Joshua 6

Modern

Literal

The Walls of Jericho

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

¹And Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

²And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.

²And YHWH said to Joshua, “See, I have given into your hand Jericho and its king—mighty ones of valor.

³March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.

³And you shall march around the city, all you men of war, going all around the city one time. This you shall do for six days.

⁴Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.

⁴And seven priests shall bear the seven shofars of rams before the face of the ark. And the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow on the shofars.

⁵And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse^a and all your people will charge straight into the city.”^b

⁵And it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the horn of the ram, in your hearing the voice of the shofar, that all the people shall shout with a great shout. And the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people will go up, every man straight before him.”

⁶So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”

⁶And Joshua son of Nun called to the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven shofars of rams before the face of the ark of YHWH.”

⁷And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

⁷And he said to the people, “Pass over and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the face of the ark of YHWH.”

⁸After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

⁸And it was, when had spoken Joshua to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams before the face of YHWH passed over and blew on the shofars—and the ark of the covenant of YHWH followed them.

⁹While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.

⁹And the armed ones went before the face of the priests who blew the shofars, and the rear guard came after the ark—going on and blowing on the shofars.

¹⁰But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”

¹⁰And the people Joshua had commanded, saying, “You shall not shout, nor make your voice heard, nor shall proceed out of your mouth a word until the day I say to you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

¹¹So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.

¹¹And the ark of YHWH compassed the city, going around it one time, and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

¹²Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.

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

¹³And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.

¹³And the seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams before the face of the ark of YHWH kept marching and blowing on the shofars—and the armed men went before their faces, and the rear guard came after the ark of YHWH—going on and blowing on the shofars.

¹⁴So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁴And they marched around the city the second day one time and returned to the camp. Thus they did for six days.

¹⁵Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.

¹⁵And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in this manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

¹⁶And it came to pass the seventh time, the priests having blown on the shofars, that Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For YHWH has given to you the city.

¹⁷Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction.^a Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.

¹⁷And the city shall be devoted to destruction, it and all who are in it, by YHWH. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

¹⁸But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.

¹⁸And surely you keep away from a devoted thing, lest you become accursed, and you take from a devoted thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

¹⁹For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”

¹⁹And all the silver, and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, it is holy to YHWH. It shall enter into the treasury of YHWH.”

²⁰So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.

²⁰And the people shouted. And they blew on the shofars, and it came to pass when heard the people the voice of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat. And the people went up into the city, a man straight before him, and they took the city.

²¹With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

²¹And they devoted to destruction all that was in the city—from man and to woman, from young and to old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey—with the mouth of the sword.

²²Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”

²²And to the two men who had spied out the country, Joshua had said, “Go into the house of the woman, the prostitute, and bring out from there the woman and all that is unto her, as you swore to her.”

²³So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²³And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that was unto her. And all her relatives they brought out and placed them at the outside of the camp of Israel.

²⁴Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.

²⁴And the city they burned with the fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and the gold, and the vessels of the bronze and the iron, they put into the treasury of the house of YHWH.

²⁵And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.

²⁵And Rahab the prostitute and the house of her father and all that was belonged to her, Joshua spared; and she dwells in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶At that time Joshua invoked this solemn 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 foundations;

at the cost of his youngest

he will set up its gates.”^a

²⁶And Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the face of YHWH who rises up and builds this city, Jericho. With his firstborn he shall lay its foundation and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”

²⁷So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

²⁷And YHWH was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the land.