Joshua 6:6-16
Amplified Bible
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called for the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets made of rams’ horns ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 7 He said to the people, “Go forward! March around the city, and let the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.” 8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets made of rams’ horns went on before the Lord and blew the trumpets; then the ark of the covenant of the Lord went behind them. 9 The armed men went in front of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued to blow the trumpets. 10 But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout [the battle cry] nor let your voice be heard nor let a word come out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout!” 11 So Joshua had the ark of the Lord taken around the city [on the first day], circling it once; then they came back into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning [on the second day], and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets made of rams’ horns ahead of the ark of the Lord went on continually, blowing the trumpets; and the armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued to blow the trumpets. 14 On the second day they marched around the city once, and returned to the camp; they did this for six days.
15 Then on the seventh day they got up early at daybreak and marched around the city in the same way seven times; only on that day they marched around the city [a]seven times. 16 And the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Joshua 6:15 In ancient times any walled town was called a “city” and its ruler was called “a king,” but the fact that Joshua’s army could march around Jericho seven times in one day shows that it was a very small place. Though the walls were formidable, the area they enclosed only measured seven acres. The whole circumference of the city was about 650 yards. Jebusite Jerusalem, which David captured, was about the same size. Schliemann, the German archeologist, experienced a similar surprise in 1873 when he excavated the city of Troy, which Homer tells us withstood the Grecian warriors for quite some time. It would almost seem that these ancient cities were more like places of refuge for the area’s population when an enemy approached. During peaceful times a large proportion of the inhabitants would live outside the city’s walls, because they were shepherds and farmers. Generally, only the craftsmen and administrators lived within the walls.
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