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most of the fighting men were uncircumcised; and the reason for this was that, being by themselves, separated from every foreign race, they had no need of circumcision. Well therefore 168 has it been said by the divine apostle that neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision, but the keeping of the commandments. But that he did it in the 42nd year seems to be somewhat of a problem; for everywhere in the other divine scriptures Israel appears to have spent forty years in the wilderness, unless perhaps one should understand here that the 80th year of Moses and the first of Joshua son of Nun are counted together with the 40 years in the wilderness, and thus it is 42. These, having been circumcised, rested until they were healed, and the name of the place was called Gilgal. And the sons of Israel kept the Passover on the 14th day of the first month, from evening at sunset, toward Jericho in the plain, and they ate from the grain of the land new unleavened bread, that is, from new grain, which even now can be seen in Jericho at the spring equinox, a harvest of new grain occurring early in the warmer places. From which also the most holy church in Jerusalem customarily offers the bloodless sacrifice at the time of the life-giving resurrection of Christ our God. On that day, it says, the manna ceased after they had eaten from the grain of the land, and there was no longer manna for the sons of Israel. And they enjoyed the fruit of the land of the Phoenicians in that year. And while they were at Jericho, Joshua, looking up, sees a man standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua, approaching, said to him: "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" And he said: "I, commander of the army of the Lord's host, have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the ground and said: "Master, what do you command your servant?" And the commander of the Lord's host says to Joshua: "Remove the sandal from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is a holy place." And Jericho was shut up and fortified, and no one went out from it or came in. And the Lord said to Joshua: "Behold, I give Jericho into your hand, and its king who is in it, who are 169 mighty in strength. But you shall surround it with all the fighting men in a circle. And it shall be that when they blow the trumpet, let all the people shout together, and when they have shouted, the entire wall of the city will fall down by itself, and all the people will enter, each man charging straight ahead into the city." And Joshua did according to the word of the angel for seven days, circling the city with the ark going before; and on the 7th day the people shouted, and the walls fell. And entering, they devoted it to destruction, and all that was in it, from man to woman and from young man to old man and to calf and beast of burden, with the edge of the sword, except for Rahab the harlot and her house. And Jericho was burned with fire along with all that was in it except the silver and gold and bronze and iron; for these were dedicated to God. From which Achan, having pilfered, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, a fine embroidered cloak and 200 didrachms of silver and a tongue of gold, was stoned by Israel along with his children and wife and belongings in the valley of Achor. And Joshua cursed Jericho on that day before the Lord, saying: "Cursed is the man who will build that city; with his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with his youngest he will set up its gates." And so did Hiel of Bethel; with Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and with Segub his youngest who was spared he set up its gates. Then the Lord delivered Ai to Joshua, and its king. And he burned it, an uninhabited mound forever, and hanged the king on a double tree until evening. Hearing these things, the inhabitants of Gibeon, a renowned city, and the inhabitants of the cities of the Hivites cunningly made a treaty with Joshua, pretending to have come from afar; whom, having recognized,

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πλεῖστοι τῶν μαχίμων ἀπερίτμητοι· τούτου δ' ἦν αἴτιον ὅτι καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὄντες παντὸς ἀλλογενοῦς κεχωρισμένοι χρείαν οὐκ εἶχον τῆς περιτομῆς. καλῶς ἄρα 168 εἴρηται τῷ θείῳ ἀποστόλῳ ὅτι οὔτε περιτομή τί ἐστιν οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ τήρησις ἐντολῶν. Τῷ δὲ μβʹ ἔτει πεποιηκέναι δοκεῖ πως ἄπορον εἶναι· τεσσαράκοντα γὰρ ἔτη πανταχοῦ ἐν ταῖς λοιπαῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ὁ Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ φαίνε ται ἀναστραφείς, εἰ μή πού τις ἐνταῦθα τὸ πʹ ἔτος Μωυσέως καὶ τὸ πρῶ τον Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ συναριθμεῖσθαι νοήσοι τοῖς ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ μʹ ἔτεσι καὶ οὕτως εἶναι μβʹ. Οὗτοι περιτμηθέντες ἡσύχασαν ἕως τοῦ θεραπευθῆναι, καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου Γάλγαλα. καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ πάσχα τῇ ιδʹ τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς ἀπὸ ἑσπέρας ἐπὶ δυσμῶν εἰς Ἱεριχὼ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, καὶ ἔφαγον ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου τῆς γῆς ἄζυμα καινά, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀπὸ σίτου νέου, ὅπερ μέχρι νῦν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἐν Ἱεριχὼ κατὰ τὴν ἐαρινὴν ἰσημερίαν γενόμενον θερισμὸν σίτου νέου κατὰ τοὺς θερμοτέρους τόπους συμφθά ζοντα. ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἡ κατὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ἁγιωτάτη ἐκκλησία συνήθως προ φέρει τὴν ἀναίμακτον θυσίαν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ζωηφόρου ἀναστάσεως Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν. Ἐν αὐτῇ, φησί, τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐξέλιπε τὸ μάννα μετὰ τὸ βεβρωκέναι αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ σίτου τῆς γῆς, καὶ οὐκέτι ὑπῆρχε τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ μάννα. ἐκαρ πώσαντο δὲ τὴν χώραν τῶν Φοινίκων ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐκείνῳ. ὄντων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς Ἱεριχὼ ἀναβλέψας Ἰησοῦς ὁρᾷ ἄνθρωπον ἑστηκότα κατέναντι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία ἐσπασμένη ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσελθὼν Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἡμέτερος εἶ ἢ τῶν ὑπεναντίων; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ἐγὼ ἀρχιστράτηγος κυρίου δυνάμεως νῦν παραγέγονα. καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ εἶπε· δέσποτα, τί προστάσσεις τῷ σῷ οἰκέτῃ; καὶ λέγει ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος κυρίου πρὸς Ἰησοῦν· λῦσον τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν σου· ὁ γὰρ τόπος ἐφ' ᾧ σὺ ἕστηκας τόπος ἅγιός ἐστι. Καὶ Ἱεριχὼ συγκεκλεισμένη καὶ ὠχυρωμένη καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐξε πορεύετο οὐδὲ εἰσεπορεύετο. καὶ εἶπε κύριος πρὸς Ἰησοῦν· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παρα δίδωμί σοι τὴν Ἱεριχὼ ὑπὸ χεῖρα καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ, δυνα 169 τοὺς ὄντας ἰσχύι. σὺ δὲ περίστησον αὐτῇ πάντας τοὺς μαχίμους κύκλῳ. καὶ ἔσται ὅταν σαλπίσωσι τῇ σάλπιγγι, ἀνακραγέτω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἅμα, καὶ ἀνακεκραγότων αὐτῶν πεσεῖται πᾶν τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως αὐτόματον καὶ εἰσελεύσεται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁρμήσας ἕκαστος κατὰ πρόσωπον εἰς τὴν πόλιν. καὶ ἐποίησεν Ἰησοῦς κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ ἀγγέλου ἐπὶ ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας κυκλῶν τὴν πόλιν προηγουμένης τῆς κιβωτοῦ· καὶ τῇ ζʹ ἠλάλαξεν ὁ λαός, καὶ τὰ τείχη κατέπεσε. καὶ εἰσελθόντες ἀνεθεμάτισαν αὐτὴν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως γυναικὸς καὶ ἀπὸ νεανίσκου ἕως πρεσβυτέρου καὶ ἕως μόσχου καὶ ὑποζυγίου ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας, χωρὶς Ῥαὰβ τῆς πόρνης καὶ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐνεπυρίσθη Ἱεριχὼ σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ πλὴν ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου καὶ χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου· ταῦτα γὰρ θεῷ ἀφιερώθη. ἐξ ὧν Ἄχαρ νοσφισάμενος υἱὸς Χαρμεὶ υἱοῦ Ζαμβρεὶ υἱοῦ Ζαρὰ φυλῆς Ἰούδα ψιλὴν ποικίλην καὶ ςʹ δίδραχμα ἀργυρίου καὶ γλῶσσαν χρυσῆν ἐλιθοβολήθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ σὺν τέκνοις καὶ γυναικὶ καὶ τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν εἰς φάραγγα Ἀχώρ. καὶ κατηράσατο Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τὴν Ἱεριχὼ ἔναντι κυρίου εἰπών· ἐπικατάρατος ἄνθρωπος ὅστις οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν ἐκείνην, ἐν τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ θεμελιώσει αὐτήν, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλαχίστῳ ἐπιστήσει τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐποίησεν οὕτως Ἀζὰ ὁ ἐκ Βαι θήλ· ἐν τῷ Ἀβειρὼν τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ ἐθεμελίωσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ Σεγοὺβ τῷ διασωθέντι ἐλαχίστῳ ἐπέστησε τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς. Τότε παρέδωκε κύριος τῷ Ἰησοῦ τὴν Γαὶ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐνεπύρισεν αὐτὴν χῶμα ἀοίκητον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐκρέμασε τὸν βασι λέα ἐπὶ ξύλου διδύμου ἕως ἑσπέρας. ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες Γαβαὼν πόλιν ἐπίσημον καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὰς πόλεις τοῦ Εὐαίου δεινό τητι σπονδὰς ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς Ἰησοῦν, πόρρωθεν παραγεγονέναι προσ ποιησάμενοι· οὓς ἐπιγνοὺς