Chapter 7
1
And the sons of Israel committed a transgression against divine command in the herem/devotion to destruction, and they took Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, from the herem/devotion to destruction, and the anger/nostrils of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.
2
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven east of Bethel, and he said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." And the men went up and spied out Ai.
3
And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; two thousand men or three thousand men shall go up and they will strike Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for they are few."
4
And about three thousand men went up from the people there, and they fled before the men of Ai.
5
And the men of Ai struck down thirty-six of them, and they pursued them before the gate as far as the Shebarim, and they struck them down on the descent, and the heart of the people melted and became water.
6
Joshua tore his garment and fell on his face to the ground before the Ark of the Covenant until the evening—he and the elders of Israel—and they put dust on their heads.
7
And Joshua said, "Ah! Lord GOD, why did you bring this people across the Jordan to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? If only you had been willing for us and we had sat across the Jordan!"
8
Please, my Lord, what shall I say after Israel has turned its neck before its enemies?
9
And the Canaanites will hear, and all the inhabitants of the earth, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?
10
And the LORD said to Joshua, "Rise for yourself; why is this—you falling on your faces?"
11
Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them, and they have also taken from the herem, and they have also stolen, and they have also denied, and they have also put them in their utensils.
12
And the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become a ban. I will no longer be with you if you do not destroy the ban from your midst.
13
Rise, sanctify the people, and say, "Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for the LORD God of Israel says this: 'Herem is in your midst, Israel. You will not be able to rise before your enemies until you remove the herem from your midst.'"
14
And you shall be brought near in the morning to your tribes, and it shall be that the tribe that the LORD takes hold of shall be brought near to the clans, and the clan that the LORD takes hold of shall be brought near to the houses, and the house that the LORD takes hold of shall be brought near to the men.
15
The one caught in the ban shall be burned in the fire—he and all that is his—because he transgressed the covenant of the LORD and because he did a disgraceful act in Israel.
16
Joshua arose early in the morning and brought Israel near by its tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken.
17
He brought near the clan of Judah, and he captured the clan of the Zerahite. He brought near the clan of the Zerahite to the males, and he captured Zebdi.
18
He brought his household near to the men, and he took Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah.
19
Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel and give him thanks. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."
20
And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Truly, I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and in this way and this way I have done."
21
I saw in the spoil a good robe of Shomron, one, and two hundred shekels of silver, and one gold tongue, fifty shekels its weight, and I coveted them and I took them, and there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of the tent, and the silver under it.
22
Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. There it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath it.
23
He took them from within the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel, and he poured them out before the LORD.
24
Joshua took Achan son of Zerah and the silver and the robe and the tongue of gold and his sons and his daughters and his ox and his donkey and his flock and his tent and all that was his, and all Israel with him, and they went up with them to the Valley of Achor.
25
Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day." All Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.
26
And they raised over it a great pile of stones until this day. And the LORD turned from the heat of his anger on account of this. Therefore he called the name of that place Valley of Achor until this day.