^21 (A)“Son of man, ^(B)I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, ^(C)it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. ²² Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and ^(D)will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. ^23 (E)I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. ²⁴ And ^(F)I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put ^(G)my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him ^(H)like a man mortally wounded. ²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. ^(I)Then they shall know that I am the Lord, ^(J)when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.

⁸ But go, act, be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? ^(A)For God has power to help or to cast down.”

⁸ O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! ⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and ^(A)cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have ^(B)transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the ^(C)devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ^12 (D)Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They ^(E)turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become ^(F)devoted for destruction.^[a] I will be with you no more, unless you destroy ^(G)the devoted things from among you.

⁴ So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And ^(A)they fled before the men of Ai, ⁵ and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people ^(B)melted and became as water.

⁴⁵ Then ^(A)the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to ^(B)Hormah.

^42 (A)Do not go up, ^(B)for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.

³⁶ And as for those of you who are left, ^(A)I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The ^(B)sound of a ^(C)driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues. ³⁷ They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And ^(D)you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.