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.
Currently Selected:
Joshua 6: NLT
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
For more information about the NLT:
Yehoshua (Joshua) 6
6
1And Yeriḥo was shut up tight because of the presence of the sons of Yisra’ĕl – none going out, and none coming in.
2And יהוה said to Yehoshua, “See! I have given Yeriḥo and its sovereign, mighty brave men, into your hand.
3“And you shall go around the city, all the men of battle going around the city once. Do this for six days.
4“And let seven priests bear seven shopharot#Plural of Shophar. of the yoḇelim#Plural of Yoḇel. before the ark, and on the seventh day go around the city seven times while the priests blow with the shopharot.
5“And it shall be, when they make a long blast with the horn of a yoḇel, and when you hear the voice of the shophar,#Animal horn, traditionally ram’s horn. that all the people shout with a great sound. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6And Yehoshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven shopharot of yoḇelim before the ark of יהוה.”
7And he said to the people, “Pass over, and go around the city, and let him who is armed pass over before the ark of יהוה.”
8And it came to be, when Yehoshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven shopharot of the yoḇelim before יהוה passed over and blew with the shopharot, and the ark of the covenant of יהוה went after them.
9And the armed men went before the priests who blew the shopharot, and the rear guard came after the ark, going on and blowing with the shopharot.
10But Yehoshua had commanded the people, saying, “Do not make a sound or cause your voice to be heard, nor let any word come out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”
11And the ark of יהוה went around the city, going around once. And they came into the camp and stayed in the camp.
12And Yehoshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of יהוה.
13And seven priests bearing seven shopharot of the yoḇelim before the ark of יהוה were walking, going on, and they blew with the shopharot, and the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of יהוה, going on, and blowing with the shopharot.
14And the second day they went around the city once and returned to the camp. Thus they did six days.
15And it came to be on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and went around the city seven times in this way. Only on that day they went around the city seven times.
16And it came to be at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the shopharot, that Yehoshua said to the people, “Shout, for יהוה has given you the city!
17“And the city shall be put under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to יהוה. Only Raḥaḇ the whore is to live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18“And you, by all means guard yourselves from that which is under the ban, lest you come under the ban when you take of that which is under the ban, and make the camp of Yisra’ĕl a curse, and shall trouble it.
19“But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are set-apart to יהוה, they go into the treasury of יהוה.”
20And the people shouted when the priests blew the shopharot. And it came to be when the people heard the voice of the shophar, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. And the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.
21And they put under the ban all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22And to the two men who had spied out the land Yehoshua said, “Go into the house of the woman, the whore, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.”
23And the young men, the spies, went in and brought out Raḥaḇ, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and set them outside the camp of Yisra’ĕl.
24And they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the House of יהוה.
25However, Yehoshua kept alive Raḥaḇ the whore, and her father’s household, and all that she had. And she dwelt in the midst of Yisra’ĕl to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Yehoshua sent to spy out Yeriḥo.
26And Yehoshua warned them at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before יהוה who rises up and builds this city Yeriḥo – he lays its foundation with his first-born, and with his youngest he sets up its gates.”
27And יהוה was with Yehoshua, and a report about him was in all the land.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.