Joshua 7

Revised Geneva Translation

7 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took from the accursed thing. Therefore, the wrath of the LORD 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 Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and view the country.” And the men went up and viewed Ai,

³ and returned to Joshua, and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up. Let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai; and do not make all the people labor there, for they are few.”

⁴ So, about three thousand men of the people went up there. And they fled before the men of Ai.

⁵ And the men of Ai struck thirty six of their men; for they chased them from before the gate to Shebarim and struck them as they went down. Therefore the hearts of the people melted away like water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the LORD until sunset—he and the elders of Israel—and put dust upon their heads.

⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, O LORD God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan? To deliver us into the hand of the Amorites and to destroy us? If only we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan!

⁸ “Oh LORD, what shall I say when Israel turns their backs before their enemies?

⁹ “For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall surround us and destroy our name out of the Earth. And what will You do for Your mighty Name?”

¹⁰ And the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up. Why do you lie upon your face like that?”

¹¹ “Israel has sinned. For they have transgressed My Covenant which I Commanded them. And they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen and deceived and have even put it with their own stuff.

¹² “Therefore, the children of Israel cannot stand before their enemies—have turned their backs before their enemies—because they are doomed. Nor will I be with you anymore unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

¹³ “Up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you have destroyed the accursed thing from among you.

¹⁴ “In the morning, therefore, you shall come, according to your tribes. And the tribe which the LORD takes shall come, according to the families. And the family which the LORD shall take, shall come by the households. And the household which the LORD shall take, shall come man by man.

¹⁵ “And he who is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the Covenant of the LORD; and because he has wrought folly in Israel.”’”

¹⁶ So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes. And the tribe of Judah was taken.

¹⁷ And he brought the families of Judah, and took the family of the Zarhites. And he brought the family of the Zarhites, man by man. And Zabdi was taken.

¹⁸ And he brought 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 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and show me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”

²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua, and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel. And thus and so have I done.

²¹ “I saw, among the plunder, a beautiful Babylonian garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels in weight. And I covered them, and took them. And behold, they lie hidden in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.”

²² Then Joshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent. And behold, it was hidden in his tent, and the silver under it.

²³ Therefore, they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them before the LORD.

²⁴ Then Joshua took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his donkeys, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had. And he and all Israel with him brought them to the valley of Achor.

²⁵ And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD shall trouble you this day.” And all Israel threw stones at him, and burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.

²⁶ And they erected a great heap of stones upon him, which stands to this day. And the LORD turned from His fierce wrath. Therefore, He called the name of that place, The Valley of Achor, which stands to this day.