Joshua 7
The Israelites disobeyed God's command by taking items from the city of Jericho that were meant to be destroyed, and as a result, they were defeated by the men of Ai. Joshua and the elders mourned and prayed to God, who revealed that the Israelites' sin was the cause of their defeat. Achan, a member of the tribe of Judah, was found to be the one who had taken the forbidden items, and he confessed to Joshua. Achan and his family were stoned to death, and their possessions were burned, after which the Lord's anger was averted from the Israelites.
1But the sons of Israel transgressed the commandment, and they usurped what was anathema. For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took something from what was anathema. And the Lord became angry against the sons of Israel2And when Joshua sent men from Jericho against Ai, which is beside Bethaven, toward the eastern region of the town of Bethel, he said to them, "Go up and explore the land." And they fulfilled his instruction, and they explored Ai3And returning, they said to him: "Let not the entire people go up. Instead, let two or three thousand men go out and destroy the city. Why should all the people be troubled without cause against enemies that are so very few?4Therefore, they went up with three thousand fighters. And they promptly turned their backs5and were struck down by the men of the city of Ai. And thirty-six men of them fell. And the adversaries pursued them from the gate, even as far as Shebarim. And they felled them as they were fleeing downward. And the heart of the people was struck with fear, and it melted like water6And truly, Joshua tore his garments, and he fell prone on the ground before the ark of the Lord, even until evening, both he and all the elders of Israel. And they cast dust upon their heads7And Joshua said: "Alas, O Lord God! Why would you want to lead this people over the river Jordan, so that you might deliver us into the hand of the Amorite and destroy us? I wish that we had remained beyond the Jordan, as when we began8My Lord God, what shall I say, seeing Israel turning their backs to their enemies9The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and coming together as one, they will surround us, and they will wipe our name from the earth. And what will you do concerning your great name?10And the Lord said to Joshua: "Rise up. Why are you lying flat on the ground11Israel has sinned and transgressed my covenant. And they have taken from what is anathema. And they have stolen and lied, and they have hidden it among their goods12Israel is not able to stand before his enemies, and he will flee from them. For he has been defiled by what is anathema. I will be no longer be with you, until you destroy him who is guilty of this wickedness13Rise up. Sanctify the people. And you shall say to them: ‘Be sanctified tomorrow. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: That which is anathema is in your midst, O Israel! You are not able to stand before your enemies, until he who has been contaminated by this wickedness is taken away from you.14And you shall draw near in the morning, each one by your tribes. And whichever tribe will be found by lot shall come forward by its families, and the families by houses, and the house by the men15And whoever he may be that will be found guilty of this deed, he shall be burnt with fire with all his substance. For he transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and he committed a wicked act in Israel.16And so Joshua, rising in the morning, brought forth Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was found17And when its families had been presented, the family of Zerah was found. Likewise, bringing that one forward by the houses, he discovered Zabdi18And dividing his house by each man, he found Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah19And Joshua said to Achan: "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and confess, and reveal to me what you have done. You may not conceal it.20And Achan responded to Joshua, and he said to him: "Truly, I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and I have done one thing and another21For I saw among the spoils a very fine scarlet cloak, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a gold bar of fifty shekels. And coveting these, I took and hid them in the ground near the middle of my tent, and I covered the silver with the soil that I had dug.22Therefore, Joshua sent ministers, who, running to his tent, discovered everything hidden in the same place, together with the silver23And taking these from the tent, they brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel, and they cast them down before the Lord24And so Joshua took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the cloak, and the gold bar, also his sons and daughters, the oxen and donkeys and sheep, and even the tent and all his goods, (and all of Israel went with him,) and he brought these to the valley of Achor25There, Joshua said: "Because you have troubled us, the Lord troubles you, on this day." And all of Israel stoned him. And all the things that were his were consumed by fire26And they gathered upon him a great pile of stones, which remains even to the present day. And the fury of the Lord was averted from them. And the name of that place was called the Valley of Achor, even to this day
Share this chapter