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Jos Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24
Jos 7 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) When they returned to Yehoshua, they told him, “Don’t send all the warriors—only around two to three thousand men should go and attack them. Don’t bother everyone else because Ay is small.”
OET-LV And_returned to Yəhōshūˊa and_they_said to_him/it not all_of let_it_go_up the_people about_two_thousand man or as/like_three_of thousand(s) man let_them_go_up and_attack DOM the_ˊAy do_not make_go_wearily there_at DOM all_of the_people if/because [are]_few they.
UHB וַיָּשֻׁ֣בוּ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָיו֮ אַל־יַ֣עַל כָּל־הָעָם֒ כְּאַלְפַּ֣יִם אִ֗ישׁ א֚וֹ כִּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִ֣ים אִ֔ישׁ יַעֲל֖וּ וְיַכּ֣וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑י אַל־תְּיַגַּע־שָׁ֨מָּה֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י מְעַ֖ט הֵֽמָּה׃ ‡
(vayyāshuⱱū ʼel-yəhōshuˊa vayyoʼmərū ʼēlāyv ʼal-yaˊal kāl-hāˊām kəʼalpayim ʼiysh ʼō kishəloshet ʼₐlāfim ʼiysh yaˊₐlū vəyakkū ʼet-hāˊāy ʼal-təyaggaˊ-shāmmāh ʼet-kāl-hāˊām kiy məˊaţ hēmmāh.)
Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXX καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ κατεσκέψαντο τὴν Γαί· Καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν πρὸς Ἰησοῦν, καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτὸν, μὴ ἀναβήτω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, ἀλλʼ ὡσεὶ δισχίλιοι ἢ τρισχίλιοι ἄνδρες ἀναβήτωσαν καὶ ἐκπολιορκησάτωσαν τὴν πόλιν· μὴ ἀναγάγῃς ἐκεῖ τὸν λαὸν ἅπαντα, ὀλίγοι γάρ εἰσι.
(kai anebaʸsan hoi andres kai kateskepsanto taʸn Gai; Kai anestrepsan pros Yaʸsoun, kai eipan pros auton, maʸ anabaʸtō pas ho laos, allʼ hōsei disⱪilioi aʸ trisⱪilioi andres anabaʸtōsan kai ekpoliorkaʸsatōsan taʸn polin; maʸ anagagaʸs ekei ton laon hapanta, oligoi gar eisi. )
BrTr And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and take the city by siege: carry not up thither the whole people, for the enemy are few.
ULT And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up. About 2,000 men or about 3,000 men should go up and strike the Ai. Do not cause all the people to be weary there because they are few.”
UST When they returned to Joshua they said, “There are only a few people in Ai. So just send two or three thousand to attack them. There is no need to make all our soldiers go.”
BSB § On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”
OEB And when they returned to Joshua, they said to him, Do not let all the people go up, but let two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; do not make all the people toil up there; for they are few.
WEBBE They returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Don’t let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai. Don’t make all the people to toil there, for there are only a few of them.”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET They returned and reported to Joshua, “Don’t send the whole army. About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.”
LSV and they return to Joshua, and say to him, “Do not let all the people go up; let about two thousand men, or about three thousand men, go up, and they strike Ai; do not cause all the people to labor there; for they [are] few.”
FBV When they returned they told Joshua, “The whole army isn't needed. Two or three thousand men is enough to go and attack Ai. Don't bother sending everyone—there's only a few of them.”
T4T When they returned to Joshua they said, “There are only a few people in Ai. So we do not need to send all of our soldiers to defeat them. Send 2.000 or 3,000 men to attack them. That will be enough.”
LEB And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up and attack Ai; only two or three thousand men should go up because they[fn] are few. Do not make all the people weary up there.”
7:3 That is, the people of Ai
BBE Then they came back to Joshua and said to him, Do not send all the people up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and make an attack on Ai; there is no need for all the people to be tired with the journey there, for it is only a small town.
Moff and came back to Joshua, saying, “All the nation need not go up; let only about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make all the nation toil up there, for there are few folk at Ai.”
JPS And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him: 'Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.'
ASV And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.
DRA And returning they said to him: Let not all the people go up, but let two or three thousand men go and destroy the city: why should all the people be troubled in vain against enemies that are very few?
YLT and they turn back unto Joshua, and say unto him, 'Let not all the people go up; let about two thousand men, or about three thousand men, go up, and they smite Ai; cause not all the people to labour thither; for they [are] few.'
Drby And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up; let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither, for they are few.
RV And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to toil thither; for they are but few.
Wbstr And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor thither; for they are but few.
KJB-1769 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.[fn]
(And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither/there; for they are but few. )
7.3 about…: Heb. about two thousand men, or, about three thousand men
KJB-1611 [fn]And they returned to Ioshua, and said vnto him, Let not all the people goe vp: but let about two or three thousand men goe vp, and smite Ai, and make not all the people to labour thither, for they are but few.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)
7:3 Heb. about 2000.men: or, about 3000.men.
Bshps And returned to Iosuah, and sayde vnto him, Let not all the people go vp: but let as it were two or three thousande men go vp, and smyte Ai: and make not all the people to labour thyther, for they are but fewe.
