The Walls of Jericho 1 UST Because{ the people of Jericho were afraid} of the army of Israel,{ the guards of Jericho} tightly shut the city gates. No one was allowed to enter{ the city} or leave{ it}. BSB BSB: Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2 UST Then Yahweh said to Joshua,“Pay attention{ to what I am about to tell you}! I am going to enable your army to conquer the city of Jericho and its king and its soldiers. BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.
3 UST You and your army must march around the city once a day for six days. BSB BSB: March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
4 UST Tell seven priests to march around{ with you and the army}. Each of the priests must carry a ram’ s horn that they can blow as they march ahead of the sacred chest of Yahweh. On the seventh day, you and the army and the seven priests must march around the city seven times, and the priests must be blowing the horns while they march. BSB BSB: Have 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.
5 UST { After they have all marched around the city seven times, then} the priests must blow their horns very loudly. When you and the Israelite soldiers hear that, you must all shout very loudly. Then the city wall will collapse onto itself, and all the Israelite soldiers will go straight into the city.” BSB BSB: And 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 and all your people will charge straight into the city.”
6 UST So Joshua summoned the priests and said to them,“Tell{ four} priests to carry Yahweh’ s sacred chest, and tell seven{ other} priests to carry horns and walk ahead of the sacred chest of Yahweh.” BSB BSB: So 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.”
7 UST And he told the Israelite soldiers and priests,“Start marching. March around the city with some soldiers with weapons marching in front. Behind them will march the seven priests with horns, and behind them will march the{ four} priests carrying Yahweh’ s sacred chest.” BSB BSB: And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”
8 UST After Joshua told them that, the seven priests, each one carrying a horn, began marching ahead of Yahweh’ s sacred chest while blowing their horns.{ The four priests who} were carrying Yahweh’ s sacred chest followed them. BSB BSB: After 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.
9 UST The group of soldiers carrying their weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing on their horns. The rest of the soldiers followed the sacred chest. While{ they were all marching, the priests} kept blowing their horns. BSB BSB: While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.
10 UST But{ all the Israelites, except the priests who were blowing their horns, were silent, because} Joshua had commanded them to say nothing. He had told them,“Do not make a war cry. Do not yell or say even one word until the seventh day{ when we have walked around the city and} I tell you to shout. On that day, you must shout!” BSB BSB: But 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!”
11 UST So the men carrying Yahweh’ s sacred chest and all the others did what Joshua told them to do. They marched around the city one time. Then they all returned to their camp and stayed there that night. BSB BSB: So 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.
12 UST The next morning, Joshua and the soldiers and priests got up early and the{ four} priests again carried Yahweh’ s sacred chest. BSB BSB: Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.
13 UST The seven priests who were carrying horns went in front of{ the four priests who were carrying} Yahweh’ s sacred chest. The seven priests were continually walking ahead of the sacred chest and making loud blasts with their horns as they marched. The armed soldiers walked in front of them and the rest of the soldiers followed the sacred chest of Yahweh. All this time, the seven priests kept blowing their horns. BSB BSB: And 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.
14 UST So on the second day, they{ again} marched around the city one time and{ then} returned to their camp. They did the same thing for six days. BSB BSB: So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 UST On the seventh day, they got up as soon as the sun rose, and they all marched around the city as they had done the previous six days. But this time they marched around the city seven times. BSB BSB: Then 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.
16 UST As they were marching around the city the seventh time, when the priests were blowing the long blasts on their horns, Joshua commanded the Israelite soldiers,“Shout, because Yahweh is about to enable you to capture this city! BSB BSB: After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!
17 UST Yahweh has declared that you must destroy the city and everything in it{ to show that} it belongs to him. You must only spare Rahab the prostitute and all the people who are in her house with her, because she hid the spies we sent{ to Jericho}. BSB BSB: Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.
18 UST But be very careful of this: Yahweh has declared that we must destroy the people, animals, and things in the city. So you certainly must not take any of the things in the city. If you take anything, you will cause Yahweh to destroy our people and cause terrible things to happen to us. BSB BSB: But 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.
19 UST All the silver and gold and all the iron and bronze articles{ that you find}, you must set apart for Yahweh. You must put those things in his treasury.” BSB BSB: For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”
21 UST They killed every living thing in Jericho. They killed all the men, women, boys, and girls. They also killed all the cattle and sheep and donkeys. BSB BSB: With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22 UST Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied on the land,“Go to the house of that prostitute woman{ who helped you}. Bring her out, along with all her family, just as you promised her you would do.” BSB BSB: Meanwhile, 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.”
23 UST So, the young men who had spied on the land went and brought Rahab out of her house. They brought out her father, mother, brothers, and all her relatives{ who were with her}. They brought them to a place outside the camp of Israel’ s army. BSB BSB: So 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.
25 UST But Joshua allowed Rahab the prostitute to live, along with her father’ s household and everyone who was with her. He did that because she hid the spies that Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. She has lived among the people of Israel until this time. BSB BSB: And 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.
26 UST After Joshua and his soldiers had destroyed the city of Jericho, he made each of the Israelites swear that they would not rebuild the city. He said,“Yahweh will curse anyone who rebuilds this city, Jericho. When that person lays its foundation, Yahweh will cause his oldest son to die. When{ he finishes building the city wall and} sets up its gates, Yahweh will cause his youngest son to die.”{ All the people agreed that this should be the punishment for anyone who rebuilt the city.} BSB BSB: At 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.”
27 UST Yahweh helped Joshua, and as a result, he became famous throughout the whole land of Canaan. BSB BSB: So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
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