Joshua 6 — FBV
6Verse 1Jericho's gates were shut and barred because of the Israelites. Nobody was allowed in or out.Verse 2But the Lord told Joshua, “I'm handing over the city of Jericho to you, along with its king and its army of warriors.Verse 3March around the city with your armed men once a day for six days.Verse 4Seven priests are to go ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day, march seven times around the city, with the priests blowing their rams' horns.Verse 5When you hear a long blast on the rams' horns, everyone shall give a really loud shout. The city walls will collapse, and every man can go right in.”Verse 6So Joshua, son of Nun, sent for the priests, and told them, “Pick up the Ark of Agreement, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns and go ahead of the Ark of the Lord.”Verse 7Then he told the people, “Move out! March around the city with the armed men up front ahead of the Ark of the Lord!”Verse 8When Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns in the presence of the Lord started out, blowing the horns, with the Ark following behind.Verse 9Some of the armed men marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while some followed the Ark, the horns being blown continually.Verse 10However, Joshua ordered them, “Don't shout, don't even talk. Don't say anything until I tell you all to shout—then shout!”Verse 11So the Ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. Then they returned to the camp and spent the night there.Verse 12Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests picked up the Ark of the Lord.Verse 13The seven priests with the seven rams' horns went ahead of the Ark of the Lord, blowing the horns. The armed men went before them and behind the Ark of the Lord, the horns being blown continually.Verse 14So on the second day they marched around the city, circling it once, and returned to the camp. They did this for a total of six days.Verse 15On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city in the usual way, except that this day they circled the city seven times.Verse 16The seventh time around when the priests blew the horns, Joshua told the people, “Shout! For today the Lord has given the city to you!Verse 17The city and everything in it is to be set apart for the Lord and destroyed.+Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.Verse 18But stay away from everything set apart for the Lord, for if you were to take anything you too would be liable to be destroyed, and you would also bring disaster on the camp of Israel.Verse 19All the silver and the gold, and everything made of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord and they must be placed in the Lord's treasury.”Verse 20So as soon as they heard the sound of the horns, the people gave a loud shout,+and the city walls collapsed. The men went in right away and captured the city.Verse 21They destroyed everything in the city: men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, and donkeys, all were killed by the sword.Verse 22Joshua had told the two men who had gone to explore the land, “Go to the house of Rahab the prostitute and bring her out together with all her family, as you promised.”Verse 23So the spies went and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, and all who were with her. They brought out the whole family and took them to a place near the Israelite camp.Verse 24Then the Israelites burned down the city and everything in it, except for the silver and the gold, and everything made of bronze and iron, which they placed in the treasury of the Lord's house.Verse 25Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her family because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.Verse 26At that time Joshua declared a curse, saying: “Cursed before the Lord is anyone who attempts to rebuild this city of Jericho. He lays its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son; he sets up its gates at the cost of his youngest son.”Verse 27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.