Joshua 5:13–6:27
The Commander of the LORD’s Army Speaks With Joshua
When Joshua
was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a
sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of us or one
of our enemies?” He answered, “Neither one! I am here as the commander of the
LORD’s army.” Immediately, Joshua bowed with his face touching the ground and
worshiped. He asked, “Sir, what do you want to tell me?” The commander of the
LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals because this place where you
are standing is holy.” So Joshua did as he was told.
Jericho Is Destroyed
Jericho was
bolted and barred shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one
could enter or leave. The LORD said to Joshua, “I am about to hand Jericho, its
king, and its warriors over to you. All the soldiers will march around the
city once a day for six days. Seven priests will carry rams’ horns ahead of the
ark. But on the seventh day you must march around the city seven times while
the priests blow their horns. When you hear a long blast on the horn, all the
troops must shout very loudly. The wall around the city will collapse. Then the
troops must charge straight ahead into the city.”
Joshua, son
of Nun, summoned the priests. He said to them, “Pick up the ark of the promise,
and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns ahead of the LORD’s ark.”
He told the
troops, “March around the city. Let the armed men march ahead of the LORD’s
ark.”
After
Joshua had given orders to the troops, the seven priests carrying the seven
rams’ horns ahead of the LORD marched off as they blew their horns. The ark of
the LORD’s promise followed them. The armed men went ahead of the priests, who
blew their horns. The rear guard followed the ark while the priests continued
to blow their horns.
Joshua
ordered the troops, “Don’t shout, make any noise, or let one word come out of
your mouth until I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So the LORD’s ark went
around the city once. Then they went back to the camp and stayed there for the
night.
Joshua got
up early in the morning. The priests carried the LORD’s ark. The seven priests
carrying the seven rams’ horns were ahead of it. The priests blew their horns
as they went. The armed men were ahead of them, and the rear guard followed the
LORD’s ark while the horns blew continually. They went around the city once on
the second day and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
On the
seventh day they got up at dawn. They marched around the city seven times the
same way they had done it before. That was the only day they marched around it
seven times. When they went around the seventh time, the priests blew their
rams’ horns.
Joshua said
to the troops, “Shout, because the LORD has given you the city! The city has
been claimed by the LORD. Everything in it belongs to the LORD. Only the
prostitute Rahab and all who are in the house with her will live because she
hid the messengers we sent. But stay away from what has been claimed by the
LORD for destruction, or you, too, will be destroyed by the LORD. If you take
anything that is claimed by the LORD, you will bring
destruction and disaster on the camp of Israel. All the silver and gold and
everything made of bronze and iron are holy and belong to the LORD. They must
go into the LORD’s treasury.”
So the
troops shouted very loudly when they heard the blast of the rams’ horns, and
the wall collapsed. The troops charged straight ahead and captured the city.
They claimed everything in it for the LORD. With their swords they killed men
and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys.
But Joshua
said to the two spies, “Go to the prostitute’s house. Bring the woman out,
along with everything she has, as you swore you would do for her.” The spies
went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, everything she had,
and even all of her relatives. They gave them a place outside the camp of
Israel. Then Israel burned the city and everything in it. But they put the
silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron into the LORD’s
treasury. Joshua spared the prostitute Rahab, her father’s family, and
everything she had. She still lives in Israel today because she hid the
messengers Joshua had sent to look at Jericho.
At that
time Joshua pronounced this curse:
“The LORD will curse
whoever
comes to rebuild the city of Jericho.
It will
cost him his firstborn son
to lay the
foundation.
It will
cost him his youngest son
to set up
the city doors.”
So the LORD
was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land. (GWT)
This reading is taken from 30
Scripture Readings on Great Women from the Bible. The complete book can be
found here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZK5H96/ref=nosim?tag=hudsonbcom-20&linkCode=sb1&camp=212353&creative=380549
God’s Word® Translation. Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to
the Nations. Published by Baker Book House. Used by permission.
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