Joshua 6 - Introduction

1 Iericho is shut vp.

2 God instructeth Ioshua how to besiege it.

12 The citie is compassed.

17 It must be accursed.

20 The walles fall downe.

22 Rahab is saued.

26 The builder of Iericho is cursed.

1 Now Iericho [Note: Hebrew: did shut vp, and was shut vp.] was straitly shut vp, because of the children of Israel: none went out, & none came in.

2 And the Lord said vnto Ioshua, See, I haue giuen into thine hand Iericho, and the King thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

3 And ye shall compasse the city, all yee men of warre, and goe round about the city once: thus shalt thou doe sixe dayes.

4 And seuen Priests shall beare before the Arke seuen trumpets of rams hornes: and the seuenth day yee shall compasse the city seuen times, and the Priests shall blow with the trumpets.

5 And it shall come to passe that when they make a long blast with the rammes-horne, and when ye heare the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout: and the wall of the citie shall fall downe [Note: Hebrew: vnder it.] flat, and the people shall ascend vp euery man straight before him.

6 And Ioshua the sonne of Nun called the Priests, and said vnto them, Take vp the Arke of the Couenant, and let seuen Priests beare seuen trumpets of rammes-hornes, before the Arke of the Lord.

7 And he said vnto the people, Passe on, and compasse the city, and let him that is armed passe on before the Arke of the Lord.

8 And it came to passe when Ioshua had spoken vnto the people, that the seuen Priestes bearing the seuen trumpets of rammes hornes, passed on before the Lord, and blew with the

[How Iericho is besieged.]

trumpets: and the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord followed them.

9 And the armed men went before the Priests that blew with the trumpets: and the [Note: cf2\i Hebrew: gathering host.] rereward came after the Arke, the Priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

10 And Ioshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor [Note: Hebrew: make your voyce to be heard.] make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, vntill the day I bid you shoute, then shall ye shoute.

11 So the Arke of the Lord compassed the citie, going about it once: and they came into the campe, and lodged in the campe.

12 And Ioshua rose earely in the morning, and the Priests tooke vp the Arke of the Lord.

13 And seuen Priests bearing seuen trumpets of rammes hornes before the Arke of the Lord, went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them, but the rereward came after the Arke of the Lord, the Priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

14 And the second day they compassed the citie once, and returned into the campe: so they did sixe dayes.

15 And it came to passe on the seuenth day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the citie after the same maner, seuen times: only on that day they compassed the citie seuen times.

16 And it came to passe at the seuenth time, when the Priests blewe with the trumpets, Ioshua said vnto the people, Shout, for the Lord hath giuen you the citie.

17 And the citie shalbe [Note: Or, deuoted.] accursed, euen it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: onely Rahab the harlot shal liue, she, and all that are with her in the house, because [Note: Joshua 2:4.] she hid the messengers that we sent.

18 And you, in any wise keepe your selues from the accursed thing, lest yee make your selues accursed, when yee take of the accursed thing, and make the campe of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

19 But all the siluer, and gold, and vessels of brasse and yron, are [Note: Hebrew: holinesse.] consecrated vnto the Lord: they shall come into the treasurie of the Lord.

20 So the people shouted when the Priests blew with the trumpets: and it

[Iericho is taken.]

came to passe when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that [Note: Hebrews 11:30.] the wall fell downe [Note: Hebrew: vnder it.] flat, so that the people went vp into the citie, euery man straight before him, and they tooke the citie.

21 And they vtterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, yong and old, and oxe, and sheepe, and asse, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Ioshua had said vnto the two men that had spied out the countrey; Goe into the harlots house, and bring out thence the woman and all that she hath, [Note: Joshua 2:14; Hebrews 11:31.] as ye sware vnto her.

23 And the yong men that were spies, went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had: and they brought out all her [Note: Hebrew: families.] kinred, and left them without the campe of Israel.

24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: onely the siluer & the gold, and the vessels of brasse and of yron, they put into the Treasury of the house of the Lord.

25 And Ioshua saued Rahab the harlot aliue, and her fathers houshold, and all that she had: and she dwelleth in Israel euen vnto this day, because she hid the messengers which Ioshua sent to spy out Iericho.

26 And Ioshua adiured them at that time, saying, [Note: 1 Kings 16:34.] Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth vp and buildeth this city Iericho: he shall lay the foundation therof in his first borne, and in his yongest sonne shall hee set vp the gates of it.

27 So the Lord was with Ioshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the countrey.