Beginning
5 All the kings of the Amorites west of the Jordan and the Canaanite kings living by the ·Mediterranean Sea [L Sea] heard that the Lord dried up the Jordan River until the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had crossed it. ·After that they were scared [L Their hearts melted] and ·too afraid to face [L there was no breath/spirit in them because of] the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
The Israelites Are Circumcised
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make knives from flint stones and circumcise [Gen. 17:7–14] the ·Israelites [L sons of Israel a second time].” 3 So Joshua made knives from flint stones and circumcised the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] at ·Gibeath Haaraloth [C Hebrew for “Hill of Foreskins”].
4 This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men old enough to serve in the army died in the desert on the ·way [journey] ·out of [or after leaving] Egypt. 5 The men who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but none of those who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised. 6 The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had moved about in the ·desert [wilderness] for forty years. During that time all the fighting men who had left Egypt had died because they had not obeyed the Lord [Num. 13–14]. So the Lord swore they would not see the land he had promised their ancestors to give them, a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; C a phrase describing the natural bounty of the land]. 7 Their sons ·took [were raised up in] their places. But none of the sons born on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised, so Joshua circumcised them. 8 After all the Israelites had been circumcised, they stayed in camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have ·removed [rolled away] the shame [disgrace; reproach] of ·your slavery in Egypt [L Egypt].” So that place was named Gilgal [C sounds like Hebrew for “rolled away”; 4:19], which it is still named today.
10 The ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel were camped at Gilgal [4:19] on the plains of Jericho. It was there, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, they celebrated the Passover Feast [Ex. 12]. 11 The day after the Passover, the people ate food grown on that land: ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] and roasted grain. 12 The day they ate this food, the manna stopped coming [Ex. 16:35]. The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] no longer got the manna from heaven. They ate the food grown in the land of Canaan that year.
13 Joshua was near Jericho when he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a sword in his hand [Ex. 3:2—4:17; Judg. 6:11–23]. Joshua went to him and asked, “Are you ·a friend or an enemy [L for us or for our enemies/adversaries]?”
14 The man answered, “·I am neither [L No]. I have come as the commander of the Lord’s army [C God himself who comes as a warrior; Ex. 15:3].”
Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground and asked, “Does my ·master [lord] have a ·command [message] for me, his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered, “Take off your sandals, because the place where you are standing is holy [Ex. 3:5].” So Joshua did.
The Fall of Jericho
6 The people of Jericho were afraid because the Israelites were near. They closed the city gates and guarded them [L Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons/T children of Israel]. No one went into the city, and no one came out.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have given ·you Jericho [L Jericho into your hands], its king, and all its fighting men. 3 March around the city with your ·army [L fighting men] once a day for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets made from ·horns of male sheep [rams’ horns] and have them march in front of the Ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets as they march. 5 They will make one long blast on the trumpets. When you hear that sound, have all the people give a loud shout. Then the walls of the city will ·fall [collapse] so the people can ·go [charge] straight into the city.”
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together and said to them, “Carry the Ark of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]. Tell seven priests to carry trumpets and march in front of it.” 7 Then Joshua ordered the ·people [or army], “Now go! March around the city. The ·soldiers with weapons [armed troops; or royal guard] should march in front of the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord.”
8 When Joshua finished speaking to the ·people [or army], the seven priests began marching before the Lord. They carried the seven trumpets and blew them as they marched. The priests carrying the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant/Treaty of] the Lord followed them. 9 ·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops; or The royal guard] marched in front of the priests, and ·armed men [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark. The priests were blowing their trumpets. 10 But Joshua had ·told [commanded] the people not to give ·a war cry [the shout]. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you. Then shout.” 11 So Joshua had the Ark of the Lord carried around the city one time. Then they went back to camp for the night.
