1
Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites.
No one went out and no one came in.
2
Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho
into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.
3
March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this
for six days.
4
Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of
the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven
times with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5
When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets,
have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city
will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in."
6
So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them,
"Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have
seven priests carry trumpets in front of it."
7
And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city,
with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD."
8
When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests
carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward,
blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD's covenant
followed them.
9
The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew
the trumpets, and the rear guard follwed the ark.
All this time the trumpets were sounding.
10
But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry,
do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I
tell you to shout. Then shout!
11
So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling
it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night
there.
12
Joshua got up early next morning and the proests took up
the ark of the LORD.
13
The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward,
marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets.
The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard
followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding.
14
So on the second day they marched around the city once and
returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched
around the city seven times in the same manner, except that
on that day they circled the city seven times.
16
The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the
trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For
the LORD has given you the city!
17
The city and all that is in are to be devoted to the LORD.
Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her
house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.
18
But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will
not bring about your own destruction by taking any of
them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable
to destruction and bring trouble on it.
19
All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron
are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
20
When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at
the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud
shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight
in, and they took the city.
21
They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with
the sword every living thing in it - men and women,
young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land,
"Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all
who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her."
23
So the young men who had done the spying went in and
brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers
and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire
family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24
Then they burned the whole city and everything in it,
but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze
and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house.
25
But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family
and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men
Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho - and she lives among
the Israelites to this day.
26
At that time, Joshua pronounced this solemn oath:
"Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes
to rebuild the city, Jericho: "At the cost of his firstborn
son will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest
will he set up its gates."
27
So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread
throughout the land.
On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched
around the city seven times in the same manner, except that
on that day they circled the city seven times.
16
The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the
trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For
the LORD has given you the city!