mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. 11 So the ark of Jehovah encompassed the city round about it once; and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests 13 took up the ark of Jehovah. And the seven priests bearing the seven jubilee trumpets before the ark of Jehovah went on blowing continually with the trumpets, and the armed men went before them. The rearward came after the ark of 14 Jehovah, continually blowing with the trumpets. And the second day they encompassed the city once, and returned into the camp. So did they six days.

15

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and encompassed the city in this manner seven times; only on that day they encompassed 16 the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for Jehovah has given you the city. 17 And the city shall be accursed, it and all that are therein, to Jehovah. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers 18 that we sent. Only do ye beware of the accursed thing, lest ye make accursed and take of the accursed thing, and make 19 the camp of Israel accursed, and bring evil upon it. And all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to Jehovah; they shall come into Jehovah's treasury. So the people shouted, and they blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great

20

V. 17. Accursed. Or, devoted; namely, to Jehovah. thing," see Lev. 27: 29, "shall surely be put to death." it is here said (v. 21), "they utterly destroyed."

For the law respecting a "devoted
Hence, in accordance with that law,

The application of this law in all its rigor, here and in the following chapters, was a necessity. It was inseparable from the Divine plan for perpetuating the knowledge of the true God, and all its beneficent influences on the destinies of the race. He had committed this trust to a people peculiarly susceptible, and for that reason the better adapted to his purpose; and with what ultimate results to the human race we see around us in every Christian land. But this peculiar susceptibility made it the more needful to remove all the contaminating influences of idolatry. Nothing short of extermination would do this. Had it been effected by a flood as of old, or by earthquakes or volcanic fires, the Divine justice would not have been questioned. In employing the agency of his people he impressed on them, and on the generations following, the magnitude of the evils they were commanded to extirpate.

shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him; and they 21 took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22

And Joshua had said to the two men that spied out the land: Go into the house of the harlot, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she has, as ye have sworn to her. 23 And the young men that were spies came, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and 24 placed them without the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire, and all that was therein. Only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put 25 into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's house, and all that she had; and she dwelt in Israel unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26

And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying: Cursed be the man before Jehovah, that shall rise up and build this city Jericho. With his firstborn he shall lay the foundation thereof, and with his youngestborn shall he set up the gates thereof. 27 So Jehovah was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.

1 AND the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.

2

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and said to them: Go up and view the land. And the men went up and viewed 3 Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said to him: Let not

V. 26. With his firstborn; as the price of his sacrilegious undertaking. With the death of his firstborn he should pay the penalty of its beginning, and with that of his youngest born the penalty of its completion.

all the people go up. Let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai. Make not all the people labor thither; 4 for they are but few. And there went up thither of the people about three thousand men; and they fled before the 5 men of Ai. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men. And they chased them before the gate to the stone-pits, and smote them at the steep descent. Wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. 6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the 7 elders of Israel, and cast dust upon their heads. And Joshua said: Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would we had been content, and 8 dwelt beyond the Jordan! Beseech thee, Lord, what shall I after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies! 9 And the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear, and will environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth. And what wilt thou do to thy great name?

10

say,

And Jehovah said to Joshua: Get thee up; wherefore 11 art thou fallen thus upon thy face? Israel has sinned; and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; and have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among 12 their own effects. And the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies; they will turn their backs before their enemies, for they are accursed. I will no more be with you, 13 except ye destroy the accursed thing from among you. Stand up, sanctify the people, and say: Sanctify yourselves for the morrow. For thus says Jehovah God of Israel: An accursed thing is in the midst of thee, O Israel. Thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye put away the accursed thing 14 from among you. In the morning ye shall be brought according to your tribes. And it shall be, that the tribe which Jehovah takes shall come by families; and the family which Jehovah shall take shall come by households; and the houseV. 5. Stone-pils; or, Shebarim.- - Descent: into the valley (8: 11).

15 hold which Jehovah shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that are his, because he has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah, and because he has wrought folly in Israel.

16

19

And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man 18 by man; and Zabdi was taken. And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. And Joshua said to Achan: My son, give, I pray thee, honor to Jehovah, God of Israel, and make confession to and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from And Achan answered Joshua, and said: Truly, I have sinned against Jehovah God of Israel, and thus and thus 21 have I done. I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, and I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

him ;

20 me.

22

And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid 24 them out before Jehovah. And Joshua took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that was his, and all Israel with him; and they brought them to the valley of 25 Achor. And Joshua said: Why hast thou troubled us?

Jehovah trouble thee this day! And all Israel stoned him with stones. And they burned them with fire, after they had 26 stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones, unto this day. So Jehovah turned from the

V. 17. Family of Judah; family used laxly for tribe.

fierceness of his anger.

Wherefore the name of that place

was called Valley of Achor, unto this day.

1 AND Jehovah said to Joshua: Fear not, nor be thou fainthearted. Take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, 2 and his people, and his city, and his land. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst to Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take a prey for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it. And Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to

3

5

Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men, strong men of war, and sent them away by night. And he commanded them, saying: Behold, ye are to lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; go not very far from the city, and be ye all ready. And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach to the city. And it shall be, when they come out 6 against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them. And they will come out after us, till we have drawn them from the city. For they will say: They flee before us, as at the 7 first; therefore we will flee before them. And ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city; and Jehovah 8 your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of Jehovah shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

9 And Joshua sent them forth; and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of 10 Ai. And Joshua lodged that night among the people.

And

Joshua rose up early in the morning, and mustered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people 11 to Ai. And all the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and encamped on the north side of Ai. And the valley was between them 12 and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them in ambush between Beth-cl and Ai, on the west side of the V. 26. Achor; meaning, trouble.