12 Early the next morning Joshua got up, and the priests carried the Ark of the Lord again. 13 The seven priests carried the seven trumpets and marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their trumpets. ·Soldiers with weapons [Armed troops or The royal guard] marched in front of them, and ·other soldiers [the rear guard] walked behind the Ark of the Lord. ·All this time the priests were blowing their trumpets […while the trumpets kept blowing]. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city one time and then went back to camp. They did this every day for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city, just as they had on the days before. But on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around the priests blew their trumpets. Then Joshua gave the command: “Now, ·shout [give the battle cry]! The Lord has given you this city! 17 The city and everything in it are to be ·destroyed as an offering [L devoted; set apart; 2:10] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone in her house should remain alive. They must not be killed, because Rahab hid the ·two spies [L messengers] we sent out [2:1–24]. 18 ·Don’t take any of [Keep away from] the things that are ·to be destroyed as an offering [devoted; set apart] to the Lord. If you take them and bring them into ·our camp [L the camp of Israel], you yourselves will be ·destroyed [devoted/set apart for destruction], and you will bring trouble to all of Israel. 19 All the silver and gold and things made from bronze and iron belong to the Lord and must ·be saved for him [L go into the treasury of the Lord].”
20 When the priests blew the trumpets, the ·people [army] shouted. At the sound of the trumpets and the ·people’s [army’s] shout, the walls fell, and everyone ·ran [charged] straight into the city. So the Israelites ·defeated [captured; took] that city. 21 They ·completely destroyed [devoted to the Lord] with the ·sword [L edge of the sword] every living thing in the city—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house. Bring her out and bring out those who ·are with [belong to] her, because of the ·promise you made [oath you swore] to her.” 23 So the ·two men [young men] went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all ·those with [who belonged to] her. They put all of her family in a safe place outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then Israel burned the whole city and everything in it, but they did not burn the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron. These were ·saved for [L put in the treasury of the house of] the Lord. 25 Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute, her ·family [L father’s household], and all who ·were with [belonged to] her, because Rahab had helped the men he had sent to spy out Jericho [Matt. 1:5; Heb. 11:31; James 2:25]. Rahab still lives among the Israelites today.
26 Then Joshua ·made [or caused them to take] this oath:
“Anyone who tries to rebuild this city of Jericho
will be cursed ·by [or before] the Lord.
The one who lays the foundation of this city
will lose his ·oldest [firstborn] son,
and the one who sets up the gates
will lose his youngest son [1 Kin. 16:34].”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and Joshua became famous through all the land.
The Sin of Achan
7 But the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] ·did not obey the Lord [L acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; 6:17]. There was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan. (He was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.) Because Achan kept some of the ·things that were to be given to the Lord [L devoted things], the ·Lord became very angry [L Lord’s anger burned] at the Israelites.
2 Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai [C the name means “dump,” indicating that it should have been an easy military target], which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He told them, “Go to Ai and spy out the area.” So the men went to spy on Ai.
3 Later they came back to Joshua and said, “There are ·only a few people [few soldiers] in Ai, so we will not need all our people to defeat them. Send only two or three thousand men to fight. ·There is no need to send [or Don’t tire out] all of our people.” 4 So about three thousand men went up to Ai, but ·the people of Ai beat them badly [L they fled from the men of Ai]. 5 The people of Ai killed about thirty-six Israelites and then chased the rest from the city gate all the way down to ·the canyon [or the stone quarries; or Shebarim], killing them as they went down the hill. When the Israelites saw this, ·they lost their courage [L the heart of the people melted and became like water].
6 Then Joshua tore his ·clothes in sorrow [L clothes]. He ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground before the Ark of the Lord and stayed there until evening. The ·leaders [L elders] of Israel did the same thing. They also threw ·dirt [dust] on their heads [C to show their sorrow]. 7 Then Joshua said, “·Lord God [or Sovereign Lord], why did you bring our people across the Jordan River ·and then let the Amorites destroy us [to give us into the hands of the Amorites]? ·We would have [L If only we had] been happy to stay on the other side of the Jordan. 8 Lord, ·there is nothing I can say now [what can I say now that…]. Israel has ·been beaten by [fled from; L turned their back before] the enemy. 9 The Canaanites and all the other people in this country will hear about this and will ·surround [encircle] and ·kill us all [L cut off our name from the earth]! Then what will you do for your own great name?”