(And returned to Yoshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up: but let as it were two or three thousand men go up, and smite Ai: and make not all the people to labour thither/there, for they are but few.)
Gnva And returned to Ioshua, and saide vnto him, Let not al the people go vp, but let as it were two or three thousand men go vp, and smite Ai, and make not al the people to labour thither, for they are fewe.
(And returned to Yoshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up, but let as it were two or three thousand men go up, and smite Ai, and make not all the people to labour thither/there, for they are few. )
Cvdl they came agayne to Iosua, and sayde vnto him: Let not all the people go vp, but vpon a two or thre thousande, that they maye go vp and smyte Hai, lest all the people weerye them selues there, for they are but fewe.
(they came again to Yoshua, and said unto him: Let not all the people go up, but upon a two or three thousand, that they may go up and smite Hai, lest all the people weerye themselves there, for they are but few.)
Wycl and thei turneden ayen, and seiden to hym, `Not al the puple stie, but twey ether thre thousynde of men go, and do awei the citee; whi schal al the puple be trauelid in veyn ayens feweste enemyes?
(and they turned again, and said to him, `Not all the people stie, but two ether three thousand of men go, and do away the city; why shall all the people be travelled in veyn against feweste enemies?)
Luth kamen sie wieder zu Josua und sprachen zu ihm: Laß nicht das ganze Volk hinaufziehen, sondern bei zwei oder dreitausend Mann, daß sie hinaufziehen und schlagen Ai, daß nicht das ganze Volk sich daselbst bemühe, denn ihrer ist wenig.
(kamen they/she/them again to Yosua and said to him: Let not the ganze people hinaufziehen, rather at two or threetausend Mann, that they/she/them hinaufziehen and schlagen Ai, that not the ganze people itself/yourself/themselves there bemühe, because of_their/her is wenig.)
ClVg Et reversi dixerunt ei: Non ascendat omnis populus, sed duo vel tria millia virorum pergant, et deleant civitatem: quare omnis populus frustra vexabitur contra hostes paucissimos?
(And reversi dixerunt ei: Non ascendat everyone populus, but two or tria thousands of_men pergant, and deleant civitatem: quare everyone populus frustra vexabitur on_the_contrary hostes paucissimos? )
7:1-26 Now that Jericho belonged to Israel, Joshua’s first military problem involved securing a foothold in the hill country. The conquest of Jericho inspired Israel’s confidence and consigned the people of Canaan to discouragement and despair. Yet everything hinged on Israel’s obedience to God. One man’s sin and its consequences demonstrate how serious was the command to destroy Jericho (see “Complete Dedication” Theme Note).
Community Responsibility: Achan’s Sin
Should an entire community be held responsible for the sins of a smaller few?
Why did so many of Israel’s soldiers die at Ai because of Achan’s sin (Josh 7)? Why did the Israelites stone Achan’s family along with him? A significant part of the answer to these questions comes by understanding the concept of community responsibility.
If Achan’s family knew of his theft, they were accomplices and shared Achan’s guilt. A community becomes responsible for sin when people either actively participate in an act of sin or silently condone sinful actions or attitudes.
But what about Achan’s children who were too young to understand or those who had no knowledge of his theft? What about Israel’s soldiers who died at Ai because Achan stole what belonged to God?
To understand, we have to go back to the beginning. The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve (Gen 3), was at least twofold. First, they chose not to trust God, even though they had an intimate relationship with him, choosing instead to listen to the voice of a stranger. Second, though they were unsuccessful, they declared their independence from God by trying to become like gods themselves.
Because we all make that same choice for ourselves, no one is truly innocent (see Ps 14:2-3; Rom 3:9-23). As a result, we are all subject to the consequences of sin in the world. We may die as the result of another’s sin, carelessness, or ignorance, or as a result of our own. Because one person drives under the influence of alcohol, someone else might die on the highway. Because one person wants to maximize profits, others can suffer in wretched conditions. And because Achan sinned, others in Israel died at Ai.
None of this is “fair.” However, God promises to bring perfect justice in his own time. God’s justice will be mediated through his grace and mercy, brought to us through Jesus’ death in our place (see Rom 5:12-21).
Passages for Further Study
Gen 9:24-27; Exod 20:5; Josh 7:1-26; 2 Kgs 14:6; 21:10-15; Ezra 9:6-15; Neh 9:16-37; Jer 31:29-30; Ezek 18:20; Dan 9:4-19; Matt 23:29-36; John 9:1-3; Rom 5:12-21; 1 Cor 15:21
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
הָעָם֒ & הָעָ֔ם
the,people & the,people
As in 6:5 and several other places in Chapter 6, the phrase the people refers to the Israelite soldiers. Alternate translation: “the Israelite soldiers … the Israelite soldiers”
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
אַל־ תְּיַגַּע־ שָׁ֨מָּה֙ אֶת־ כָּל־ הָעָ֔ם כִּ֥י מְעַ֖ט הֵֽמָּה
not not weary there,at DOM all/each/any/every the,people that/for/because/then/when few they(emph)
If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “Because they are few, do not make all the people weary there”
Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns
כִּ֥י מְעַ֖ט הֵֽמָּה
that/for/because/then/when few they(emph)
The pronoun they refers to the inhabitants of the city of Ai, not to the soldiers in the Israelite army. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “because the people who live in that city are few”