²¹ “Son of man, I have ^(A)broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, ^(B)it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a ^[a]splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword. ²² Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I am ^(C)against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will ^(D)break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand. ^23 (E)I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the countries. ²⁴ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man. ²⁵ Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; ^(F)they shall know that I am the Lord, 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 if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has ^(A)power to help and to overthrow.”

⁸ O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its ^[a]back before its enemies? ⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and ^(A)cut off our name from the earth. Then ^(B)what will You do for Your great name?”

The Sin of Achan

¹⁰ So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. ^(C)For they have even taken some of the ^[b]accursed things, and have both stolen and ^(D)deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. ^12 (E)Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because ^(F)they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

⁴ So about three thousand men went up there from the people, ^(A)but they fled before the men of Ai. ⁵ And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore ^(B)the^[a] hearts of the people melted and became like water.

⁴⁵ Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as ^(A)Hormah.

^42 (A)Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.