Historical

Circumcision at Gilgal

5 Now it came about when all the Amorite kings beyond the Jordan westward and all the Canaanite kings by the sea heard how Adonai had dried up the waters of the Jordan before Bnei-Yisrael until they had crossed, their heart melted, nor was there any spirit in them anymore, because of Bnei-Yisrael.

² At that time Adonai said to Joshua, “Make yourself flint knives and circumcise again Bnei-Yisrael a second time.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised Bnei-Yisrael at Gibeath-ha-araloth. ⁴ Now this is the reason why Joshua circumcised: all the people that came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. ⁵ Though all the people that came out were circumcised, none of the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had been circumcised. ⁶ For Bnei-Yisrael walked 40 years in the wilderness, until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt died out, because they had not listened to the voice of Adonai. To them Adonai had sworn that He would never let them see the land which Adonai had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ But He raised up their children in their place. Joshua circumcised them, for they were uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. ⁸ Now it came to pass after they had finished circumcising the entire nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered.

⁹ Then Adonai said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of that place has been called Gilgal to this day. ¹⁰ While Bnei-Yisrael camped at Gilgal^[a], they observed Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. ¹¹ On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, matzot and roasted grain.

¹² Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten of the produce of the land. Bnei-Yisrael had manna no longer, but ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan that year.

Commander of Adonai’s Army

¹³ Now it came to pass when Joshua was near Jericho that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man standing in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua approached him and said to him: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he said. “Rather, I have now come as commander of Adonai’s army.”

Then Joshua fell on his face to the ground and worshipped. Then he asked him, “What is my lord saying to his servant?”

¹⁵ Then the commander of Adonai’s army replied to Joshua, “Take your sandal off of your foot, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

6 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of Bnei-Yisrael—no one going out and no one coming in. ² Then Adonai said to Joshua, “Look, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty warriors. ³ Now you are to march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. So you are to do for six days. ⁴ Seven kohanim will carry seven shofarot of rams’ horns before the ark. Then on the seventh day you are to circle the city seven times while the kohanim blow the shofarot. ⁵ It will be when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the shofar, have all the people shout a loud shout—then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up, everyone straight ahead.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the kohanim and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant. Let seven kohanim carry seven shofarot of rams’ horns before the ark of Adonai.” ⁷ Then he said to the people, “Move forward, march around the city, and let the armed force march ahead of the ark of Adonai.”

⁸ And it was so. After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven kohanim carrying the seven shofarot of rams’ horns before Adonai went forward and blew the shofarot, and the ark of the covenant of Adonai followed them. ⁹ Also the armed force went before the kohanim who blew the shofarot, and the rear guard came behind the ark, while the shofarot continued to blow. ¹⁰ But Joshua ordered the people saying: “You must not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you ‘shout!’ Then you will shout.” ¹¹ So he had the ark of Adonai go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp and spent the night there.

¹² The next day Joshua rose early in the morning. The kohanim took up the ark of Adonai, ¹³ and the seven kohanim carrying the seven shofarot of rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of Adonai and blew the shofarot, with the armed force marching before them and the rear guard marching behind the ark of Adonai, while the shofarot continued to blow. ¹⁴ So the second day they circled the city once and returned to the camp. So they did for six days.

Jericho’s Walls Come Down

¹⁵ Now on the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day did they march around the city seven times. ¹⁶ Then on the seventh time, when the kohanim blew the shofarot, Joshua ordered the people, “Shout! For Adonai has given you the city! ¹⁷ But the city will be under the ban of destruction—it and all that is in it belong to Adonai. Only Rahab the harlot will live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the scouts that we sent. ¹⁸ But you, just keep yourselves from the things under the ban. Otherwise you would make yourselves accursed by taking of the things under the ban, and so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to Adonai, and must go into the treasury of Adonai.”

²⁰ So when the shofarot blew, the people shouted. When the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted a loud shout—and the wall fell down flat! So the people went up into the city, everyone straight ahead, and they captured the city. ^{[b] 21} They utterly destroyed everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep and donkey—with the edge of the sword.

²² Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land: “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” ²³ So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her relatives and all who belonged to her. All her relatives they brought out and put them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then they burned the city with fire and all that was in it. Only the silver, the gold and the vessels of bronze and iron did they put into the treasury of the House of Adonai. ²⁵ But Rahab the harlot, her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. She has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the scouts whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ At that time Joshua made an oath saying:

²⁷ So Adonai was with Joshua, and his fame was throughout the region.

Achan’s Trouble

7 But Bnei-Yisrael unfaithfully violated the ban. Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the banned things^[c]. So Adonai’s anger burned against Bnei-Yisrael.

² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and spoke to them saying: “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ When they returned to Joshua, they reported to him: “Let not all the people go up—only about two or three thousand men need go up and strike Ai, so don’t wear out all the people there, for they are just a few.” ⁴ So about 3,000 men from the people went up there, but they fled before the men of Ai. ⁵ The men of Ai struck down about 36 of their men, and they chased them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim,^[d] striking them down on the slope. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

⁶ Joshua then tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of Adonai until evening, both he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads. ⁷ “Alas, Adonai Elohim!” Joshua said. “Why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan? Is it to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites—to destroy us? If only we had been content and dwelled beyond the Jordan! ⁸ Oh my Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back before its enemies? ⁹ For when the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear of it, they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great Name?”

