March 9

Joshua 4:1 — 6:27

4 And it came about that as soon as the whole nation had completed passing over the Jordan, Jehovah proceeded to say to Joshua: 2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves from the very middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood motionless, twelve stones, and YOU must carry them over with YOU and deposit them in the lodging place in which you will lodge tonight.’”

4 So Joshua called twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua went on to say to them: “Pass ahead of the ark of Jehovah YOUR God to the middle of the Jordan, and lift up for yourselves each one a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 in order that this may serve as a sign in YOUR midst. In case YOUR sons should ask in time to come, saying, ‘Why do you have these stones?’ 7 YOU must also say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off from before the ark of Jehovah’s covenant. When it passed through the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off, and these stones must serve as a memorial to the sons of Israel to time indefinite.’”

8 Accordingly the sons of Israel did so, just as Joshua had commanded, and they took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Jehovah had stated to Joshua, to correspond with the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they went taking them over with them to the lodging place and depositing them there.

9 There were also twelve stones that Joshua set up in the middle of the Jordan on the standing place of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, and they continue there until this day.

10 And the priests carrying the Ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until the whole matter had been completed that Jehovah had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. All the while the people hurried up and passed over. 11 And it came about that as soon as all the people had completed passing over, then the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, before the people. 12 And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh proceeded to pass over in battle formation in the sight of the sons of Israel, just as Moses had stated to them. 13 About forty thousand equipped for the army passed over before Jehovah for the war onto the desert plains of Jericho.

14 On that day Jehovah made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they began to fear him just as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.

15 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the testimony that they go up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying: “Go up out of the Jordan.” 18 And it came about that when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came up out of the middle of the Jordan and the soles of the feet of the priests were drawn out onto the dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan began returning to their place and went overflowing all its banks as formerly.

19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and took up camping at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

20 As for the twelve stones that they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set these up at Gilgal. 21 And he went on to say to the sons of Israel: “When YOUR sons ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 YOU must then let YOUR sons know, saying, ‘On the dry land it was that Israel passed over this Jordan, 23 when Jehovah YOUR God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before them until they had passed over, just as Jehovah YOUR God had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up from before us until we had passed over; 24 in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Jehovah’s hand, that it is strong; in order that YOU may indeed fear Jehovah YOUR God always.’”

5 And it came about that as soon as all the kings of the Amorites, who were on the side of the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until they had passed over, then their hearts began to melt, and there proved to be no spiritedness in them anymore because of the sons of Israel.

2 At that particular time Jehovah said to Joshua: “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel again, the second time.” 3 Accordingly Joshua made flint knives for himself and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 And this was the reason why Joshua did the circumcising: all the people that came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the road when they were coming out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out proved to be circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the road when they were coming out of Egypt they had not circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel had walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation of the men of war who came out of Egypt that did not listen to the voice of Jehovah had come to its finish, to whom Jehovah swore that he would never let them see the land that Jehovah had sworn to their forefathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 And their sons he raised up instead of them. These Joshua circumcised, because they proved to be uncircumcised, for they had not circumcised them on the road.

8 And it came about that when they had completed circumcising all the nation, they kept sitting in their place in the camp until they revived.
9 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off YOU.” So the name of that place came to be called Gilgal until this day.

10 And the sons of Israel continued to camp in Gilgal, and they proceeded to carry out the passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 And they began to eat some of the yield of the land the day after the passover, unfermented cakes and roasted grains, on this same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the following day when they had eaten some of the yield of the land, and manna did not occur anymore for the sons of Israel, and they began to eat some of the produce of the land of Canaan in that year.

13 And it came about when Joshua happened to be by Jericho that he proceeded to raise his eyes and look, and there there was a man standing in front of him with his drawn sword in his hand. So Joshua walked up to him and said to him: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 To this he said: “No, but I—as prince of the army of Jehovah I have now come.” With that Joshua fell on his face to the earth and prostrated himself and said to him: “What is my lord saying to his servant?” 15 In turn the prince of the army of Jehovah said to Joshua: “Draw your sandals from off your feet, because the place on which you are standing is holy.” At once Joshua did so.

