< Joshua 7 >

1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass on the devoted things; for 'Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerach, of the tribe of Judah, took of the devoted things: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.
But the people of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things that were set apart for destruction. Achan son of Karmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some things that were set apart for destruction, and Yahweh's anger burned against the people of Israel.
2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to 'Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and said unto them, thus, Go up and spy out the country. And the men went up and spied out 'Ai.
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 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: do not fatigue all the people [to go] thither; for they are but few.
When they returned to Joshua, they said to him, “Do not send all the people up to Ai. Send only two or three thousand men to go up and attack Ai. Do not make all the people labor in battle, for they are few in number.”
4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men; and they fled before the men of 'Ai.
So only about three thousand men went up from the army, but these ran away from the men of Ai.
5 And the men of 'Ai smote of them about thirty and six men; and they chased them from before the gate unto the stone-quarries, and smote them on the declivity [of the hill]; wherefore the heart of the people melted, and became as water.
The men of Ai killed about thirty-six men as they pursued them from the city gate as far as to the stone quarries, and they killed them as they were going down a hill. The hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he with the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their head.
Then Joshua tore his garments. He and the elders of Israel put dust on their heads and lay facedown on the ground in front of the ark of Yahweh, remaining there until evening.
7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord Eternal, wherefore hast thou caused this people to pass over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Emorites, to destroy us? and oh! that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
Then Joshua said, “Ah, Yahweh Lord, why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all? To give us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we made a different decision and we had stayed on the other side of the Jordan!
8 I pray thee, O Lord, what shall I say, since Israel have turned their back before their enemies!
Lord, what can I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies?
9 And when the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, they will environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt thou do for thy great name?
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it. They will surround us and make the people of the earth forget our name. What will you do for your great name?”
10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou upon thy face.
Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there on your face?
11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I have commanded them; and they have also taken of the devoted things, and have also stolen, and have also dissembled, and they have also put it into their own vessels.
Israel has sinned. They have broken my covenant which I commanded them. They have stolen some of the things that were set apart. They have stolen and then also hidden their sin by putting what they have taken among their own belongings.
12 Therefore will the children of Israel not be able to stand up before their enemies; their back will they turn before their enemies, because they have become accursed: I will not be any more with you, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
As a result, the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turned their backs from their enemies because they themselves have been set apart for destruction. I will not be with you any more unless you destroy the things that should have been destroyed, but are still among you.
13 Rise up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow; for thus hath said the Lord the God of Israel, An accursed thing is in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou shalt not be able to stand up before thy enemies, until ye have removed the accursed from among you.
Get up! Consecrate the people to me and say to them, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow. For Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “There are things set apart to be destroyed that are still among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove from among you all the things that were set apart to be destroyed.”
14 And ye shall be brought near in the morning according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord will seize shall come near according to its families; and the family which the Lord will seize shall come near by households; and the household which the Lord shall seize will come near by its men.
In the morning, you must present yourselves by your tribes. The tribe that Yahweh selects will come near by their clans. The clan that Yahweh selects must come near by each household. The household that Yahweh selects must come near one by one.
15 And it shall be, that he that is seized with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he, and all that he hath; because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought wickedness in Israel.
It will happen that the one who is selected and who has those things that were set apart for destruction, he will be burned, he and all he has, because he has broken the covenant of Yahweh and because he has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.'”
16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was seized;
So, Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel near, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
17 And he brought near the family of Judah, and he seized the family of the Zarchites; and he brought near the family of the Zarchites by its men, and Zabdi was seized;
Joshua brought the clans of Judah near, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He brought near the clan of the Zerahites person by person, and Zabdi was selected.
18 And he brought near his household by its men, and 'Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerach, of the tribe of Judah, was seized.
He brought Zabdi's household near, person by person, and Achan son of Karmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 And Joshua said unto 'Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me, I pray thee, what thou hast done: hide nothing from me.
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, tell the truth before Yahweh, the God of Israel, and give your confession to him. Please tell me what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”
20 And 'Achan answered Joshua, and said, Truly! I have indeed sinned against the Lord the God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
Achan answered Joshua, “Truly, I have sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is what I did:
21 I saw among the spoil a handsome Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels in weight, and I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver beneath the same.
When I saw among the plunder a beautiful coat from Babylon, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I desired them and took them. They are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, and the silver is under it.”
22 Joshua thereupon sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver beneath it.
Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent and there were the things. When they looked, they found them hidden in his own tent, and the silver under them.
23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and they laid them out before the Lord.
They took the items from the middle of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. They poured them out before Yahweh.
24 And Joshua took 'Achan the son of Zerach, and the silver, and the mantle, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his ox, and his ass, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had, and all Israel were with him, and they brought them up unto the valley of 'Achor.
Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, the coat, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
25 And Joshua said, How hast thou troubled us! so shall the Lord trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burnt them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
Then Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? Yahweh will trouble you today.” All Israel stoned him with stones. Then they stoned the rest with stones and burned them with fire.
26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones [which is] unto this day; and the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of 'Achor, unto this day.
They set up over him a great heap of stones that is here until this day. Yahweh turned away his burning anger. Therefore the name of the place is the Valley of Achor until this present day.

< Joshua 7 >