Joshua 6
6
The Fall of Jericho
1Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”
6So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” 7Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”
8After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests with the rams’ horns started marching in the presence of the Lord, blowing the horns as they marched. And the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant followed behind them. 9Some of the armed men marched in front of the priests with the horns and some behind the Ark, with the priests continually blowing the horns. 10“Do not shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded. “Not a single word from any of you until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the town once that day, and then everyone returned to spend the night in the camp.
12Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests again carried the Ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests with the rams’ horns marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Again the armed men marched both in front of the priests with the horns and behind the Ark of the Lord. All this time the priests were blowing their horns. 14On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.
15On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. 16The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed#6:17 The Hebrew term used here refers to the complete consecration of things or people to the Lord, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; similarly in 6:18, 21. as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.
18“Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”
20When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.
22Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
23The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel.
24Then the Israelites burned the town and everything in it. Only the things made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron were kept for the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua invoked this curse:
“May the curse of the Lord fall on anyone
who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho.
At the cost of his firstborn son,
he will lay its foundation.
At the cost of his youngest son,
he will set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the land.
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Joshua 6: NLT
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Yehoshua 6
6
1Now Yericho was closely shut up because of the Bnei Yisroel; none went out, and none came in.
2And Hashem said unto Yehoshua, See, I have given into thine yad Yericho, and the melech thereof, and the gibborei hechayil.
3And ye shall march around the Ir, all ye anshei hamilchamah, and go around the Ir once. Thus shalt thou do sheshet yamim.
4And shivah Kohanim shall bear before the Aron shivah shoferot hayovelim; and the Yom HaShevi'i ye shall march around the Ir sheva times, and the Kohanim shall sound the shoferot.
5And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the keren hayovel, when ye hear the sound of the shofar, Kol HaAm shall shout with a teruah gedolah; and the Chomat HaIr shall fall down, and HaAm shall go up every ish charging straight in.
6And Yehoshua ben Nun called the Kohanim, and said unto them, Take up the Aron HaBrit, and let shivah Kohanim bear shivah shoferot yovelim (seven ram-shofars) before the Aron Hashem.
7And he ordered HaAm, Pass on, and march on the Ir, and let him that is armed pass on ahead of the Aron Hashem.
8And it came to pass, when Yehoshua had spoken unto HaAm, that the shivah Kohanim bearing the shivah shoferot hayovelim passed on before Hashem, and sounded the shoferot; and the Aron Brit Hashem followed after them.
9And the armed men marched ahead of the Kohanim that blew with the shoferot, and the rear guard came after the Aron, with the shoferot of the Kohanim going on sounding.
10Yehoshua had commanded HaAm, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any davar proceed out of your mouth, until the Yom I tell you to shout; then shall ye shout.
11So the Aron Hashem circled the Ir, going about it once; and they returned to the machaneh, and spent the night in the machaneh.
12And Yehoshua rose early in the boker, and the Kohanim took up the Aron Hashem.
13And shivah kohanim bearing shivah shoferot hayovelim before the Aron Hashem went on continually, and sounded the shoferot; and the armed men went before them; with the rearguard after the Aron Hashem, the Kohanim going on, and sounding the shoferot.
14And the Yom HaSheni they circled the Ir once, and returned to the machaneh; so they did sheshet yamim.
15And it came to pass on the Yom HaShevi'i, that they got up early about shachar, circled the Ir after the same manner sheva times; only on that Yom they marched around the Ir sheva pe'amim.
16And it came to pass on the Shevi'it, when the Kohanim sounded the shoferot, Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Shout; for Hashem hath given you the Ir.
17And the Ir shall be cherem, even it, and all that are therein, to Hashem; only Rachav the zonah shall live, she and all that are with her in the bais, because she hid the malachim that we sent.
18And ye, be shomer to keep yourselves from the cherem, lest ye make yourselves cherem, when ye take of the cherem, and make the Machaneh Yisroel cherem, and trouble it.
19But all the kesef, zahav, and vessels of nechoshet and barzel, are kodesh unto Hashem; they shall come into the Otzar Hashem.
20So HaAm shouted when the Kohanim sounded the shoferot; and it came to pass, when HaAm heard the kol (sound) of the shofar, and HaAm shouted with a teruah gedolah, that the chomah fell down, so that HaAm went up into the Ir, every ish straight before him, and they took the Ir.
21And they utterly destroyed#6:21 devoted as cherem all that was in the Ir, both ish and isha, na'ar and zaken, and shor, and seh, and chamor, with the edge of the cherev.
22But Yehoshua had said unto the two anashim that had spied out HaAretz, Go into the bais haisha hazonah, and bring out from there the isha, and all that she hath, just as ye swore unto her.
23And hane'arim (the young men) that were spies went in, and brought out Rachav, and her av, and her em, and her achim, and all that she had; and they brought out all her mishpechot, and put them outside the Machaneh Yisroel.
24And they burned the Ir with eish, and all that was therein; only the kesef, and the zahav, and the vessels of nechoshet and of barzel (iron), they put into the Otzar Bais Hashem.
25And Yehoshua saved Rachav the zonah alive, and her Bais Avi, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Yisroel even unto this day; because she hid the malachim, which Yehoshua sent to spy out Yericho.
26And Yehoshua made them take this shevu'ah, saying, Arur (cursed) be the ish before Hashem, that riseth up and rebuildeth this Ir Yericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof with his bechor, and with his tza'ir (youngest son) shall he set up the delatot (gates) thereof.#6:26 See fulfillment 1Kgs 16:34
27So Hashem was with Yehoshua; and his fame was noised throughout kol HaAretz.
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