Joshua 7
Legacy Standard Bible
Israel Struck Down at Ai
7 (A)But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things devoted to destruction. Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; therefore the anger of Yahweh burned against the sons of Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near (B)Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “[a]Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to strike down Ai; do not have all the people toil up there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but (C)they fled [b]from the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of their men and pursued them [c]from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them down on the descent, so the (D)hearts of the people melted and became as water.
6 Then Joshua (E)tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of Yahweh until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and (F)they put dust on their heads. 7 Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to make us perish? If only we had been willing [d]to live beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their [e]back before their enemies? 9 (G)And the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?”
10 So Yahweh said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and (H)they have also trespassed against My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things devoted to destruction and have both stolen and dealt falsely. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. 12 Therefore the (I)sons of Israel cannot rise before their enemies; they turn their [f]backs before their enemies, for they have become devoted to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things devoted to destruction from your midst. 13 Rise up! (J)Set the people apart as holy and say, ‘Set yourselves apart as holy for tomorrow, for thus Yahweh, the God of Israel, has said, “(K)There are things devoted to destruction in your midst, O Israel. You cannot rise before your enemies until you have removed the things devoted to destruction from your midst.” 14 In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it will be that the tribe which (L)Yahweh takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which Yahweh takes shall come near by households, and the household which Yahweh takes shall come near man by man. 15 (M)And it will be that the one who is taken with the things devoted to destruction shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has trespassed against the covenant of Yahweh, and because he (N)has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
The Sin of Achan
16 So Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by [g]tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought the family of Judah near, and he took the family of the Zerahites; and he brought the family of the Zerahites near man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 And he brought his household near man by man; and (O)Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, (P)give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and declare to me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel, and [h]this is what I did: 21 I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred [i]shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight; then I [j](Q)coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it.”
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was concealed in his tent with the silver underneath it. 23 And they took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and they poured them out before Yahweh. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his [k]oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to (R)the valley of [l]Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you (S)troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire [m]after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day, and Yahweh turned from His burning anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called (T)the valley of [n]Achor to this day.
Footnotes
- Joshua 7:2 Lit saying, Go
- Joshua 7:4 Lit before
- Joshua 7:5 Or before
- Joshua 7:7 Lit and had lived
- Joshua 7:8 Lit neck
- Joshua 7:12 Lit necks
- Joshua 7:16 Lit its tribes
- Joshua 7:20 Lit thus and thus I did
- Joshua 7:21 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
- Joshua 7:21 Or desired, cf. Gen 3:6-8
- Joshua 7:24 Or cattle
- Joshua 7:24 Lit trouble, cf. 6:18; 7:25
- Joshua 7:25 Lit and they stoned
- Joshua 7:26 Lit trouble, cf. 6:18; 7:25
Joshua 7
Names of God Bible
Achan’s Sin and Its Consequences
7 The people of Israel proved to be disloyal about the things claimed by the Lord. Achan, son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah, and a member of the tribe of Judah, took something that had been claimed by the Lord. So Yahweh became angry with the people of Israel.
2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai. Ai is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, “Go, look at that country.” So the men went and looked at Ai.
3 They came back to Joshua and told him, “You don’t need to send all the troops. Only about two or three thousand men are needed to destroy Ai. Don’t tire the troops out by sending all of them. There are only a few troops in Ai.”
4 So about three thousand men were sent. However, they fled from the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the city gate to the slope of the stone quarries. Israel’s troops lost heart and were scared stiff.
6 Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief. They put dust on their heads and bowed down to the ground in front of Yahweh’s ark. They stayed there until evening. 7 Joshua said, “Adonay Yahweh, why did you bring these people across the Jordan River? Was it to hand us over to the Amorites so that they could destroy us? I wish we had been content to live on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Adonay, what else can I say after Israel ran away from its enemy? 9 When the Canaanites and everyone who lives in the land hears about it, they will surround us and remove every memory of us from the earth. What will you do then so that your great name will be remembered?”
10 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! What are you doing bowing on the ground? 11 Israel has sinned. They have ignored the requirements[a] that I have placed on them. They have taken what I claimed for myself and put it among their own goods. They have not only stolen, but they have also lied.
12 “The people of Israel will not be able to defend themselves against their enemies. They will run away from their enemies because the people of Israel are now claimed for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy what I have claimed for myself.
13 “Get up! Tell the people, ‘Get ready for tomorrow by performing the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: You have what I claimed for myself, Israel. You will not be able to defend yourselves against your enemies until you get rid of what I have claimed. 14 In the morning come forward by tribes to the tent of meeting. The tribe Yahweh selects will come forward by families. Then the family Yahweh selects will come forward by households, and the household Yahweh selects will come forward man by man. 15 The man who is selected, along with everything he has, must be burned because he has stolen what the Lord has claimed. He has ignored Yahweh’s requirements and done a godless thing in Israel.’”
16 Joshua got up early in the morning. He had Israel come forward by tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected. 17 Then he had the families of Judah come forward, and the family of Zerah was selected. Then he had the family of Zerah come forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected. 18 Then he had Zabdi’s household come forward man by man, and Achan was selected. Achan from the tribe of Judah was the son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, and great-grandson of Zerah.
19 Joshua said to Achan, “Son, give honor and praise to Yahweh Elohim of Israel! Tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
20 Then Achan answered Joshua, “It’s true. I have sinned against Yahweh Elohim of Israel. This is what I did: 21 I saw a fine robe from Babylonia, five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing about one pound among the loot. I wanted them, so I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent with the silver beneath them.”
22 Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. The loot was buried inside with the silver beneath it. 23 They took the loot from the tent and brought it to Joshua and all the people of Israel. Then they laid it out in the presence of Yahweh.
24 Joshua and all Israel took Achan (son of Zerah), the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, and his tent—everything he had—and brought them to the valley of Achor [Disaster].
25 Then Joshua said, “Why did you bring this disaster on us? Yahweh will bring disaster on you today!” And all Israel stoned Achan and his family to death. Then they burned the bodies and piled stones over them. 26 They made such a large pile of stones over Achan that it is still there today. Then Yahweh withdrew his burning anger. For this reason that place is still called the valley of Achor today.
Footnotes
- Joshua 7:11 Or “covenant.”
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