THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA.
Joshua 7 ©
The wrath of the Lord is kindled against Israel, because Achan had taken of the banned goods, v. 1, etc. Joshua dispatches forces to Ai, 2. There thirty-six Israelites are slain, 5. Joshua and the eldest of Israel are much astonished thereat, and do humble themselves before the Lord, 6. Who discovers unto him the cause of this defeat, 11. And He charges him to find out by lot the man who had stolen the banned goods, 14. And to burn him and all he had, 15. Achan is found to be the guilty person, 16. He and all his own are stoned, and burnt, 24.
BUT 1the children of Israel committed a trespass in 2the accursed thing: fora3Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of 4Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the 5accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled 6against the children of Israel.
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to 7Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto 8Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
¶And Joshua 9rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, 10and put dust upon their heads.
And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore 11hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the 12Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
13O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environb us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and 14what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
¶And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore 15liest thou thus upon thy face?
16Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed 17my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the 18accursed thing, and have also 19stolen, and 20dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because 21they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy 22the accursed from among you.
Up, 23sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD 24taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by 25households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come 26man by man.
And it shall be, that he that is taken 27with the accursed thing shall be burnt 28with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought 29folly in Israel.
¶So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
And he brought 30the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites 31man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
And he brought 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 taken.
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, 32give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and 33thus and thus have I done:
When I saw among the spoils a 34goodly 35Babylonish garment, and 36two hundred shekels of silver, and a 37wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under 38it.
¶So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, 39it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out 40before the LORD.
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan 41the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto 42the valley of Achor.
And Joshua said, Why hast thou 43troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned 44him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was 45called, 46The valley of Achor, unto this day.