The Fall of Jericho
1Now Jericho was shut up tight because of the Israelites — no one went out and no one came in. 2Yahweh said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and its mighty warriors. 3March around the city, all the men of war, circling the city once. Do this for six days. 4Seven priests are to carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5When they sound a long blast on the ram’s horn, and you hear the sound of the trumpet, have all the people shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will collapse, and the people will go up, each straight ahead.” 6So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark of Yahweh.” 7And he said to the people, “Go forward and march around the city, with the armed men going ahead of the ark of Yahweh.” 8After Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven ram’s-horn trumpets before Yahweh went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh following behind them. 9The armed men marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets kept sounding continually. 10But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not shout. Do not let your voice be heard. Do not let a single word leave your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you will shout.” 11So the ark of Yahweh was carried around the city, circling it once. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there. 12Joshua rose early the next morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh. 13The seven priests carrying the seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark of Yahweh marched on, blowing the trumpets continually, with the armed men going ahead of them and the rear guard following the ark of Yahweh, the trumpets sounding all the while. 14On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15On the seventh day they rose at dawn and marched around the city in the same way seven times — it was only on that day that they circled the city seven times. 16The seventh time around, as the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city. 17The city and everything in it are devoted to Yahweh for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house will live, because she hid the messengers we sent. 18But you — keep away from what is devoted to destruction, or you will bring destruction on yourselves by taking any of it. You would make the camp of Israel an object of destruction and bring disaster on it. 19All the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are holy to Yahweh; they must go into the treasury of Yahweh.” 20So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they raised a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured it. 21They devoted everything in the city to destruction with the sword — every man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep, and donkey. 22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out, along with everyone who belongs to her, just as you swore to her.” 23So the young men who had spied went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her — they brought out her whole family and placed them outside the camp of Israel. 24They burned the city and everything in it, except the silver, the gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, which they put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh. 25But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all who belonged to her, because she had hidden the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. She lives among the Israelites to this day. 26At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed before Yahweh is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” 27So Yahweh was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
