Open English Translation JOS Chapter 6

6 Now Yericho city was shut-up tightly because of the Israelis, so no one was coming out and no one could go in. 2 Then Yahweh told Yehoshua, “Listen, I’ve given you victory over Yericho and its king, and their mighty army warriors. 3 All your soldiers must go around the city once every day for six days 4 with seven priests blowing ram’s horns going ahead of the sacred box. On the seventh day, you all must go around the city seven times while the priests are blowing the horns. 5 Finally, with a long blast of the horn, when you all hear that then all the people must shout loudly and the wall around the city will fall down flat, and all the soldiers should go straight in from where they’re standing.”

6 So Yehoshua summoned the priests and told them, “Carry the box with the agreement, and have seven priests hold up seven rams’ horns ahead of Yahweh’s box.” 7 Then he told the people, “Go across in front and go around the city, with the soldiers going ahead of Yahweh’s box.”

8 After Yehoshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests with their seven rams’ horns went across in front and blew the horns, and the box with Yahweh’s covenant was carried along behind them. 9 The soldiers walked ahead of the priests blowing the horns, with the rear guard walking behind the box. So they were walking and blowing the horns, 10 and Yehoshua told the people, “Don’t shout or even speak or make a noise until the day I tell you all to shout—then you all should shout loudly.”

11 So Yahweh’s box was carried once around the city, then the people went back to the camp and stayed the night there.

12 Yehoshua got up early the next morning, and the priests picked up Yahweh’s box 13 and the seven priests holding the seven rams’ horns went in front of it—blowing the horns as they kept walking. The soldiers walking in front of them, and the rear guard walked behind Yahweh’s box while the horns were being blown. 14 They went once around the city on that second day and then returned to their camp again—doing that for six days.

15 Then on the seventh day they got up early at dawn and went around the city as before, except this day they went around seven times. 16 After that seventh time around, the priests blew a long blast on the rams’ horns and Yehoshua told the people, “Shout, because Yahweh has given you all the city! 17 However, everything in the city is sacred to Yahweh. Only the prostitute Rahab and those who’re in her house will be allowed to live, because she hid the spies that we sent in. 18 But for all of you, everything inside the city is forbidden—if any of you take anything out of the city then our camp would also then be marked for destruction and it would cause a lot of trouble. 19 All the silver and gold, bronze and iron is dedicated to Yahweh and must go into his treasury.

20 So the people shouted when that horn blew—as soon as they heard it the people shouted loudly and the wall fell down on itself and the people went up and over into the city from wherever they were standing and captured the city.[ref] 21 They killed every living thing in the city with their swords, including men and women, young and old, even cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

22 Then Yehoshua commanded the two men who had spied on the area, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of it and all who’re related to her, just as you promised her.” 23 So the young men who’d gone in as spies went in and brought out Rahab and her parents and all her relatives and settled them outside of the camp of the Israelis. 24 Then the warriors set fire to the city and burnt everything that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and bronze and iron were first removed and put into the treasury of Yahweh’s house. 25 But Yehoshua spared the prostitute Rahab and her father’s household and her other relatives because she hid the men that Yehoshua had sent in to spy on Yericho, and she still lives in Israel to this day.[ref]

26 At that time, Yehoshua made the people take an oath, saying,[ref]

“May Yahweh curse anyone who rebuilds this city, Yericho.

When that person lays its foundation, may his oldest son die.

And when he finishes building the city wall and sets up its gates, may his youngest son die.”

27 So Yahweh was with Yehoshua and everyone in that region had heard about him.