Old Testament · History

Joshua chapter 7

But the Israelites with the things . Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of what had been set apart for destruction. And against the Israelites.Joshua sent men from Jericho to , which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel. He told them, “Go up and scout out the land.” So the men went up and scouted Ai.They came back to Joshua and said, “Don’t send the whole army up there. Two or three thousand men should be enough to take Ai. Don’t wear out the whole army — there aren’t that many people there.”So about three thousand men went up, but they were routed by the men of Ai.The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them, chasing them from the city gate all the way to and cutting them down on the slopes. The people’s .Joshua and fell facedown on the ground before Yahweh’s , staying there until evening — he and the elders of Israel. They threw dust on their heads.And Joshua said, “Oh, ! Why did you bring this people across the Jordan at all — just to hand us over to the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been willing to stay on the other side of the Jordan!”Please, my Master — what can I even say, now that Israel has turned and run from its enemies?The Canaanites and everyone else living in the land will hear about this. They’ll surround us and wipe our name off the earth. Then what will you do for ?Yahweh said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there on your face?”“Israel has I commanded them to keep. They have taken things that were set apart for destruction. They have stolen. They have lied about it. They have hidden the stolen goods among their own belongings.”“That’s why the Israelites can’t stand against their enemies. They turn and run because . I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things that were set apart for destruction from among you.”“Get up! Make the people for tomorrow. Tell them: ‘Make yourselves ready and set apart, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this: There are things set apart for destruction hidden among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.’”“In the morning, come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe will come forward clan by clan. The clan Yahweh selects will come forward family by family. The family Yahweh selects will come forward man by man.”“Whoever is caught with the things set apart for destruction will be burned with fire — he and everything he has — because he broke Yahweh’s covenant and in Israel.”Early the next morning, Joshua had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward family by family, and Zabdi was selected.He had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected.Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, , the God of Israel, and to him. Tell me what you did. Don’t hide anything from me.”Achan answered Joshua, “It’s true. I’m the one who has failed Yahweh, the God of Israel. Here’s exactly what I did:”“I saw among the plunder a beautiful , two hundred of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. . They’re hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. There it was — hidden inside his tent, with the silver underneath.They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and .Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent — everything he had — and brought them up to the .Joshua said, “Why have you on us? Yahweh brings disaster on you today!” Then all Israel . They burned everything with fire and stoned them with stones.They raised a large pile of stones over him that . Then Yahweh . That is why that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.