Beginning

5 ¶ And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until we had passed, that their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them before the sons of Israel.

² At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.

³ And Joshua made himself sharp knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

⁴ And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the people that had come out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, had died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

⁵ Now all the people that had come out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt, were not circumcised.

⁶ For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the people that were men of war, who had come out of Egypt, were consumed because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD; therefore, the LORD swore unto them that he would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

⁷ But their sons, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised by the way.

⁸ And when they had finished circumcising all the people, they abode in the same place in the camp until they were whole.

⁹ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Therefore, the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

¹⁰ ¶ And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal and celebrated the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹ And they ate of the fruit of the land, unleavened cakes, on the next day after the passover and parched new ears of grain in the same day.

¹² And the manna ceased on the next day after they had begun to eat of the fruit of the land; and the sons of Israel never had manna again; but they ate of the fruits of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³ ¶ And Joshua, being near Jericho, lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou one of us or one of our adversaries?

¹⁴ And he said, No, but I am the Prince of the host of the LORD; now I am come. Then Joshua falling upon his face in the earth worshipped him and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his slave?

¹⁵ And the Prince of the LORD’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place on which thou dost stand is holy. And Joshua did so.

6 ¶ Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel; no one went out, and no one came in.

² But the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given Jericho and its king into thy hand, with its mighty men of valour.

³ Therefore, ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, going round about the city once; and thou shalt do this six days.

⁴ And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven shofarot {or rams horns} of jubilee; and the seventh day ye shall go around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the shofarot.

⁵ And when they make a long sound of jubilee with the horn so that ye hear the voice of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat; then the people shall ascend up each man straight before him.

⁶ ¶ And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD.

⁷ And he said unto the people, Pass on and compass the city and let those that are armed pass on before the ark of the LORD.

⁸ And when Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee passed on before the LORD and blew with the shofarot; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

⁹ And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the shofarot, and the congregation came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot.

¹⁰ And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you, Shout; then ye shall shout.

¹¹ So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

¹² And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.

¹³ And the seven priests bearing the seven shofarot of jubilee before the ark of the LORD walked continually, and blew with the shofarot; and the armed men went before them; but the congregation came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on and blowing with the shofarot.

¹⁴ Likewise the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp; so they did for six days.

¹⁵ And on the seventh day they rose early about the dawning of the day and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

¹⁶ And when the priests had blown the shofarot the seventh time, Joshua said unto the people, Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.

¹⁷ ¶ And the city shall be anathema unto the LORD, even it, and all the things that are in it; only Rahab, the harlot, shall live, she and all that are with her in the house because she hid the messengers that we sent.

¹⁸ But keep yourselves from the anathema, that ye not touch nor take any thing of the anathema so that ye not make the camp of Israel anathema and trouble it.

¹⁹ For all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.

²⁰ Then the people shouted when the priests blew with the shofarot, and it came to pass when the people heard the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, each man straight before him and they took the city.

²¹ And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

²² But Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land, Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman out of there with all that she has, as ye swore unto her.

²³ And the young men that were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and put them outside in the camp of Israel.

²⁴ And they burnt the city with fire and all that was in it; only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.

²⁵ And Joshua gave Rahab, the harlot, her life and also to her father’s household and to all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even unto this day because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD that rises up and builds this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.

²⁷ So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame went throughout all the land.

7 ¶ But the sons of Israel committed a trespass in the anathema; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the anathema; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the sons of Israel.

² And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke unto them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ And they returned to Joshua and said unto him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; do not make all the people to labour there; for they are but few.

⁴ So about three thousand men of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai.

⁵ And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men; for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down; therefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

⁶ ¶ Then Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, putting dust upon their heads.

⁷ And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, why hast thou caused this people to pass the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? We should have been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!

⁸ O Lord, what shall I say now that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!

⁹ For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall compass us around and cut off our name from upon the earth; then what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

¹⁰ ¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get up; why dost thou lie thus upon thy face?

¹¹ Israel has sinned and has even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; for they have even taken of the anathema and have also stolen and lied also, and they have even put it in their own vessels.

¹² Therefore, the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but shall turn their backs before their enemies because they have been in the anathema; neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the anathema from among you.

¹³ Get up, sanctify the people and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow; for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is anathema in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thy enemies until ye take away the anathema from among you.

¹⁴ In the morning, therefore, ye shall come near according to your tribes, and it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to the families thereof, and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households, and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

¹⁵ And it shall be that he that is taken in the anathema shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has because he has broken the covenant of the LORD and because he has wrought folly in Israel.

¹⁶ ¶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken;

¹⁷ and bringing near the tribe of Judah, the family of the Zarhites was taken; and bringing near the family of the Zarhites man by man, Zabdi was taken;

¹⁸ and he caused his household to come near, man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

¹⁹ Then Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory now to the LORD God of Israel and give him praise; and tell me now what thou hast done; do not hide it from me.

²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.

²¹ When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

²² So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent and the silver under it.

²³ And they took them out of the midst of the tent and brought them unto Joshua and unto all the sons of Israel and laid them out before the LORD.

²⁴ Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver and the garment and the wedge of gold and his sons and his daughters and his oxen and his asses and his sheep and his tent and all that he had, and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

²⁵ And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? The LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones and burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

²⁶ And they raised over them a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

8 ¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee and arise; go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land.

² And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof, ye shall take for yourselves. Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

³ ¶ So Joshua arose and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour and sent them away by night.

⁴ And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city; do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

⁵ And I and all the people that are with me, will approach the city; and when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them

⁶ (for they will come out after us) until we have raptured them out of the city; for they will say, They flee before us as at the first. Therefore, we will flee before them.

⁷ Then ye shall rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

⁸ And when ye have taken the city, ye shall set the city on fire. Ye shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.

⁹ Then Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie in ambush and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; and Joshua lodged that night in the midst of the people.

¹⁰ And Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel, before the people against Ai.

¹¹ And all the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew near and came before the city and pitched camp on the north side of Ai; now there was a valley between them and Ai.

¹² And he took about five thousand men and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

¹³ And the people, all the camp that was on the side of the north came near to the city, and their ambush on the west of the city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

¹⁴ When the king of Ai saw it, he rose up early in the morning and made haste with the men of the city to go out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

¹⁵ Then Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness.

¹⁶ And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua and were raptured from the city.

¹⁷ And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that did not go out after Israel; and because they pursued after Israel, they left the city open.

¹⁸ Then the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.

¹⁹ And those of the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city and took it and made haste to set the city on fire.

²⁰ And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way; and the people that were fleeing into the wilderness turned back upon their pursuers.

²¹ Then Joshua and all Israel, seeing that those of the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned and slew the men of Ai.

²² And the others issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; and they smote them so that they let none of them remain or escape.

²³ ¶ And they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴ And when Israel had finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were consumed, all the Israelites returned unto Ai and smote it with the edge of the sword.

²⁵ And so it was that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

²⁶ For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

²⁷ But the Israelites took the beasts and the spoil of the city for themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he had commanded Joshua.

²⁸ And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a perpetual heap, desolate unto this day.

²⁹ And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city and raise a great heap of stones upon it, that remains unto this day.

³⁰ ¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

³¹ as Moses, the slave of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no one lifted up any iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings upon it unto the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.

³² He also wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the sons of Israel.

³³ And all Israel and their elders and officers and their judges stood on one side and on the other near the ark, before the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the strangers, as well as the natural born among them, half of them over against Mount Gerizim and half of them over against Mount Ebal, as Moses, the slave of the LORD, had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

³⁴ After this he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

³⁵ There was not a word of all the things that Moses commanded which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers that walked among them.