The Book of Joshua

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- Chapter 6 -

Now every gate of the city of Jericho was shut tight, because the people were afraid of the army of Israel. No one could enter or leave the city.

Yahweh said to Joshua, “See what I am doing! I am giving Jericho to you. It will be yours, the city along with its king and all its brave soldiers.

You will march around the city, one time all the way around it. All the brave soldiers will go around it one time each day for six days.

Tell seven priests to march around with them. They will each carry a trumpet as they march before the sacred chest of Yahweh. On the seventh day, the army must march around the city seven times, and the priests must play the trumpets with a loud blast of sound while they march.

After they have all marched around the city seven times, the priests must make a very long blast with their jubilee trumpets. When the people of Israel hear that, they must shout very loudly, and the city wall will collapse. Then every soldier must advance straight into the city.”

So Joshua summoned the priests and said to them, “Tell four priests to carry Yahweh’s sacred chest, and tell the priests to carry seven jubilee trumpets and let them go in front of the sacred chest of Yahweh.”

And he told the people, “Go on and march around the city and let the armed men go ahead of Yahweh’s sacred chest.”

Just as Joshua commanded his army, the seven priests, each one carrying a trumpet, marched as Yahweh had directed them. As they walked around the city, the priests gave a blast on their trumpets. The ones who carried Yahweh’s sacred chest followed them.

The armed soldiers marched in front of the priests who were blowing on their trumpets. When the rest of the soldiers followed the chest, while they were all marching, the priests kept blowing their trumpets.

But the rest of the people were silent, because Joshua had commanded them, saying, “Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say even one word until the day when I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout!”

So the men carrying Yahweh’s sacred chest and all the others did what Joshua told them to do. They marched around the city once each day. Then they all returned to the camp and stayed there at night.

The next morning, Joshua and the priests got up early and picked up Yahweh’s sacred chest.

The seven priests who were carrying jubilee trumpets went in front of the men carrying the sacred chest. They gave loud blasts from their trumpets as they marched. The soldiers walked in front of them and the rear guard of the army followed the sacred chest of Yahweh. Again, the priests kept blowing their trumpets.

So on that second day, once again they marched around the city one time and then returned to the camp. They did the same thing for six days.

On the seventh day, they got up at dawn; they all marched around the city the same way that they had done before, but this time they marched around the city seven times.

As they were marching around the seventh time, when the priests were about to sound the long blast on their trumpets, Joshua commanded the people, ”Shout! Because Yahweh is giving this city to you!

Yahweh has declared that you must destroy the city and everything in it to show that it belongs to him. Only Rahab the prostitute will live, and all who are in her house with her, because she hid the spies we sent.

And because Yahweh has declared that everything must be destroyed, you must not take any of the things in the city. If you take anything, you will cause Yahweh to destroy the camp of Israel and bring trouble to it.

But all the silver and gold and articles made from iron and bronze that you find, you must set apart for Yahweh. You must put those things in his treasury.”

So they did what Joshua told them to do. When the priests blew a long blast on their trumpets, the people gave a loud shout, and the wall of the city collapsed! Then the people went up into the city, going straight into the city from wherever they were standing when the wall fell, and they captured the city.

They killed every living thing in the city, men and women, young people and old people, even cattle and sheep and donkeys.

Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied on the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring her out, along with all her family, just as you solemnly promised to her.”

So, the young men who had examined the land went and brought Rahab out. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all the relatives that were with her. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the city, along with everything in it. They saved the silver, gold, and all the vessels of bronze and iron, which they put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh.

But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute, and her father’s household, and everyone with her, to live. Her descendants live in Israel to this day because she hid the spies that Joshua sent to spy on Jericho, and they promised to spare her life.

At that time, Joshua declared this very solemnly: “May Yahweh curse anyone who rebuilds this city, Jericho. When that person lays its foundation, may his oldest son die. And when he finishes building the city wall and sets up its gates, may his youngest son die.”

Yahweh was with Joshua, and everyone in the land knew who Joshua was.

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor.

All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.

Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.”

Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark.”

They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the LORD’s ark.”

It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them.

The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.

Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

So he caused the LORD’s ark to go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp.

Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the LORD’s ark.

The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the LORD’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after the LORD’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went.

The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.

On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. On this day only they marched around the city seven times.

At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!

The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it.

But all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD. They shall come into the LORD’s treasury.”

So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city.

They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.”

The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel.

They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.

But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.”

So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.