¹⁰ Then Adonai said to Joshua, “Arise! Why are you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned. Yes, they have also transgressed My covenant, which I commanded them. Now they have even taken of the things under the ban of destruction. So they have also stolen and even deceived, and even put them among their own possessions. ¹² So Bnei-Yisrael cannot stand before their enemies. So they turn their necks before their enemies, because they have come under the ban. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy whatever is under the ban from among you. ¹³ Arise! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus says Adonai, the God of Israel: Something under the ban is in the midst of you, Israel. You will not be able to stand up before your enemies until you remove whatever is under the ban from among you. ¹⁴ In the morning you will approach by your tribes. It will be that the tribe that Adonai takes will come forward by families, and the family that Adonai takes will come forward by households, and the household that Adonai takes will come forward man by man. ¹⁵ Then whoever is taken with whatever is under the ban must be burned with fire, he and all belonging to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of Adonai, and because he has committed a disgrace in Israel.’”

¹⁶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel forward by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. ¹⁷ Then he brought forward the clans of Judah, and He took the family of the Zerahites. Then he brought forward the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. ¹⁸ Then he brought forward his household man by man, and Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah was taken. ¹⁹ So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory now to Adonai, God of Israel, and give praise to Him, and confess to me now what you have done—hide nothing from me.”

²⁰ Achan responded to Joshua and said: “It’s true! I have sinned against Adonai, God of Israel! This is what I have done: ²¹ When I saw among the spoil a beautiful Shinar mantle and 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold 50 shekels in weight, I coveted them and took them. Look, they are buried in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it.”

²² So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and behold, it was buried in his tent with the silver underneath it. ²³ Then they took them from the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all Bnei-Yisrael, and they laid them down before Adonai. ²⁴ Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the mantle, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep and his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.

²⁵ Then Joshua said, “Why have you brought trouble on us? Adonai will trouble you this day.” Then all Israel stoned him with stones, burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. ²⁶ They raised over him a great heap of stones that stands to this day. Then Adonai turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

8 Then Adonai said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid or dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. Behold, I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land into your hand. ² Then you will do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king—except you will take its spoil and its cattle as booty for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

³ So Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up to Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them at night. ⁴ He commanded them saying: “Look, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Don’t go too far from the city, but all of you be ready. ⁵ Then I and all the troops with me will approach the city. Then it will be when they come out against us, like the first time, that we will flee before them. ⁶ So they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will think, ‘They are fleeing before us like the first time.’ While we are fleeing before them, ⁷ you will rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city, for Adonai your God will give it into your hand. ⁸ Now when you have seized the city, you will set the city on fire—according to the word of Adonai you must do. See that you do as I have ordered you.”

⁹ So Joshua sent them off, and they went to the ambush site, taking position between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people. ¹⁰ Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people. He and the elders of Israel marched before the people to Ai. ¹¹ All the people of war with him went up, advanced, and came in front of the city. They camped to the north of Ai, with a valley between him and Ai. ¹² But he had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. ¹³ So they stationed the people, the main army that was to the north of the city, and its rear guard to the west of the city. Then Joshua walked that night in the midst of the valley.

¹⁴ So it came to pass when the king of Ai saw this, the men of the city hurried and rose up early, and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people at the appointed place facing the Arabah. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. ¹⁵ So Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness. ¹⁶ Then all the people who were in Ai were summoned to pursue them, so they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. ¹⁷ Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, so they left the city open as they chased after Israel.

¹⁸ Then Adonai said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. ¹⁹ As soon as he stretched out his hand, the ambush arose quickly from their place, ran and entered the city and captured it; and immediately set the city on fire. ²⁰ Now the men of Ai looked back and saw, behold, the smoke of the city rising up to the sky! They had no place to flee this way or that, since the people who had been fleeing to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. ²¹ When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city rose up, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. ²² The others also came out of the city against them, so they were surrounded by Israel, some on this side and some on that side. They struck them down until not one survivor or fugitive was left. ²³ But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴ After Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them were fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. ²⁵ All who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000—all the people of Ai. ²⁶ For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. ²⁷ Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took as their booty, according to the word of Adonai which He had commanded Joshua. ²⁸ So Joshua burnt Ai and made it a permanent heap of desolation to this day. ²⁹ Then he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sunset Joshua commanded that they take his carcass down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and piled over it a great heap of stones, which remains to this day.

³⁰ Then Joshua built an altar to Adonai, God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ as Moses the servant of Adonai had commanded Bnei-Yisrael, as written in the scroll of the Torah of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded any iron tool. They offered on it burnt offerings to Adonai and sacrificed fellowship offerings. ³² There on the stones he wrote a copy of the Torah of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of Bnei-Yisrael. ³³ Then all Israel, with their elders and officials, and their judges, were standing on both sides of the ark facing the Levitical kohanim carrying the ark of the covenant of Adonai—the outsider as well as the native-born. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal—just as Moses the servant of Adonai had commanded before—in order to bless the people of Israel.

³⁴ Then afterward he read all the words of the Torah—the blessing and the curse—according to all that is written in the book of the Torah. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, including the women and the little ones and the outsiders walking among them.