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Joshua 7
Lexham English Bible

The Sin of Achan

7 But the Israelites[a] broke faith concerning the devoted things.[b] Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took from the devoted things;[c] and Yahweh’s anger was kindled[d] against the Israelites.[e]

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven, east of Bethel, and he said to them, “Go up and spy out Ai.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up and attack Ai; only two or three thousand men should go up because they[f] are few. Do not make all the people weary up there.” 4 So about three thousand from the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, and they chased them from the gate up to Shebarim and killed them on the slope. And the hearts[g] of the people melted and became like water.

6 And Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of Yahweh until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.[h] 7 And Joshua said, “Ah, my Lord! Why did you bring this people across the Jordan to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content and stayed beyond the Jordan. 8 Please, my Lord! What can I say after Israel has fled from its enemies?[i] 9 The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of this, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the land. What will you do, for your great name?”

10 And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why[j] have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned and transgressed my covenant[k] that I commanded them. They have taken from the devoted things;[l] they have stolen and acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their belongings. 12 The Israelites[m] were unable to stand before their enemies; they fled from their enemies[n] because they have become a thing devoted[o] for destruction. I will be with you no more[p] unless you destroy the devoted things[q] from among you. 13 Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow. Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: “There are devoted things[r] in your midst, O Israel. You will be unable to stand before you enemies until you remove the devoted things[s] from your midst.” 14 In the morning you will come forward, tribe by tribe,[t] and the tribe that Yahweh will select by lot will come forward by clans, and the clan that Yahweh selects by lot will come forward by families, and the family that Yahweh selects by lot will come forward one by one. 15 The one caught with the devoted things[u] will be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he transgressed the covenant[v] of Yahweh, and because he did a disgraceful thing in Israel.”’”

16 So[w] Joshua rose early in the morning and brought forward Israel, tribe by tribe,[x] and the tribe of Judah was selected by lot. 17 And he brought forward the clans of Judah and selected the clan of the Zerahites[y] by lot. Then he brought forward the clan of the Zerahites,[z] one by one, and Zabdi was selected by lot. 18 He brought forward his family, one by one, and Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected by lot. 19 And Joshua said to Achan, “My son, please, give glory to Yahweh the God of Israel, and give him a doxology in court.[aa] Tell me, please, what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “It is true. I have sinned against Yahweh the God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 I saw among the spoil a beautiful robe from Shinar,[ab] two hundred shekels of silver, and one bar of gold that weighed fifty shekels; I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, and the silver is under it.”

22 Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there they were, hidden in his tent, and the silver was under it. 23 And they took them from the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites.[ac] And they spread them out before the presence of Yahweh. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle and donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that was his, and they brought them to the valley of Achor.[ad] 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring us trouble? Yahweh will bring you trouble on this day.” And all Israel stoned them[ae] with stones;[af] and they burned them with fire after they stoned them with stones. 26 Then they placed[ag] on top of him a great pile of stones that remains to this day. And Yahweh turned from his burning anger,[ah] and thus the name of that place to this day is called the valley of Achor.[ai]

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Joshua 7:1 Or “consecrated possessions”
  3. Joshua 7:1 Hebrew “thing” or “consecrated possession”
  4. Joshua 7:1 Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot”
  5. Joshua 7:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Joshua 7:3 That is, the people of Ai
  7. Joshua 7:5 Hebrew “heart”
  8. Joshua 7:6 Hebrew “head”
  9. Joshua 7:8 Literally “Israel has turned its neck before its enemies”
  10. Joshua 7:10 Literally “For what this”
  11. Joshua 7:11 Literally “crossed my covenant”
  12. Joshua 7:11 Hebrew “thing” or “from the consecrated possession”
  13. Joshua 7:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  14. Joshua 7:12 Literally “they turned their neck before their enemies”
  15. Joshua 7:12 Or “consecrated”
  16. Joshua 7:12 Literally “I will not do again to be with you”
  17. Joshua 7:12 Hebrew “thing” or “consecrated possession”
  18. Joshua 7:13 Hebrew “thing” or “consecrated possession”
  19. Joshua 7:13 Hebrew “thing” or “consecrated possession”
  20. Joshua 7:14 Literally “according to your tribes”
  21. Joshua 7:15 Hebrew “thing” or “consecrated possession”
  22. Joshua 7:15 Literally “he crossed the covenant”
  23. Joshua 7:16 Or “And”
  24. Joshua 7:16 Literally “according to its tribes”
  25. Joshua 7:17 Hebrew “Zerahite”
  26. Joshua 7:17 Hebrew “Zerahite”
  27. Joshua 7:19 Some interpret “make a confession”
  28. Joshua 7:21 “Shinar” refers to Babylonia
  29. Joshua 7:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  30. Joshua 7:24 Hebrew “trouble”; a valley in the Jericho region
  31. Joshua 7:25 Hebrew “him”
  32. Joshua 7:25 Hebrew “stone”
  33. Joshua 7:26 Literally “they raised up”
  34. Joshua 7:26 Literally “turned from his burning nose”
  35. Joshua 7:26 Hebrew “trouble”; a valley in the Jericho region
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Joshua 7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment

7 But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.(A)

2 Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Not all the people need go up; about two or three thousand men should go up and attack Ai. Since they are so few, do not make the whole people toil up there.” 4 So about three thousand of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai.(B) 5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.(C) 7 Joshua said, “Ah, Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the Jordan!(D) 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs to their enemies! 9 The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and surround us and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will you do for your great name?”(E)

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings.(F) 12 Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies because they have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with you no more unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. 13 Proceed to sanctify the people and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: There are devoted things among you, O Israel; you will be unable to stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.(G) 14 In the morning, therefore, you shall come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe that the Lord takes shall come near by clans, the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households, and the household that the Lord takes shall come near one by one. 15 And the one who is taken as having the devoted things shall be burned with fire, together with all that he has, for having transgressed the covenant of the Lord and for having done an outrageous thing in Israel.’ ”(H)

16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought near the clans of Judah, and the clan of the Zerahites was taken, and he brought near the clan of the Zerahites by households,[a] and Zabdi was taken.(I) 18 And he brought near his household one by one, and Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”(J) 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “It is true; I am the one who sinned against the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did:(K) 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. They now lie hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 They took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and they spread them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, with the silver, the mantle, and the bar of gold, with his sons and daughters, with his oxen, donkeys, and sheep, and his tent and all that he had, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.(L) 25 Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord is bringing trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him to death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them,(M) 26 and raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place to this day is called the Valley of Achor.[b](N)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.17 Heb mss Syr: MT one by one
  2. 7.26 That is, trouble
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

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