The Fall of Jericho
1 The gates of Jericho were kept shut and guarded to keep the Israelites out. No one could enter or leave the city. 2 The Lord said to Joshua, “I am putting into your hands Jericho, with its king and all its brave soldiers. 3 You and your soldiers are to march around the city once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests, each carrying a trumpet, are to go in front of the Covenant Box. On the seventh day you and your soldiers are to march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. 5 Then they are to sound one long note. As soon as you hear it, all the people are to give a loud shout, and the city walls will collapse. Then the whole army will go straight into the city.”
6 Joshua called the priests and told them, “Take the Covenant Box, and seven of you go in front of it, carrying trumpets.” 7 Then he ordered the people to start marching around the city, with an advance guard going on ahead of the Lord's Covenant Box.
8-9 So, just as Joshua had ordered, an advance guard started out ahead of the priests who were blowing trumpets; behind these came the priests who were carrying the Covenant Box, followed by a rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had ordered the people not to shout, not to say a word until he gave the order. 11 So he had this group of men take the Lord's Covenant Box around the city one time. Then they came back to camp and spent the night there.
12-13 Joshua got up early the next morning, and for the second time the priests and soldiers marched around the city in the same order as the day before: first, the advance guard; next, the seven priests blowing the seven trumpets; then, the priests carrying the Lord's Covenant Box; and finally, the rear guard. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 14 On this second day they again marched around the city one time and then returned to camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at daybreak and marched seven times around the city in the same way—this was the only day that they marched around it seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests were about to sound the trumpets, Joshua ordered the people to shout, and he said, “The Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and everything in it must be totally destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only the prostitute Rahab and her household will be spared, because she hid our spies. 18 But you are not to take anything that is to be destroyed; if you do, you will bring trouble and destruction on the Israelite camp. 19 Everything made of silver, gold, bronze, or iron is set apart for the Lord. It is to be put in the Lord's treasury.”
20 So the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the people heard it, they gave a loud shout, and the walls collapsed. Then all the army went straight up the hill into the city and captured it. 21 With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua then told the two men who had served as spies, “Go into the prostitute's house, and bring her and her family out, as you promised her.” 23 So they went and brought Rahab out, along with her father and mother, her brothers, and the rest of her family. They took them all, family and slaves, to safety near the Israelite camp. 24 Then they set fire to the city and burned it to the ground, along with everything in it, except the things made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, which they took and put in the Lord's treasury. 25 But Joshua spared the lives of the prostitute Rahab and all her relatives, because she had hidden the two spies that he had sent to Jericho. (Her descendants have lived in Israel to this day.)
26 At this time Joshua issued a solemn warning: “Anyone who tries to rebuild the city of Jericho will be under the Lord's curse.
Whoever lays the foundation will lose his oldest son;
Whoever builds the gates will lose his youngest.”
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread through the whole country.
1 Now Iericho was shut vp, and closed, because of the children of Israel: none might go out nor enter in. 2 And the Lord saide vnto Ioshua, Behold, I haue giuen into thine hand Iericho and the King thereof, and the strong men of warre. 3 All ye therefore that be men of warre, shall compasse the citie, in going round about the citie once: thus shall you doe sixe dayes: 4 And seuen Priests shall beare seuen trumpets of rams hornes before the Arke: and the seuenth day ye shall compasse the citie seuen times, and the Priests shall blow with the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the rams horne, and ye heare the sound of the trumpet, al the people shall shoute with a great shoute: then shall the wall of the citie fall downe flat, and the people shall ascend vp, euery man streight before him. 6 Then, Ioshua the sonne of Nun called the Priests and said vnto them, Take vp the Arke of the couenant, and let seuen Priests beare seuen trumpets of rams hornes before the Arke of the Lord. 7 But he said vnto the people, Goe and compasse the citie: and let him that is armed, go forth before the Arke of the Lord. 8 And when Ioshua had spoken vnto the people, the seuen Priestes bare the seuen trumpets of rams hornes, and went foorth before the Arke of the Lord, and blew with the trumpets, and the Arke of the couenant of ye Lord followed them. 9 And the men of armes went before the Priestes, that blewe the trumpets: then the gathering hoste came after the Arke, as they went and blewe the trumpets. 10 (Nowe Ioshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall nor shout, neither make any noyse with your voyce, neither shall a worde proceede out of your mouth, vntill the day that I say vnto you, Shout, then shall ye shoute) 11 So the Arke of the Lord compassed the citie, and went about it once: then they returned into the hoaste, and lodged in the campe. 12 And Ioshua rose early in the morning, and the Priestes bare the Arke of the Lord: 13 Also seuen Priests bare seuen trumpets of rams hornes, and went before the Arke of the Lord, and going blewe with the trumpets: and the men of armes went before them, but the gathering hoste came after the Arke of the Lord, as they went and blewe the trumpets. 14 And the second day they compassed the citie once, and returned into the host: thus they did sixe dayes. 15 And when the seuenth day came, they rose early, euen with the dawning of the day, and compassed the citie after ye same maner seuen times: only that day they compassed the citie seuen times. 16 And when the Priests had blowen ye trumpets the seuenth time, Ioshua said vnto ye people, Shoute: for the Lord hath giuen you the citie. 17 And the citie shalbe an execrable thing, both it, and all that are therein, vnto the Lord: onely Rahab the harlot shall liue, shee, and all that are with her in the house: for shee hid the messengers that we sent. 18 Notwithstanding, be ye ware of the execrable thing, lest ye make your selues execrable, and in taking of the execrable thing, make also the hoste of Israel execrable, and trouble it. 19 But all siluer, and gold, and vessels of brasse, and yron shalbe consecrate vnto the Lord, and shall come into the Lordes treasury. 20 So the people shouted, whe they had blowen trumpets: for when the people had heard the sound of the trumpet, they shouted with a great shoute: and the wall fel downe flat: so the people went vp into the citie, euery man streight before him: and they tooke the citie. 21 And they vtterly destroyed all that was in the citie, both man and woman, yong, and olde, and oxe, and sheepe, and asse, with the edge of the sword. 22 But Ioshua had said vnto the two men that had spied out the countrey, Go into the harlots house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware to her. 23 So the yong men that were spies, went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that shee had: also they brought out all her familie, and put them without the host of Israel. 24 After they burnt the citie with fire, and all that was therein: onely the siluer and the gold, and the vessels of brasse and yron, they put vnto the treasure of the house of the Lord. 25 So Ioshua saued Rahab the harlot, and her fathers houshold, and all that shee had; and shee dwelt in Israel euen vnto this day, because shee had hid the messengers, which Ioshua sent to spie out Iericho. 26 And Ioshua sware at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before ye Lord, that riseth vp, and buildeth this citie Iericho: hee shall lay the foundation thereof in his eldest sonne, and in his yongest sonne shall hee set vp the gates of it. 27 So the Lord was with Ioshua, and he was famous through all the world.