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why are you down on your face? 11 The Israelites have sinned; they have broken the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I commanded them to obey. They took some of the ·things I commanded them to destroy [devoted things]. They have stolen and lied and have ·taken those things for themselves [L put them among their own belongings]. 12 That is why the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] cannot ·face [stand before] their enemies. They ·turn away from the fight and run [fled/turned their backs before their enemies], because I have ·commanded that they be destroyed [devoted them for destruction]. I will not ·help [L be with] you anymore unless you destroy ·everything as I commanded [the things devoted for destruction from among] you.
13 “Now go! ·Make the people holy [Consecrate the people]. Tell them, ‘·Set yourselves apart to the Lord [Consecrate yourselves] for tomorrow. The Lord, the God of Israel, says ·some of you are keeping things he commanded you to destroy [L there are devoted things among you, Israel!]. You will never ·defeat [L stand before] your enemies until you ·throw away those things [L remove the devoted things from among you].
14 “‘Tomorrow morning you must be present with your tribes. The Lord will choose one tribe to stand alone before him. Then the Lord will choose ·one family group [clan] from that tribe to stand before him. Then the Lord will choose one family from that ·family group [clan] to stand before him, person by person. 15 The one who is ·keeping what should have been destroyed [L caught with the devoted things] will himself be destroyed by fire. Everything ·he owns [that is his] will be destroyed with him. He has broken the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the Lord and has done a disgraceful thing ·among the people of [L in] Israel!’”
16 Early the next morning Joshua led all of Israel to present themselves in their tribes, and the Lord chose the tribe of Judah. 17 So the ·family groups [clans] of Judah presented themselves, and the Lord then chose the ·family group [clan] of Zerah. When all the ·families [clan] of Zerah presented themselves, the family of Zabdi was chosen. 18 And Joshua told all the men in that family to present themselves. The Lord chose Achan son of Carmi. (Carmi was the son of Zabdi, who was the son of Zerah.)
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, ·tell the truth. Confess to the Lord, the God of Israel [L Give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him; C a solemn charge to tell the truth and confess his sins to God]. Tell me what you did, and don’t try to hide anything from me.”
20 Achan answered, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 Among the things I saw was a beautiful ·coat [robe; cloak] from ·Babylonia [L Shinar] and about ·five pounds [L two hundred shekels] of silver and ·more than one and one-fourth pounds of gold [L a gold bar weighing fifty shekels]. I wanted these things very much for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent, with the silver underneath.”
22 So Joshua sent ·men [L messengers] who ran to the tent and ·found the things [T behold, it was] hidden there, with the silver underneath. 23 The men brought them out of the tent, took them to Joshua and all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], and spread them out on the ground before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua and all the people led Achan son of Zerah to the Valley of ·Trouble [or Achor; C a Hebrew word meaning “trouble” or “disaster”]. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold bar, Achan’s sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, tent, and everything he owned. 25 Joshua said, “·I don’t know why [L Why have…?] you caused so much trouble [C Hebrew achor] for us, but now the Lord will bring trouble [C Hebrew achor] to you.” Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they died [Ex. 19:13; Lev. 24:23; Num. 15:36]. Then the people burned them. 26 They piled rocks over Achan’s body, and they are still there today. That is why it is called the Valley of ·Trouble [L Achor]. After this the Lord ·was no longer angry [L turned from his burning anger].
Ai Is Destroyed
8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid or ·give up [be discouraged/dismayed; 1:9; 10:25]. Lead ·all your fighting men [the whole army] to Ai. I ·will help you defeat [L have given into your hand] the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2 You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may ·take all the wealth [L plunder its goods and livestock] and keep it for yourselves. Now ·tell some of your soldiers to set up [L set] an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua ·led his whole army toward [L and all the people rose to go up against] Ai. Then he chose thirty thousand ·of his best fighting men [brave warriors] and sent them out at night. 4 Joshua gave them these orders: “·Listen carefully [Look; T Behold]. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don’t go far from it, but continue to watch and be ready. 5 I and the men who are with me will march toward the city, and the men in the city will come out to fight us, just as they did before. Then we will ·turn and run away from [L flee before] them. 6 They will chase us away from the city, thinking we are running away from them as we did before. When we run away, 7 come out from your ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give ·you the power to win [L it into your hand]. 8 After you take the city, burn it. ·See to it [L Look; T Behold]! You have your orders.”
9 Then Joshua sent them to wait in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed the night ·with his [among the] people.
