Yehoshua - Chapter 7

1. And the children of Israel committed a trespass in the consecrated thing, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the consecrated thing; and the anger 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 Beth-el, and spoke to them saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai.

3. And they returned to Joshua, and said to him, Do not let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; do not trouble all the people there; for they are but few.

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

5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men; and they chased them from before the gate to Shebarim, and smote them in the descent; and the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

6. And Joshua rent his clothing and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust upon their heads.

7. And Joshua said, Woe, O Lord God, why have You at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? Would that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!

8. Pray, oh Lord, what shall I say, after Israel has turned their backs before their enemies?

9. For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear and shall encircle us and cut off our name from the earth; and what will You do for Your great Name?

10. And the Lord said to Joshua, Get up; why do you fall upon your face?

11. Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them; and they have also taken of the consecrated thing, and have also stolen, and also dissembled, and they have also put into their vessels.

12. And the children of Israel shall not be able to stand before their enemies; they will turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore, if you do not destroy the consecrated thing from among you.

13. Arise, prepare the people, and say, Prepare yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you will not be able to stand before your enemies, until you remove the accursed thing from among you.

14. In the morning, therefore, you shall be brought near according to your tribes; and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord takes shall come near by families; and the family which the Lord takes shall come near by households; and the household which the Lord takes shall come near man by man.

15. And it shall be, he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, because he has wrought an infamous deed in Israel.

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

17. And he brought near the family of Judah; and He took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites near man by man; and Zabdi was taken.

18. And he brought his household near 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. And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray you, glory to the Lord, God of Israel, and make confession to Him; and tell me now what you have done; do not hide anything from me.

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

21. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

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

23. And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord.

24. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, 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 ox, and his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.

25. And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us? The Lord shall trouble you this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, [after] they [had] stoned them with stones.

26. And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that place was called, The Valley of Achor, to this day.