Hello, this is Father Paul and I'm glad we're taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year.
Today's reading is from Joshua chapters 6 through 8.
Chapter 6
Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel.
None went out and none came in.
And the LORD said to Joshua, See I have given Jericho into your hand, its king and the mighty
men of valor.
You shall march around the city, all you men of war.
You shall go all around the city once.
This you shall do six days.
And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark.
But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall
blow the trumpets.
It shall come to pass when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear
the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout.
Then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight
before him.
When Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant,
and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the LORD.
And he said to the people, Proceed and march around the city, and let him who is armed
advance before the ark of the LORD.
So it was when Joshua had spoken to the people that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets
of ram's horns before the LORD advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant
of the LORD followed them.
The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came
after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets.
Now Joshua had commanded the people saying, You shall not shout or make any noise with
your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, Shout,
then you shall shout.
So he had the ark of the LORD circle the city, going around at once.
Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD.
Then the seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the LORD
went on continually and blew with the trumpets, and the armed men went before them.
But the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD, while the priests continued blowing
the trumpets.
And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp, so they
did six days.
But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the
day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner.
On that day only they marched around the city seven times.
And the seventh time it happened when the priests blew the trumpets that Joshua said
to the people, Shout, for the LORD has given you the city.
Now the city shall be doomed by the LORD to destruction.
It and all who are in it, only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in
the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
And you by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you
take off the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it.
But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD.
They shall come into the treasury of the LORD.
So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets, and it happened when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout that the wall fell
down flat.
Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the
city.
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old,
ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, Go into the harlot's
house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.
And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her
brother, her brothers, and all that she had.
So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel.
But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire.
Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury
of the house of the LORD.
And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's household, and all that she had.
So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to
spy out Jericho.
Then Joshua charged them at that time saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, who rises
up and builds this city Jericho.
He shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its
gates.
So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.
Chapter 7 But the children of Israel committed a trespass
regarding the accursed things.
For Akon the son of Karmé, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took
of the accursed things, so the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-Avin, on the east side of Bethel,
and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the country.
So the men went up and spied out Ai.
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 attack Ai.
Do not worry all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.
So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the
men of Ai.
And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the
gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent.
Therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Then Joshua tore his clothes and felt the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD
until evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.
And Joshua said, Alas, LORD GOD, why have you brought these people over the Jordan at
all, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?
O that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
O LORD, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies?
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us
and cut off our name from the earth.
Then what will you do for your great name?
So the LORD said to Joshua, Get up, why do you lie thus on your face?
Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them, for they
have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived, and they
have also put it among their own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their
backs before their enemies because they have become doomed to destruction.
Neither will I be with you any more unless you destroy the accursed from among you.
Get up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says
the LORD God of Israel, there is an accursed thing in your midst.
O Israel, you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from
among you.
In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes, and it shall be
that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come according to families, and the family
which the LORD takes shall come by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall
come man by man.
And it shall be that he who 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, and because he has
done a disgraceful thing in Israel.
So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah
was taken.
He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zareites, and he brought
the family of the Zareites man by man, and Zabdi was taken.
Then he brought his household man by man, and Akon the son of Karmie the son of Zabdi,
the son of Zareite of the tribe of Judah was taken.
Now Joshua said to Akon, My son, I beg you, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and
make confession to him, and tell me now what you have done, do not hide it from me.
And Akon answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel,
and this is what I have done.
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and
a wedge of gold, weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them, and took them.
And there they are, hidden in the earth, in the midst of my tent, with the silver under
it.
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his
tent with the silver under it.
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.
Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Akon the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment,
the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent,
and all that he had, and they brought them to the valley of Akor.
And Joshua said, Why have you troubled us?
The LORD will trouble you this day.
So all Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire, after they had
stoned them with stones.
Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day.
So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger.
Therefore the name of that place has been called the valley of Akor to this day.
And the LORD said to Joshua, Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed.
Take all the people of war with you, and arise and go to Ai.
See I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
And you shall do to Ai and its king, as you did to Jericho and its king.
Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves, lay an ambush for
the city behind it.
So Joshua arose and all the people of war to go up against Ai.
And Joshua chose thirty thousand mighty men of valor and sent them away by night.
And he commanded them, saying, Behold you shall lay an ambush against the city, behind
the city.
Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city, and it will come about
when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.
For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city.
For they will say they are fleeing before us as at the first.
Therefore we will flee before them.
Then you shall rise from the ambush and seize the city.
For the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
And it will be when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire.
According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do, see I have commanded you.
Joshua therefore sent them out.
And they went to lie in ambush and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of
Ai.
But Joshua lodged that night among the people.
Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people and went up.
He and the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.
And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near.
And they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai.
Now a valley lay between them and Ai.
So he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai on the
west side of the city.
And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north side of the city
and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the
valley.
And what happened when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose
early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place
before the plain.
But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the way
of the wilderness.
So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them.
And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel.
So they left the city open and pursued Israel.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai,
for I will give it into your hand.
And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.
So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place.
They ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand and they entered the city and took it,
and hurried to set the city on fire.
And when the men of Ai looked behind them they saw, and behold the smoke of the city
ascended to heaven.
So they had no power to flee this way or that way.
And the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.
Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke
of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.
Then the others came out of the city against them, so they were caught in the midst of
Israel, some on this side and some on that side.
And they struck them down so that they let none of them remain or escape.
But the king of Ai they took alive and brought him to Joshua.
And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in
the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the
edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and
struck it with the edge of the sword.
So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand, all the
people of Ai.
For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he
had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves according
to the word of the Lord which he had commanded Joshua.
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening.
And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from
the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap
of stones that remains to this day.
Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant
of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel as it is written in the book of the
law of Moses, an altar of whole stones over which no man has yielded an iron tool.
And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.
And there in the presence of the children of Israel he wrote on the stones a copy of
the law of Moses which he had written.
Then all Israel with their elders and officers and judges stood on either side of the ark
before the priests, the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger
as well as he who was born among them.
Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as
Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before that they should bless the people of
Israel.
And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings according
to all that is written in the book of the law.
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before
all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones and the strangers who were
living among them.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.