passed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trum pets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. And the city shall be ac cursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are conse crated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Joshua rose early in the morn-hath, as ye sware unto her. And the ing, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trum-silver, and the gold, and the vessels pets. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times only on that day they com young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her fa ther, and her mother, and her bre thren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he dall lay the foundation thereof in MARCH 13. his firstborn, and in his youngest Ebening, JOSHUA VII. MARCH 13. the children of Israel comwilt Thou do unto Thy great name? Omitted a trespass in the acAnd the LORD said unto Joshua, used thing: for Achan, the son of Get thee up; wherefore liest thou ami, the son of Zabdi, the son of thus upon thy face? Israel hath Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took sinned, and they have also transof the accursed thing: and the an- gressed My covenant which I comer of the LORD was kindled against manded them: for they have even e children of Israel. And Joshua taken of the accursed thing, and Beat men from Jericho to Ai, which have also stolen, and dissembled beside Beth-aven, on the east side also, and they have put it even aof Beth-el, and spake unto them, mong their own stuff. Therefore the aring, Go up and view the country. children of Israel could not stand And the men went up and viewed before their enemies, but turned AL. And they returned to Joshua, their backs before their enemies, sad said unto him, Let not all the because they were accursed: neipeople go up; but let about two ther will I be with you any more, Site Ai; and make not all the or three thousand men go up and except ye destroy the accursed from people to labour thither; for they ple, and say, Sanctify yourselves among you. Up, sanctify the peothe but few. So there' went up against to morrow: for thus saith thither of the people about three the LORD God of Israel, There is thousand men: and they fled before an accursed thing in the midst of the men of Ai. And the men of Ai thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand te of them about thirty and six before thine enemies, until ye take before the gate even unto Shebarim, mong you. In the morning theremen: for they chased them from away the accursed thing from atod smote them in the going down: fore ye shall be brought according wherefore the hearts of the people to your tribes: and it shall be, that melted, and became as water. And the tribe which the LORD taketh Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to shall come according to the families the earth upon his face before the thereof; and the family which the be and the elders of Israel, and put holds; and the household which the ark of the LORD until the eventide, LORD shall take shall come by housedost upon their heads. And Joshua LORD shall take shall come man by hast Thou at all brought this people is taken with the accursed thing over Jordan, to deliver us into the shall be burnt with fire, he and all hand of the Amorites, to destroy that he hath: because he hath transus? would to God we had been gressed the covenant of the LORD, content, and dwelt on the other side and because he hath wrought folly when Israel turneth their backs in the morning, and brought Israel Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, in Israel. So Joshua rose up early before their enemies! For the Ca- by their tribes; and the tribe of naanites and all the inhabitants of Judah was taken: and he brought the land shall hear of it, and shall the family of Judah; and he took environ us round, and cut off our the family of the Zarhites: and he name from the earth: and what brought the family of the Zarhites said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore 157 man. And it shall be, that he that man by man; and Zabdi was taken: | MARCH 14. Α under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. Morning, JOSHUA VIII. ND the LORD said unto Joshua, | Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, (for they will come out : MARCH 14. after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them. Then ye shall rise up from the am bush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be. when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. Joshua therefore sent them forth and they went to lie in am bush, and abode between Beth-e and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among t people. And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the peopl to Ai. And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was valley between them and Ai. And the he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appainted, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in am side and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape. And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the bash against him behind the city. men of Ai. For Joshua drew not his And Joshua and all Israel made hand back, wherewith he stretched as if they were beaten before them, out the spear, until he had utterly and fled by the way of the wilder destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Dess. And all the people that were Only the cattle and the spoil of Ai were called together to pur- that city Israel took for a prey unse after them: and they pursued to themselves, according unto the after Joshua, and were drawn away word of the LORD which He comfrom the city. And there was not manded Joshua. And Joshua burnt a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that Ai, and made it an heap for ever, went not out after Israel: and they even a desolation unto this day. left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And the LORD said unto JoAnd the king of Ai he hanged on shua, Stretch out the spear that is a tree until eventide: and as soon in thy hand toward Ai; for I will manded that they should take his as the sun was down, Joshua comgive it into thine hand. And Joshua carcase down from the tree, and stretched out the spear that he had cast it at the entering of the gate the ambush arose quickly out of great heap of stones, that remaineth their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: unto this day. Then Joshua built and they entered into the city, and rael in mount Ebal, as Moses the behold, the smoke of the city as- an altar of whole stones, over which the pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. And the other issued the stones a copy of the law of Mo- out of the city against them; so priests the Levites, which bare the they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that 159 ark of the covenant of the LORD, as כסן 20 born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, MARCH 14. according to all that is written in the book of the law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them. Evening, JOSHUA IX. MARCH 14. ND it came to pass, when all | Wherefore our elders and all the A the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof; that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Óg king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: and these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the month of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt a mong them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Che phirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israe smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murwar ed against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congrega tion, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon |