behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And 145 they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah. 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 oxen, 150 and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had : and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And 155 they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So 5 Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of 2 Achor, unto this day. LESSON XXIX AI AND GIBEON JOSHUA 8.1 to 9.27 8.1. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: and thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it. So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and 10 sent them away by night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready and I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that 15 we will flee before them, (for they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first therefore we will flee before them. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon 2 Achor means "Troubling." the city for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set 20 the city on fire: according to the commandment of Jehovah shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. Joshua therefore sent them forth and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 25 8.10. And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there 30 was a valley between them and Ai. And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that 35 night into the midst of the valley. And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, to the place appointed, before the 1 Arábah; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the 40 city. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, 45 that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. And the ambush arose quickly 50 out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this 55 way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. And when Joshua and all : 1 For the Arábah see note on page 105. three days, until the pursuers were returned and the pursuers 85 sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them and they said unto Joshua, Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even 90 all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. 3.1. And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the camp; and 95 they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the 1ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the 100 way by which ye must go for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you. And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of 105 the covenant, and went before the people. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the 110 brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 3.9. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God. And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the 115 Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 120 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan 1 The ark goes first in the march. See Numbers 10.33. shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and 125 the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) that the waters which came down from above stood and 130 rose up upon an heap far off, by the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan and those that came down toward the sea of the 2 Arábah, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry 135 ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. 4.1. And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 140 and command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of 145 the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: that this may be a sign among you, that when 150 your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children 155 of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as Jehovah spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And 160 2 The Arábah is the deep valley which contains the southern part of the Jordan, and the Dead Sea, and runs southwards from the Dead Sea. Jehovah spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bare the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pass, when the priests that bare 165 the ark of the covenant of Jehovah were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. LESSON XXVIII JERICHO AND ACHAN JOSHUA 6.1 to 7.26 : 6.1. Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall 5 compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to Io pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Jehovah. And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of Jehovah. And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto 20 the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before Jehovah, and blew with the trumpets and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the 25 priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And Joshua 15 |