Josh 7
1
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted thing; for Achan, the
son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the
devoted thing: and the anger of YHWH was kindled against the children of Israel.
2
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side
of Beth-el, and spoke to them, saying, 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, 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
there; for they are but few.
4
So there went up there of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before
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 even to Shebarim, and smote them at the descent; and the hearts of
the people melted, and became as water.
6
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of
YHWH until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their
heads.
7
And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord YHWH, wherefore have you at all brought this people
over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish?
would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan!
8
Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel has turned their backs before their
enemies!
9
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass
us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what will you do for your great
name?
10
And YHWH said to Joshua, Get you up; wherefore are you thus fallen upon your face?
11
Israel has sinned; yea, they have even transgressed my covenant which I commanded
them: yea, they have even taken of the devoted thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled
also; and they have even put it among their own stuff.
12
Therefore the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their
backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you
any more, except you destroy the devoted thing from among you.
13
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says
YHWH, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, O Israel; you
can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted thing from among
you.
14
In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes: and it shall be,
that the tribe which YHWH takes shall come near by families; and the family which
YHWH shall take shall come near by households; and the household which YHWH shall
take shall come near man by man.
15
And it shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire,
he and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of YHWH, and because
he has wrought folly in Israel.
16
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes; and
the tribe of Judah was taken:
17
and he brought near the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zerahites:
and he brought near the family of the Zerahites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
18
and he brought near his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son
of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19
And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray you, glory to YHWH, the God of Israel,
and make confession to him; and tell me now what you have done; hide it not from me.
20
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Of a truth I have sinned against YHWH, the God
of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
21
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonish mantle, and two hundred shekels of
silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took
them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver
under it.
22
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his
tent, and the silver under it.
23
And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to
all the children of Israel; and they laid them down before YHWH.
24
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver,
and the mantle, 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 up to the valley of Achor.
25
And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? YHWH shall trouble you this day. And all
Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire, and stoned them with
stones.
26
And they raised over him a great heap of stones, to this day; and YHWH turned from
the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley
of Achor, to this day.