Josué 7

¹ The children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things: 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 Jehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.

² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Bethel. He spoke to them: »Go up and spy on the country.« And the men went up and spied on Ai.

³ They returned to Joshua, and said: »Do not send all the people. Send about two or three thousand men to Ai to go up and capture Ai. Do not bother all the people for there are only a few there.«

⁴ So about three thousand men left the people. The men of Ai routed them.

⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them: for they chased them going down from before the gate to Shebarim. The heart of the people melted, and became as water. The Israelites lost their courage and were afraid

⁶ And Joshua ripped his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of Jehovah until evening. He threw dust on his head. The elders of Israel did the same.

⁷ Joshua said: »Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people across the Jordan. Was it to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Would to God we had been content to dwell on the other side of the Jordan!

⁸ »O Jehovah, what shall I say, when Israel turned their backs before its enemies!

⁹ »For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and will surround us and cut our name off from the earth. What will you do for your great name?«

¹⁰ Jehovah said to Joshua: »You get up! Why are you on your face?

¹¹ »Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things and put them in their own possessions.

¹² »Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They ran from their enemies, because they were accursed. I will not be with you any more until you destroy the devoted things you have among you.

¹³ »Get up and sanctify the people. Say: ‘Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says: »There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel: You cannot stand before you enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.«

¹⁴ »‘»In the morning assemble by tribe. The tribe Jehovah picks will come forward family by family and man by man.

¹⁵ »‘»He that has take the devoted things shall be burned in the fire, along with all that he owns. He has transgressed the covenant of Jehovah. He has committed a disgraceful thing 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 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 Joshua said to Achan: »My son, give glory to Jehovah God of Israel and confess to him. Tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.«

²⁰ Achan answered Joshua: »Indeed I have sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel. This I have done.

²¹ »When I saw among the spoils a quality Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them. I hid them in the earth in the middle of my tent.«

²² So Joshua sent messengers to the tent and found it and the silver.

²³ They took them out of the middle of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before Jehovah.

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 Joshua said: »Why have you troubled us? Jehovah will trouble you this day.« All Israel stoned them with stones. After they stoned them they burned them with fire.

²⁶ They raised over them a great heap of stones that is there to this day. So Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. The name of that place was called, the Valley of Achor, to this day.