6 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the sons of Israel, no one going out and no one entering.

2 And Jehovah went on to say to Joshua: “See, I have given Jericho and its king, the valiant mighty men, into your hand. 3 And all YOU men of war must march round the city, going round the city once. That is the way you should do for six days. 4 And seven priests should carry seven rams’ horns, before the Ark, and on the seventh day YOU should march round the city seven times and the priests should blow the horns. 5 And it must occur that when they sound with the horn of the ram, when YOU hear the sound of the horn, all the people should shout a great war cry; and the wall of the city must fall down flat, and the people must go up, each one straight before him.”

6 Accordingly Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them: “Take up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests should carry seven rams’ horns before the ark of Jehovah.” 7 And he went on to say to the people: “Pass on and march round the city, and the war-equipped force should pass on ahead of the ark of Jehovah.” 8 So it came about just as Joshua said to the people; and seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before Jehovah passed on and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah was following them. 9 And the war-equipped force was going ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard was following the Ark with a continual blowing on the horns.

10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying: “YOU must neither shout nor let YOUR voices be heard, and no word should come out of YOUR mouths until the day when I say to YOU, ‘Shout!’ Then YOU must shout.” 11 And he had the ark of Jehovah go marching round the city, going round once, after which they went to the camp and stayed overnight in the camp.

12 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and the priests went carrying the ark of Jehovah, 13 and seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the ark of Jehovah were walking, continually blowing the horns, and the war-equipped force was walking ahead of them, while the rear guard was following the ark of Jehovah with a continual blowing on the horns. 14 And they went marching round the city on the second day once, after which they returned to the camp. That was the way they did for six days.

15 And it came about on the seventh day that they proceeded to get up early, as soon as the dawn ascended, and they went marching round the city in this manner seven times. Just on that day they marched round the city seven times. 16 And it came about on the seventh time that the priests blew the horns, and Joshua proceeded to say to the people: “Shout; for Jehovah has given YOU the city. 17 And the city must become a thing devoted to destruction; it with everything that is in it belongs to Jehovah. Only Rahab the prostitute may keep on living, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers whom we sent out. 18 As for YOU people, only keep away from the thing devoted to destruction, for fear YOU may get a desire and YOU do take some of the thing devoted to destruction and do constitute the camp of Israel a thing devoted to destruction and bring ostracism upon it. 19 But all the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron are something holy to Jehovah. Into the treasure of Jehovah it should go.”

20 Then the people shouted, when they proceeded to blow the horns. And it came about that as soon as the people heard the sound of the horn and the people began to shout a great war cry, then the wall began to fall down flat. After that the people went up into the city, each one straight before him, and captured the city. 21 And they went devoting all that was in the city, from man to woman, from young man to old man and to bull and sheep and ass, to destruction by the edge of the sword.

22 And to the two men who had done the spying on the land, Joshua said: “Go into the house of the woman, the prostitute, and bring out of there the woman and all who belong to her, just as YOU have sworn to her.” 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all who belonged to her, yes, all her family relationship they brought out; and they proceeded to set them down outside the camp of Israel.

24 And they burned the city with fire and everything that was in it. Only the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron they gave to the treasure of Jehovah’s house. 25 And Rahab the prostitute and the household of her father and all who belonged to her, Joshua preserved alive; and she dwells in the midst of Israel down to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out to spy on Jericho.

26 Then Joshua had an oath pronounced at that particular time, saying: “Cursed may the man be before Jehovah who gets up and does build this city, even Jericho. At the forfeit of his firstborn let him lay the foundation of it, and at the forfeit of his youngest let him put up its doors.”

27 So Jehovah proved to be with Joshua, and his fame came to be in all the earth.