²⁸ “‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes^[a](A) to the Lord—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy^(B) to the Lord.

³ The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites^(A) over to them. They completely destroyed them^(B) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.^[a](C)

²⁶ Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction.^(A) Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

¹⁶ You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town^(A) and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God.^(B) That town is to remain a ruin^(C) forever, never to be rebuilt,

¹⁸ because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right^(A) in his eyes.

¹⁷ Completely destroy^[a] them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.

¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted^[a](A) to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute^(B) and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid^(C) the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things,^(D) so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction^(E) and bring trouble^(F) on it.

Achan’s Sin

7 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things^[a];^(A) Achan^(B) son of Karmi, the son of Zimri,^[b] the son of Zerah,^(C) of the tribe of Judah,^(D) took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned^(E) against Israel.^(F)

¹¹ Israel has sinned;^(A) they have violated my covenant,^(B) which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied,^(C) they have put them with their own possessions.^{(D) 12} That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies;^(E) they turn their backs^(F) and run^(G) because they have been made liable to destruction.^(H) I will not be with you anymore^(I) unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

¹³ “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves^(J) in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.