Joshua 6

Jericho was shut up tight because of the people of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, “Look, I have given Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty warriors. All of you men of war must march around the city, circling the city once. Do this for six days. Seven priests must carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark. On the seventh day you must march around the city seven times, and the priests must blow the trumpets. When a long blast is sounded on the ram’s horn and you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people must give a great shout. The city wall will collapse in its place, and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.” Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Lift up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark of the LORD.” They said to the people, “Move forward and march around the city. Let the armed men move ahead of the ark of the LORD.” When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven ram’s-horn trumpets before the LORD moved forward and blew the trumpets. The ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. The armed men went ahead of the priests blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark, while the trumpets sounded continually. Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Do not let a word come out of your mouths until the day I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you must shout.” So he had the ark of the LORD circle the city once. Then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests lifted up the ark of the LORD. The seven priests carrying the seven ram’s-horn trumpets ahead of the ark of the LORD kept marching and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them, and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets sounded continually. On the second day they circled the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day they rose early, at daybreak, and circled the city seven times in the same manner. Only on that day did they circle the city seven times. On the seventh time around, the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! The city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will remain alive, because she hid the messengers we sent. But keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest you make yourselves devoted to destruction by taking some of what is devoted, and make the camp of Israel devoted to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD. They must go into the treasury of the LORD.” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed in its place. The people went up into the city, each man straight ahead, and captured the city. They devoted everything in the city to destruction—men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys—with the edge of the sword. Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out the woman and all that belongs to her, just as you swore to her.” So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that belonged to her. They brought out all her relatives and settled them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city and everything in it with fire. Only the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron did they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. But Joshua kept Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that belonged to her alive. She has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. At that time Joshua made them swear this oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.” The LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Rights and attribution