Joshua Chapter 6
The Fall of Jericho
1 Jericho was shut up inside and out. Nobody was coming out or going in. 2 Yahveh told Joshua,
“I’ll deliver Jericho to you, its king and strong fighting men. 3 Have Israel’s fighting men march around the city once a day for a week. 4 Have seven priests each a carry ram’s horn ahead of the Ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow their rams’ horns. 5 As soon as you hear a long blast on the rams’ horns, raise the battle cry as loud as you can, and the city wall will fall down flat. Every man, go straight in.”
6 Joshua called the priests and told them to take the Ark and have seven priests each carry a ram’s horn ahead of it.
7 He told the people to start marching around the city with the armed men ahead of the Ark.
Josh 6:1-7
8 The seven priests went forward blowing rams’ horns in front of Yahveh with the Ark behind them. 9 The armed men went first ahead of the priests, and the rear guard came last after the Ark. The rams’ horns blew continually.
10 Joshua told the people, “Don’t raise the war cry till the day I tell you.” 11 He sent the Ark around the city once. Then they spent the night in camp.
12 Joshua got up early and the priests took the Ark, 13 and the seven priests went along, blowing the horns continually. The armed men went first ahead of them, and the rear guard came last after the Ark. 14 The second day they marched around the city once and went back to camp. They did that for six days.
Josh 6:8-14
15 The seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city the same way seven times. 16 The seventh time, when the priests blew the rams’ horns, Joshua told the people,
“Raise the battle cry! Yahveh is delivering the city to you. 17 The city and everything in it will be devoted to him for destruction. Only Rahab the harlot and her household will live; she hid the messengers we sent. 18 Make sure you keep away from the things devoted to destruction. If you take any devoted thing, you’ll bring trouble on Israel’s camp and get it destroyed. 19 All the silver and gold, the bronze and iron items, are sacred to Yahveh. They’ll go into his treasury.”
20 The priests blew the rams’ horns. As soon as the people heard them, they raised the battle cry as loud as they could, and the wall fell down flat. Every man went straight ahead up into the city and took it. 21 With swords they destroyed men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
Josh 6:15-21
22 Joshua told the two men that had spied out the land to go to the harlot’s house and bring her and her relatives out, like they’d promised.
23 They went in and brought out her, her parents, brothers, and relatives; and put them outside the camp. 24 They burned the city and everything in it, but put in Yahveh’s treasury the silver and gold, the bronze and iron items. 25 Rahab and her father’s family still live in Israel because she hid the spies.
26 Joshua bound an oath on them,
“Cursed by Yahveh is anyone that rebuilds this city.
He’ll lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn
and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son.”
27 Yahveh was with Joshua, and his fame spread all over the territory.
Josh 6:22-27