan answered Joshua, “I have truly sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, for this is what I have done. 21 I spotted among the spoils a good garment made in Babylonia,[d] and two hundred silver shekels, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I coveted them so I took them. They are hidden in my tent, with the silver buried underneath it.”
22 Joshua sent some runners to the tent, and there it was in the tent, with the silver buried underneath it. 23 They took it out of the tent and brought it to Joshua and to all of the Israelites, laying it out before the Lord. 24 [e]Joshua, together with all of Israel, took Achan, the son of Zerah, along with the silver, the garment, and the bar of gold, his sons and his daughters, his oxen, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all his other property to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this calamity upon us? The Lord will bring a calamity down upon you today.” Then all of the Israelites stoned him, and after they stoned the rest of them, they threw them in the fire. 26 They piled up a great mound of stones over Achan that is still there to the present. The fierce anger of the Lord was thus quenched. This is why this site is called the Valley of Achor to this day.
Footnotes
- Joshua 7:1 The cruel measures taken in this primitive war emphasize the condition required for God’s help, namely, unconditional obedience and the sacrifice of personal desires. Observe that Ai means “ruin”; the account bears the mark of this.
- Joshua 7:7 This informal and heartfelt prayer reveals Joshua’s confusion in the light of defeat. His resort to persuasive questioning of God reveals his weakness and fear (i.e., humanity).
- Joshua 7:14 Tribes, which are subdivisions of nomadic societies, are made up of a number of clans; clans are made up of a number of families that descend from a common ancestor and are united by ties of blood; a family is made up of relatives living together, the head of it having juridical and religious authority.
- Joshua 7:21 Babylonia: the Hebrew has “Shinar,” a region of Mesopotamia, but here standing for Babylonia, which was noted for its wealth.
- Joshua 7:24 As head of the family Achan brings all of them down because of his disobedience. His entire family is eradicated and everything that belongs to him is destroyed. The Israelites understand this punishment to be appropriate to the sin of betrayal of the Lord.
Joshua 7
Christian Standard Bible
Defeat at Ai
7 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful(A) regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven,(B) east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and scout the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai.
3 After returning to Joshua they reported to him, “Don’t send all the people, but send about two thousand or three thousand[a] men to attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, don’t wear out all our people there.” 4 So about three thousand men[b] went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.(C) 5 The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them and chased them from outside the city gate to the quarries,[c] striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people lost heart.[d](D)
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening,(E) as did the elders of Israel; they all put dust on their heads.(F) 7 “Oh, Lord God,” Joshua said, “why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites for our destruction? If only we had been content to remain on the other side of the Jordan! 8 What can I say, Lord, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies? 9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth.(G) Then what will you do about your great name?” (H)
10 The Lord then said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen facedown? 11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put those things with their own belongings.(I) 12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction.(J) I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you what is set apart.
13 “Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow,(K) for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart. 14 In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the Lord selects is to come forward family by family. The family the Lord selects is to come forward man by man. 15 The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, along with everything he has, because he has violated the Lord’s covenant and committed an outrage in Israel.”(L)
Achan Judged
16 Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families,[e] and Zabdi was selected. 18 He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel,(M) and make a confession to him.[f] I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
20 Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.(N) This is what I did: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon,[g] five pounds[h] of silver, and a bar of gold weighing a pound and a quarter,[i] I coveted them and took them.(O) You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under the cloak.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in the Lord’s presence.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.(P) 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought us trouble?(Q) Today the Lord will bring you trouble!” So all Israel stoned them[j] to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them, 26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains still today.(R) Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor[k] still today.
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