Day 97 of 730

¹Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.

²The Lord said to Joshua, "Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor.

³All your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.

⁴Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

⁵It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him."

⁶Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord."

⁷They said to the people, "Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the Lord's ark."

⁸It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord advanced, and blew the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

⁹The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went.

¹⁰Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."

¹¹So he caused the ark of the Lord to go around the city, going about it once. Then they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

¹²Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

¹³The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them. The rear guard came after the ark of the Lord. The trumpets sounded as they went.

¹⁴The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.

¹⁵It happened on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on this day they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶It happened at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!

¹⁷The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

¹⁸But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so would you make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.

¹⁹But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are holy to the Lord. They shall come into the Lord's treasury."

²⁰So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. It happened, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

²¹They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

²²Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her."

²³The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel.

²⁴They burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron into the treasury of the Lord's house.

²⁵But Rahab the prostitute, her father's household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed be the man before the Lord, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates."

²⁷So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.

¹But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore the Lord's anger burned against the children of Israel.

²Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, "Go up and spy out the land." The men went up and spied out Ai.

³They returned to Joshua, and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Do not make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them."

⁴So about three thousand men of the people went up there, and they fled before the men of Ai.

⁵The men of Ai struck about thirty-six men of them, and they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and struck them at the descent. The hearts of the people melted, and became like water.

⁶Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

⁷Joshua said, "Alas, Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? I wish that we had been content and lived beyond the Jordan!

⁸Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!

⁹For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. What will you do for your great name?"

¹⁰The Lord said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you fallen on your face like that?

¹¹Israel has sinned. Yes, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them. Yes, they have even taken of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and also deceived. They have even put it among their own stuff.

¹²Therefore the children of Israel can't stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

¹³Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for the Lord, the God of Israel, says, "There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you."

¹⁴In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. It shall be that the tribe which the Lord selects shall come near by families. The family which the Lord selects shall come near by households. The household which the Lord selects shall come near man by man.

¹⁵It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'"

¹⁶So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel near by their tribes. The tribe of Judah was selected.

¹⁷He brought near the family of Judah; and he selected the family of the Zerahites. He brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man, and Zabdi was selected.

¹⁸He brought near 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 selected.

¹⁹Joshua said to Achan, "My son, please give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession to him. Tell me now what you have done! Do not hide it from me!"

²⁰Achan answered Joshua, and said, "I have truly sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and this is what I have done.

²¹When I saw among the spoil a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it."

²²So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. Behold, it was hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.

²³They took them from the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel. They laid them down before the Lord.

²⁴Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.

²⁵Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day." All Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.

²⁶They raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. The Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Therefore the name of that place was called "The valley of Achor" to this day.

¹The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let the multitude of islands be glad!

²Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

³A fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.

⁴His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.

⁵The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

⁶The heavens declare his righteousness. All the peoples have seen his glory.

⁷Let all them be shamed who serve engraved images, who boast in their idols. Worship him, all you gods!

⁸Zion heard and was glad. The daughters of Judah rejoiced, because of your judgments, Lord.

⁹For you, Lord, are most high above all the earth. You are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰You who love the Lord, hate evil. He preserves the souls of his holy ones. He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

¹¹Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

¹²Be glad in the Lord, you righteous people! Give thanks to his holy Name.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.