Joshua

Joshua 7 ©

1 Achan's trespass. 2 The Israelites are smitten by the men of Ai. 6 Joshua's complaint. 10 God instructeth him what to do. 16 Achan is taken by lot. 19 His confession. 24 He and all that belonged to him are destroyed in the valley of Achor.

1

BUT the children of Israel acommitted a *trespass in the accursed thing: for 1Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of 2Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the baccursed thing: and cthe anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

2

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to dAi, which is beside eBeth-aven, on the east side of fBeth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and gview the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

3

And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, hLet not all the people go up; but let 3about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

4

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they ifled before the men of Ai.

5

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them 4in the going down: wherefore jthe hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

6

¶And Joshua krent 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, and lput dust upon their heads.

7

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore mhast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? n*would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

8

O Lord, owhat shall I say, when Israel turneth their 5backs before their enemies!

9

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and pshall *environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and qwhat wilt thou do unto thy great name?

10

¶And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; rwherefore 6liest thou thus upon thy face?

11

Israel shath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

12

Therefore tthe children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

13

Up, usanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is van 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.

14

In wthe morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD xtaketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

15

yAnd it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing zshall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath awrought 7folly in Israel.

16

¶So Joshua brose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of cJudah was taken:

17

And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of dthe Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

18

And he brought his household man by man; and eAchan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, fwas taken.

19

And Joshua said unto Achan, gMy son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and hmake confession unto him; and itell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20

And Achan answered Joshua, and said, jIndeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

21

When kI saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a 8wedge 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 it.

22

¶So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

23

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and 9laid them out before the LORD.

24

And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his lsons, 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 mthe valley of Achor.

25

And Joshua said, Why hast thou ntroubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel ostoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26

And they praised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD qturned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of 10Achor, unto this day.