Chapter 5
[1] And it came to pass when the kings of the Amorites who were beyond Jordan heard, and the kings of Phoenicia by the sea, that the Lord God had dried up the river Jordan from before the children of Israel when they passed over, that their hearts failed, and they were terror-stricken, and there was no sense in them because of the children of Israel.
[2] And about this time the Lord said to Joshua, Make thee stone knives of sharp stone, and sit down and circumcise the children of Israel the second time. [3] And Joshua made sharp knives of stone, and circumcised the children of Israel at the place called the “Hill of Foreskins.” [4] And this is the way in which Joshua purified the children of Israel; as many as were born in the way, and as many as were uncircumcised of them that came out of Egypt, [5] all these Joshua circumcised; for forty and two years Israel wondered in the wilderness of Mabdaris — [6] Wherefore most of the fighting men that came out of the land of Egypt, were uncircumcised, who disobeyed the commands of God; concerning whom also he determined that they should not see the land, which the Lord sware to give to their fathers, even a land flowing with milk and honey. [7] And in their place he raised up their sons, whom Joshua circumcised, because they were uncircumcised, having been born by the way. [8] And when they had been circumcised they rested continuing there in the camp till they were healed. [9] And the Lord said to Joshua the son of Naue, On this day have I removed the reproach of Egypt from you: and he called the name of that place Galgala.
[10] And the children of Israel kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, to the westward of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain. [11] And they ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new corn. [12] In this day the manna failed, after they had eaten of the corn of the land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna: and they took the fruits of the land of the Phoenicians in that year.
[13] And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a man standing before him, and there was a drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua drew near and said to him, Art thou for us or on the side of our enemies? [14] And he said to him, I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord. [15] And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to him, Lord, what commandest thou thy servant? [16] And the captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose thy shoe off thy feet, for the place whereon thou now standest is holy.
Chapter 6
[1] Now Jericho was closely shut up and besieged, and none went out of it, and none came in. [2] And the Lord said to Joshua, Behold, I deliver Jericho into thy power, and its king in it, and its mighty men. [3] And do thou set the men of war round about it. [4] And it shall be that when ye shall sound with the trumpet, all the people shall shout together. [5] And when they have shouted, the walls of the city shall fall of themselves; and all the people shall enter, each one rushing direct into the city.
[6] And Joshua the son of Naue went in to the priests, and spoke to them, saying, [7] And let seven priests having seven sacred trumpets proceed thus before the Lord, and let them sound loudly; and let the ark of the covenant of the Lord follow. [8] Charge the people to go round, and encompass the city; and let your men of war pass on armed before the Lord. [9] And let the men of war proceed before, and the priests bringing up the rear behind the ark of the covenant of the Lord proceed sounding the trumpets. [10] And Joshua commanded the people, saying, Cry not out, nor let any one hear your voice, until he himself declare to you the time to cry out, and then ye shall cry out. [11] And the ark of the covenant of God having gone round immediately returned into the camp, and lodged there.
[12] And on the second day Joshua rose up in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord. [13] And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets went on before the Lord; and afterwards the men of war went on, and the remainder of the multitude went after the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. [14] And all the rest of the multitude compassed the city six times from within a short distance, and went back again into the camp; this they did six days.
[15] And on the seventh day they rose up early, and compassed the city on that day seven times. [16] And it came to pass at the seventh circuit the priests blew the trumpets; and Joshua said to the children of Israel, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. [17] And the city shall be devoted, it and all things that are in it, to the Lord of Hosts: only do ye save Raab the harlot, and all things in her house. [18] But keep yourselves strictly from the accursed thing, lest ye set your mind upon and take of the accursed thing, and ye make the camp of the children of Israel and accursed thing, and destroy us. [19] And all the silver, or gold, or brass, or iron, shall be holy to the Lord; it shall be carried into the treasury of the Lord.
[20] And the priests sounded with the trumpets: and when the people heard the trumpets, all the people shouted at once with a loud and strong shout; and all the wall fell round about, and all the people went up into the city: [21] and Joshua devoted it to destruction, and all things that were in the city, man and woman, young man and old, and calf and ass, with the edge of the sword.
[22] And Joshua said to the two young men who had acted a spies, Go into the house of the woman, and bring her out thence, and all that she has. [23] And the two young men who had spied out the city entered into the house of the woman, and brought out Raab the harlot, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and her kindred, and all that she had; and they set her without the camp of Israel. [24] And the city was burnt with fire with all things that were in it; only of the silver, and gold, and brass, and iron, they gave to be brought into the treasury of the Lord.
