Joshua 6
Open in the reader1Now Moon was tightly shut up because of the children of Strives-with-God. No one went out and no one came in.
2And He-Who-Is said to He-Who-Is-Saves, “Behold, I have delivered Moon into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.
3March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.
4Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the Chest. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.
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 and all your people will charge straight into the city.”
6So He-Who-Is-Saves son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the Chest of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the Chest of He-Who-Is.”
7And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the Chest of He-Who-Is.”
8After He-Who-Is-Saves had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before He-Who-Is advanced and blew the horns, and the Chest of the covenant of He-Who-Is 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 Chest.
10But He-Who-Is-Saves 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!”
11So he had the Chest of He-Who-Is carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12He-Who-Is-Saves got up early the next morning, and the priests took the Chest of He-Who-Is.
13And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the Chest of He-Who-Is and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the Chest of He-Who-Is, while the horns kept sounding.
14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this 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.
16After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and He-Who-Is-Saves commanded the people, “Shout! For He-Who-Is has given you the city!
17Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to He-Who-Is for destruction. Only Wide-One the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies 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 Strives-with-God for destruction and bring disaster upon it.
19For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are devoted to He-Who-Is; they must go into His treasury.”
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.
21With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22Meanwhile, He-Who-Is-Saves 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.”
23So the young spies went in and brought out Wide-One, 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 Strives-with-God.
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 He-Who-Is’s house.
25And He-Who-Is-Saves spared Wide-One the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men He-Who-Is-Saves had sent to spy out Moon. So she has lived among the children of Strives-with-God to this day.
26At that time He-Who-Is-Saves invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before He-Who-Is is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Moon; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”
27So He-Who-Is was with He-Who-Is-Saves, and his fame spread throughout the land.