10 Early the next morning Joshua ·gathered his men together [mustered the army]. He and the ·older leaders [elders] of Israel led them up to Ai. 11 All of the soldiers who were with Joshua marched up to Ai and stopped in front of the city and made camp north of it. There was a valley between them and the city. 12 Then Joshua chose about five thousand men and set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai. 13 So the people took their positions; the main camp was north of the city, and the ·other men [rear guard; ambush] were hiding to the west. That night Joshua went down into[a] the valley.
14 Now when the king of Ai saw the army of Israel, he and his people got up early the next morning and hurried out to fight them. They went out to ·a place east of the city [or the meeting/appointed place near the Arabah/desert plain], but the king did not know soldiers were waiting in ambush behind the city. 15 Joshua and all the men of Israel ·let the army of Ai push them back [pretended to be defeated]. Then they ran toward the ·desert [wilderness]. 16 All the men in Ai were called to chase Joshua and his men, so they ·left the city and went after them [were lured away from the city]. 17 All the men of Ai and Bethel chased the army of Israel [C nearby Bethel must have been closely allied with Ai]. The city was left ·open [unguarded]; not a man ·stayed to protect it [L was left in Ai or Bethel].
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold ·your spear [L the spear/javelin that is in your hand] toward Ai, because I will give ·you that city [L it into your hand].” So Joshua held ·his spear [L the spear/javelin that was in his hand] toward the city of Ai. 19 When the Israelites who were in ambush saw this, they quickly came out of their hiding place and hurried toward the city. They entered the city, ·took control of [captured] it, and quickly set it on fire.
20 When the men of Ai looked back, ·they saw [L look; T behold] smoke rising [L into the sky] from their city. At the same time the Israelites stopped running and turned against ·the men of Ai [L their pursuers], who could not escape in any direction. 21 When Joshua and all ·his men [L Israel] saw that the ·army [men in ambush] had taken control of the city and saw the smoke rising from it, they stopped running and turned to ·fight [strike down] the men of Ai. 22 The men who were in ambush also came out of the city to help with the fight. So the men of Ai were caught between the armies of Israel. None of the enemy escaped. The Israelites ·fought [struck them down] until not one of the men of Ai ·was left alive [L either survived or escaped], except 23 the king of Ai, and they brought him to Joshua.
A Review of the Fighting
24 During the fighting the army of Israel chased the men of Ai into the fields and ·desert [wilderness] and killed all of them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25 All the people of Ai died that day, twelve thousand men and women. 26 Joshua ·had held his spear toward Ai, as a sign to destroy the city, and did not draw it back [L did not draw back the hand that held his spear/javelin] until all the people of Ai were ·destroyed [devoted to destruction; 2:10; 6:17]. 27 The people of Israel kept for themselves the animals and the ·other things the people of Ai had owned [plunder of the city], as the Lord had commanded Joshua to do.
28 Then Joshua burned the city of Ai and made it [L permanently; forever] a pile of ruins. And it is still like that today. 29 Joshua hanged the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening [C an act of humiliation and shame; Deut. 21:23]. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s body down from the tree and to throw it down at the city gate. Then they covered it with a pile of rocks [7:26], which is still there today.
30 Joshua built an altar for the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, as 31 Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Joshua built the altar as it was explained in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law] of Moses. It was made from ·uncut [whole] stones; no tool was ever used on them. On that altar the Israelites offered burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1]. 32 There Joshua ·wrote [made a copy of] the teachings of Moses on stones for all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel to see. 33 The elders, officers, judges, and all the Israelites were there; ·Israelites and non-Israelites [native-born and foreigners] were all standing around the Ark of the ·Agreement with [Covenant of] the Lord in front of the priests, the Levites who had carried the Ark. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Ebal, and half stood in front of Mount Gerizim. This was the way the Lord’s servant Moses had earlier commanded the people to be blessed [Deut. 11:29; 27:11–26].
34 Then Joshua read all the words of the ·teachings [law; instruction], the blessings and the curses, exactly as they were written in the Book of the ·Teachings [Law]. 35 All the Israelites were gathered together—men, women, and children—along with the ·non-Israelites [foreigners] who lived among them. Joshua read every ·command [word] that Moses had given.
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