[25] And Joshua saved alive Raab the harlot, and all the house of her father, and caused her to dwell in Israel until this day, because she hid the spies which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. [26] And Joshua adjured them on that day before the Lord, saying, Cursed be the man who shall build that city: he shall lay the foundation of it in his first-born, and he shall set up the gates of it in his youngest son. And so did Hozan of Baethel; he laid the foundation in Abiron his first-born, and set up the gates of it in his youngest surviving son.
[27] And the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was in all the land.
Chapter 7
[1] But the children of Israel committed a great trespass, and purloined part of the accursed thing; and Achar the son of Charmi, the son of Zambri, the son of Zara, of the tribe of Juda, took of the accursed thing; and the Lord was very angry with the children of Israel.
[2] And Joshua sent men to Gai, which is by Baethel, saying, Spy out Gai: and the men went up and spied Gai. [3] And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and take the city by siege: carry not up thither the whole people, for the enemy are few. [4] And there went up about three thousand men, and they fled from before the men of Gai. [5] And the men of Gai slew of them to the number of thirty-six men, and they pursued them from the gate, and destroyed them from the steep hill; and the heart of the people was alarmed and became as water.
[6] And Joshua tore his garments; and Joshua fell on the earth on his face before the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they cast dust on their heads. [7] And Joshua said, I pray, Lord, wherefore has thy servant brought this people over Jordan to deliver them to the Amorite to destroy us? would we had remained and settled ourselves beyond Jordan. [8] And what shall I say since Israel has turned his back before his enemy? [9] And when the Chananite and all the inhabitants of the land hear it, they shall compass us round and destroy us from off the land: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?
[10] And the Lord said to Joshua, Rise up; why hast thou fallen upon thy face? [11] The people has sinned, and transgressed the covenant which I made with them; they have stolen from the cursed thing, and put it into their store. [12] And the children of Israel will not be able to stand before their enemies; they will
turn their back before their enemies, for they have become an accursed thing: I will not any longer be with you, unless ye remove the cursed thing from yourselves. [13] Rise, sanctify the people and tell them to sanctify themselves for the morrow: thus says the Lord God of Israel, The accursed thing is among you; ye shall not be able to stand before your enemies, until ye shall have removed the cursed thing from among you. [14] And ye shall all be gathered together by your tribes in the morning, and it shall come to pass that the tribe which the Lord shall shew, ye shall bring by families; and the family which the Lord shall shew, ye shall bring by households; and the household which the Lord shall shew, ye shall bring man by man. [15] And the man who shall be pointed out, shall be burnt with fire, and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and has wrought wickedness in Israel.
[16] And Joshua rose up early, and brought the people by their tribes; and the tribe of Juda was pointed out. [17] And it was brought by their families, and family of the Zaraites was pointed out. [18] And it was brought man by man, and Achar the son of Zambri the son of Zara was pointed out.
[19] And Joshua said to Achar, Give glory this day to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession; and tell me what thou hast done, and hide it not from me. [20] And Achar answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel: thus and thus have I done: [21] I saw in the spoil an embroidered mantle, and two hundred didrachms of silver, and one golden wedge of fifty didrachms, and I desired them and took them; and, behold, they are hid in my tent, and the silver is hid under them. [22] And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent into the camp; and these things were hidden in his tent, and the silver under them. [23] And they brought them out of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and the elders of Israel, and they laid them before the Lord.
[24] And Joshua took Achar the son of Zara, and brought him to the valley of Achor, and his sons, and his daughters, and his calves, and his asses, and all his sheep, and his tent, and all his property, and all the people were with him; and he brought them to Emec Achor. [25] And Joshua said to Achar, Why hast thou destroyed us? the Lord destroy thee as at this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones. [26] And they set up over him a great heap of stones; and the Lord ceased from his fierce anger. Therefore he called the place Emecachor until this day.
Chapter 8
[1] And the Lord said to Joshua, Fear not, nor be timorous: take with thee all the men of war, and arise, go up to Gai; behold, I have given into thy hands the king of Gai, and his land. [2] And thou shalt do to Gai, as thou didst to Jericho and its king; and thou shalt take to thyself the spoil of its cattle; set now for thyself an ambush for the city behind. [3] And Joshua and all the men of war rose to go up to Gai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men, and he sent them away by night. [4] And he charged them, saying, Do ye lie in ambush behind the city: do not go far from the city, and ye shall all be ready. [5] Land I and all with me will draw near to the city: and it shall come to pass when the inhabitants of Gai shall come forth to meet us, as before, that we will flee from before them. [6] And when they shall come out after us, we will draw them away from the city; and they will say, These men flee from before us, as also before. [7] And ye shall rise up out of the ambuscade, and go into the city. [8] Ye shall do according to this word, lo! I have commanded you. [9] And Joshua sent them, and they went to lie in ambush; and they lay between Baethel and Gai, westward of Gai.
