Joshua 7
1 But the
children of
Israel committed a
trespass in the accursed
thing: for
Achan, the
son of
Carmi, the
son of
Zabdi, the
son of
Zerah, of the
tribe of
Judah, took of the accursed
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 Bethaven, on the east
side of
Bethel, and
spake unto them,
saying, Go
up and
view the
country. And the
men went
up and
viewed Ai. 3 And they
returned to
Joshua, and
said unto him, Let not all the
people go
up; but let about two or
three thousand men go
up and
smite Ai; and make not all the
people to
labour thither; for they are but
few. 4 So there went
up thither 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 and
six men: for they
chased them from
before the
gate even unto
Shebarim, and
smote them in the going
down: wherefore the
hearts of the
people melted, and became as
water. 6 And
Joshua rent his
clothes, and
fell to the
earth upon his
face before the
ark of the
LORD until the
eventide, he and the
elders of
Israel, and
put dust upon their
heads. 7 And
Joshua said, Alas,
O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at
all brought this
people over Jordan, to
deliver us into the
hand of the
Amorites, to
destroy us? would to
God we had been
content, and
dwelt on the other
side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I
say,
when Israel turneth their
backs before their
enemies!
9 For the
Canaanites and all the
inhabitants of the
land shall
hear of it, and shall environ us
round, and cut
off our
name from the
earth: and what wilt thou
do unto thy
great name? 10 And the
LORD said unto
Joshua, Get thee
up; wherefore
liest thou thus upon thy
face? 11 Israel hath
sinned, and they have also
transgressed my
covenant which I
commanded them: for they have even
taken of the accursed
thing, and have also
stolen, and
dissembled also, and they have
put it even among their own
stuff. 12 Therefore the
children of
Israel could not
stand before their
enemies, but
turned their
backs before their
enemies, because they were
accursed: neither will I be with you any
more,
except ye
destroy the
accursed from
among you.
13 Up,
sanctify the
people, and
say,
Sanctify yourselves against to
morrow: for thus
saith the
LORD God of
Israel, There is an accursed
thing in the
midst of thee, O
Israel: thou
canst not
stand before thine
enemies, until ye take
away the accursed
thing from
among you.
14 In the
morning therefore ye shall be
brought according to your
tribes: and it shall be, that the
tribe which the
LORD taketh shall
come according to the
families thereof; and the
family which the
LORD shall
take shall
come by
households; and the
household which the
LORD shall
take shall
come man by
man. 15 And it shall be, that he that is
taken with the accursed
thing shall be
burnt with
fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath
transgressed the
covenant of the
LORD, and because he hath
wrought folly in
Israel. 16 So
Joshua rose up
early in the
morning, and
brought Israel by their
tribes; and the
tribe of
Judah was
taken:
17 And he
brought the
family of
Judah; and he
took the
family of the
Zarhites: and he
brought the
family of the
Zarhites man by
man; and
Zabdi was
taken:
18 And he
brought his
household 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 unto
Achan, My
son, give, I pray thee,
glory to the
LORD God of
Israel, and
make confession unto him; and
tell me now what thou hast
done;
hide it not from me.
20 And
Achan answered Joshua, and
said,
Indeed I have
sinned against the
LORD God of
Israel, and thus 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
hid in the
earth in the
midst of my
tent, and the
silver under it.
22 So
Joshua sent messengers, and they
ran unto the
tent; and, behold, it was
hid in his
tent, and the
silver under it.
23 And 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 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
oxen, and his
asses, and his
sheep, and his
tent, and all that he had: and they
brought them unto the
valley of
Achor. 25 And
Joshua said,
Why hast thou
troubled us? the
LORD shall
trouble thee 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 unto this
day. So the
LORD turned from the
fierceness of his
anger. Wherefore the
name of that
place was
called, The
valley of
Achor, unto this
day.