Joshua 6
6
Jericho
1Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out.
2-5 God spoke to Joshua, “Look sharp now. I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its elite forces. Here’s what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horn trumpets in front of the Chest. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets. And then, a long blast on the ram’s horn—when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in.”
6So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and told them, “Take up the Chest of the Covenant. Seven priests are to carry seven ram’s horn trumpets leading God’s Chest.”
7Then he told the people, “Set out! March around the city. Have the armed guard march before the Chest of God.”
8-9And it happened. Joshua spoke, the people moved: Seven priests with their seven ram’s horn trumpets set out before God. They blew the trumpets, leading God’s Chest of the Covenant. The armed guard marched ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests; the rear guard was marching after the Chest, marching and blowing their trumpets.
10Joshua had given orders to the people, “Don’t shout. In fact, don’t even speak—not so much as a whisper until you hear me say, ‘Shout!’—then shout away!”
11-13He sent the Chest of God on its way around the city. It circled once, came back to camp, and stayed for the night. Joshua was up early the next morning and the priests took up the Chest of God. The seven priests carrying the seven ram’s horn trumpets marched before the Chest of God, marching and blowing the trumpets, with the armed guard marching before and the rear guard marching after. Marching and blowing of trumpets!
14On the second day they again circled the city once and returned to camp. They did this six days.
15-17When the seventh day came, they got up early and marched around the city this same way but seven times—yes, this day they circled the city seven times. On the seventh time around the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua signaled the people, “Shout!—God has given you the city! The city and everything in it is under a holy curse and offered up to God.
“Except for Rahab the harlot—she is to live, she and everyone in her house with her, because she hid the agents we sent.
18-19“As for you, watch yourselves in the city under holy curse. Be careful that you don’t covet anything in it and take something that’s cursed, endangering the camp of Israel with the curse and making trouble for everyone. All silver and gold, all vessels of bronze and iron are holy to God. Put them in God’s treasury.”
20The priests blew the trumpets.
When the people heard the blast of the trumpets, they gave a thunderclap shout. The wall fell at once. The people rushed straight into the city and took it.
21They put everything in the city under the holy curse, killing man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey.
22-24Joshua ordered the two men who had spied out the land, “Enter the house of the harlot and rescue the woman and everyone connected with her, just as you promised her.” So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, and brothers—everyone connected with her. They got the whole family out and gave them a place outside the camp of Israel. But they burned down the city and everything in it, except for the gold and silver and the bronze and iron vessels—all that they put in the treasury of God’s house.
25But Joshua let Rahab the harlot live—Rahab and her father’s household and everyone connected to her. She is still alive and well in Israel because she hid the agents whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26Joshua swore a solemn oath at that time:
Cursed before God is the man
who sets out to rebuild this city Jericho.
He’ll pay for the foundation with his firstborn son,
he’ll pay for the gates with his youngest son.
27 God was with Joshua. He became famous all over the land.
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Joshua 6: MSG
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Joshua 6
6
The Conquest of Jericho
1Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites — no one leaving or entering. 2The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you.#Dt 7:24; Jos 2:9,24; 8:1; Neh 9:24 3March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns.#Ex 19:13; Ps 24:7; Is 18:3; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16; Rv 11:15 5When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”
6So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved forward and blew the rams’ horns; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the rams’ horns, and the rear guard went behind the ark.#Is 52:12 10But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout! ’ Then you are to shout.” 11So the ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.#6:11 Lit at the camp
12Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, 13and the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the Lord. 14On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. 16After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.#Lv 27:29; Dt 7:26; 13:17; Jos 7:1 Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,#Dt 7:2 because she hid the messengers we sent. 18But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you#6:18 LXX reads you covet and; Jos 7:21 take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. 19For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”#1Kg 7:51; 14:26; 15:18
20So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the ram’s horn, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.#Heb 11:30 The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. 21They completely destroyed#Jos 2:10; 8:26 everything in the city with the sword — every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.
Rahab and Her Family Spared
22Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”#Jos 2:14 23So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel#Ex 6:23; Ru 4:21–22; 1Ch 2:10–12; Mt 1:4–5 today.#Jos 4:9; 5:9; 7:26; 14:14; 15:63
26At that time Joshua imposed this curse:
The man who undertakes
the rebuilding of this city, Jericho,
is cursed before the Lord.#Dt 27:15; 1Sm 14:24; Jr 11:3; 20:15
He will lay its foundation
at the cost of his firstborn;
he will finish its gates
at the cost of his youngest.#1Kg 16:34
27And the Lord was with Joshua,#Gn 39:2,21; Jdg 1:19,22; 2:18; 1Sm 3:19; 18:12; 1Kg 1:37; 2Kg 18:7; 1Ch 9:20; 2Ch 17:3 and his fame spread throughout the land.
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