[10] And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people; and he went up, he and the elders before the people to Gai. [11] And all the men of war went up with him, and they went forward and came over against the city eastward. [12] And the ambuscade was on the west side of the city. [13] 14 And it came to pass when the king of Gai saw it, he hasted and went out to meet them direct to the battle, he and all the people that were with him: and he knew not that there was an ambuscade formed against him behind the city. [15] And Joshua and Israel saw, and retreated from before them. [16] And they pursued after the children of Israel, and they themselves went to a distance from the city. [17] There was no one left in Gai who did not pursue after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
[18] And the Lord said to Joshua, Stretch forth thy hand with the spear that is in thy hand toward the city, for I have delivered it into thy hands; and the liers in wait shall rise up quickly out of their place. [19] And Joshua stretched out his hand and his spear toward the city, and the ambuscade rose up quickly out of their place; and they came forth when he stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city, and took it; and they hasted and burnt the city with fire.
[20] And when the inhabitants of Gai looked round behind them, then they saw the smoke going up out of the city to heaven, and they were no longer able to flee this way or that way. [21] And Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambuscade had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city went up to heaven; and they turned and smote the men of Gai. [22] And these came forth out of the city to meet them; and they were in the midst of the army, some being on this side, and some on that; and they smote them until there was not left of them one who survived and escaped. [23] And they took the king of Gai alive, and brought him to Joshua.
[24] And when the children of Israel had ceased slaying all that were in Gai, and in the fields, and in the mountain on the descent, from whence they pursued them even to the end, then Joshua returned to Gai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. [25] And they that fell in that day, men and women, were twelve thousand: they slew all the inhabitants of Gai. [26] 27 Beside the spoils that were in the city, all things which the children of Israel took as spoil for themselves according to the command of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Joshua.
[28] And Joshua burnt the city with fire: he made it an uninhabited heap for ever, even to this day. [29] And he hanged the king of Gai on a gallows; and he remained on the tree till evening: and when the sun went down, Joshua gave charge, and they took down his body from the tree, and cast it into a pit, and they set over him a heap of stones until this day. [30] Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in mount Gaebal, [31] as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, on which iron had not been lifted up; and he offered there whole-burnt-offerings to the Lord, and a peace-offering. [32] And Joshua wrote upon the stones a copy of the law, even the law of Moses, before the children of Israel. [33] And all Israel, and their elders, and their judges, and their scribes, passed on one side and on the other before the ark; and the priests and the Levites took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the stranger and the native were there, who were half of them near mount Garizin, and half near mount Gaebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded at first, to bless the people. [34] And afterwards Joshua read accordingly all the words of this law, the blessings and the curses, according to all things written in the law of Moses. [35] There was not a word of all that Moses charged Joshua, which Joshua read not in the ears of all the assembly of the children of Israel, the men, and the women, and the children, and the strangers that joined themselves to Israel.
Chapter 9
[1] And when the kings of the Amorites on the other side of Jordan, who were in the mountain country, and in the plain, and in all the coast of the great sea, and those who were near Antilibanus, and the Chettites, and the Chananites, and the Pherezites, and the Evites, and the Amorites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites, heard of it, [2] they came all together at the same time to make war against Joshua and Israel.
[3] And the inhabitants of Gabaon heard of all that the Lord did to Jericho and Gai. [4] And they also wrought craftily, and they went and made provision and prepared themselves; and having taken old sacks on their shoulders, and old and rent and patched bottles of wine, [5] and the upper part of their shoes and their sandals old and clouted on their feet, and their garments old upon them — and the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy and corrupt.
[6] And they came to Joshua into the camp of Israel to Galgala, and said to Joshua and Israel, We are come from a far land: now then make a covenant with us. [7] And the children of Israel said to the Chorrhaean, Peradventure thou dwellest amongst us; and how should I make a covenant with thee? [8] And they said to Joshua, We are thy servants: and Joshua said to them, Whence are ye, and whence have ye come? [9] And they said, Thy servants are come from a very far country in the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard his name, and all that he did in Egypt, [10] and all that he did to the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Basan, who dwelt in Astaroth and in Edrain. [11] And our elders and all that inhabit our land when they heard spoke to us, saying, Take to yourselves provision for the way, and go to meet them; and ye shall say to them, We are thy servants, and now make a covenant with us. [12] These are the loaves — we took them hot for our journey on the day on which we came out to come to you; and now they are dried and become mouldy. [13] And these are the skins of wine which we filled when new, and they are rent; and our garments and our shoes are worn out because of the very long journey.
[14] And the chiefs took of their provision, and asked not counsel of the Lord. [15] And Joshua made peace with them, and they made a covenant with them to preserve them; and the princes of the congregation sware to them.
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