The Destruction of Jericho
1 NowJericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
2 And theLordsaid to Joshua: “See!I have given Jericho into your hand, itsking,andthe mighty men of valor.
3 You shall march around the city, allyoumen of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days.
4 And seven priests shall bear seventrumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the cityseven times, andthe priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 It shall come to pass, when they make a longblastwith the ram’s horn,andwhen you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
6 Then 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 ark of theLord.”
7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of theLord.”
8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before theLordadvanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of theLordfollowed them.
9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets,and the rear guard came after the ark, whilethepriestscontinued blowing the trumpets.
10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.”
11 So he hadthe ark of theLordcircle the city, going arounditonce. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning,and the priests took up the ark of theLord.
13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of theLordwent on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of theLord, whilethepriestscontinued blowing the trumpets.
14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.
15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.
16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for theLordhas given you the city!
17 Now the city shall bedoomed by theLordto destruction, it and all whoarein it. OnlyRahab the harlot shall live, she and all whoarewith her in the house, becauseshe hid the messengers that we sent.
18 And you,by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse,and trouble it.
19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron,areconsecrated to theLord; they shall come into the treasury of theLord.”
20 So the people shouted whenthepriestsblew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, thatthe wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21 And theyutterly destroyed all thatwasin the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has,as you swore to her.”
23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab,her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
24 But they burned the city and all thatwasin it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of theLord.
25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. Soshe dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Then Joshua chargedthemat that time, saying,“Cursedbethe man before theLordwho rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”
27 So theLordwas with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.