Joshua 6

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Now, Jericho had shut and barricaded its gates (against the Israelites): no one came out and no onewent in.	1 Now Jericho was closed as well as fortified, out of fear of the sons of Israel, and no one dared to depart or to enter.
2 Yahweh then said to Joshua, 'Look, I am putting Jericho, its picked troops and its king, at your mercy.	2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and all the strong men.
3 Al you warriors must march round the city (go right round the city once, doing the same on sixsuccessive days.	3 Have all the warriors circle the city once each day; you shall do so for six days.
4 Seven priests must carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark. On the seventh day, you wil goseven times round the city and the priests wil blow their trumpets).	4 Then, on the seventh day, the priests shall take the seven trumpets, which are used on the jubilee, and they shall precede the ark of the covenant. And you shall circle the city seven times, and the priests shall sound the trumpets.
5 When the ram's horn sounds (when you hear the sound of the trumpet), the entire people must utter amighty war cry and the city wall wil col apse then and there; the people wil then go into the assault, each manstraight ahead.'	5 And when the voice of the trumpet sounds longer and with interruptions, and it increases in your ears, then all the people shall cry out together with a very great shout, and the walls of the city shall fall to the foundation, and they shall enter it, each from a place opposite where they are standing.”
6 Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, 'Take up the ark of the covenant, and letseven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets ahead of the ark of Yahweh.'	6 Then Joshua, the son of Nun, called the priests, and he said to them, “Take the ark of the covenant, and let seven other priests take the seven trumpets of the jubilee, and advance before the ark of the Lord.”
7 To the people he then said, 'Forward! March round the city, and let the vanguard march ahead of theark of Yahweh!'	7 He also said to the people, “Go, and circle the city, armed, preceding the ark of the Lord.”
8 (Everything was done as Joshua had given orders to the people.) Seven priests, carrying seven ram's-horn trumpets ahead of Yahweh, moved forward blowing their trumpets; the ark of the covenant of Yahwehcame behind them,	8 And when Joshua had finished his words, and the seven priests sounded the seven trumpets before the ark of the covenant of the Lord,
9 the vanguard marched ahead of the priests, who blew their trumpets, the rearguard fol owed behind theark; the men marched, the trumpets sounded.	9 and all the armed soldiers went ahead, the remainder of the common people followed the ark, and the sound of the trumpets grew louder everywhere.
10 Joshua had given the people the fol owing orders, 'Do not raise a war cry, do not let your voice be heard (not a word must pass your lips), until the day when I say, "Raise the war cry." That is when you mustraise the war cry.'	10 But Joshua had instructed the people, saying, “You shall not cry out, nor shall your voice be heard, and no word at all shall proceed from your mouth, until the day arrives on which I will say to you, ‘Cry out, and shout.’ ”
11 He made the ark go round the city (going round it once), then they went back to camp, where theyspent the night.	11 Thus, the ark of the Lord circled the city once each day, and returning to the camp, it remained there.
12 Joshua got up early, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh.	12 And so, with Joshua, arising in the night, the priests took the ark of the Lord,
13 Carrying the seven ram's-horn trumpets, the seven priests walked ahead of the ark of Yahweh,blowing their trumpets as they went, while the vanguard marched ahead of them and the rearguard behind theark of Yahweh, and the march went on to the sound of the trumpet.	13 and seven of them took the seven trumpets, which are used in the jubilee, and they preceded the ark of the Lord, walking and sounding the trumpets. And the armed men went before them, and the remainder of the common people followed the ark, and they were blaring the trumpets.
14 They marched once round the city (on the second day) and went back to camp; and so on for six days.	14 And they circled the city on the second day, once, and they returned to the camp. They did so for six days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched (in the same manner) round the city seventimes. (This was the only day when they marched round the city seven times.)	15 Then, on the seventh day, rising at first light, they circled the city, just as had been ordered, seven times.
16 At the seventh time, the priests blew their trumpets and Joshua said to the people, 'Raise the war cry,for Yahweh has given you the city!	16 And at the seventh circling, when the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua said to all of Israel: “Shout! For the Lord has delivered the city to you.
17 'The city and everyone in it must be devoted to Yahweh under the curse of destruction; the life ofRahab the prostitute alone must be spared, with al those with her in her house, since she hid the messengerswe sent.	17 And let this city be anathema, with all the things that are within it, before the Lord. May only Rahab the harlot live, with all who are with her in the house. For she hid the messengers whom we sent.
18 But beware of the curse of destruction, yourselves, for fear that, moved by greed, you take somethinglying under the curse; that would put the camp of Israel under the same curse and bring disaster on it.	18 But you must be careful that you do not touch any of those things, as you have been instructed, for then you would be guilty of transgression, and all the camp of Israel would be under sin and would be troubled.
19 All the silver and all the gold, everything made of bronze or iron, wil be consecrated to Yahweh andput in his treasury.'	19 But whatever gold and silver there will be, and vessels of brass or of iron, let these be consecrated to the Lord and be stored in his treasuries.”
20 The people raised the war cry, the trumpets sounded. When the people heard the sound of thetrumpet, they raised a mighty war cry and the wal col apsed then and there. At once the people stormed the city,each man going straight forward; and they captured the city.	20 Therefore, with all the people shouting, and the trumpets blaring, after the voice and the sound increased in the ears of the multitude, the walls promptly fell to ruin. And each one climbed up at the place which was opposite where he was. And they seized the city.
21 They enforced the curse of destruction on everyone in the city: men and women, young and old,including the oxen, the sheep and the donkeys, slaughtering them all.	21 And they put to death all who were in it, from man even to woman, from infant even to elder. Likewise, the oxen and sheep and donkeys, they struck down with the edge of the sword.
22 Joshua said to the two men who had reconnoitred the country, 'Go into the prostitute's house, andbring the woman out with al who belong to her, as you swore to her that you would.'	22 But Joshua said to the two men who had been sent to explore, “Enter the house of the harlot woman, and bring her out, and all the things that are hers, just as you assured her by oath.”
23 The young men who had been spies went and brought Rahab out, with her father and mother andbrothers and al who belonged to her. They brought out all her clansmen too, and put them in a place of safetyoutside the camp of Israel.	23 And the youths entered, and they led out Rahab, and her parents, also her brothers, and all her goods and kindred, and they caused them to dwell outside the camp.
24 They burned the city and everything inside it, except the silver, the gold and the things of bronze andiron; these they put into the treasury of Yahweh's house.	24 Then they set fire to the city and all the things that were within it, except the gold and silver, and the vessels of brass or of iron, which they consecrated into the treasury of the Lord.
25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father's family and al who belonged to her, these Joshua spared. She isstill living in Israel even today, for having hidden the messengers whom Joshua sent to reconnoitre Jericho.	25 Yet truly, Joshua caused Rahab the harlot, and her father’s household, and all she had, to survive. And they lived in the midst of Israel, even to the present day. For she hid the messengers, whom he had sent to explore Jericho. At that time, Joshua made an invocation, saying:
26 At that time Joshua made them take this oath before Yahweh: Accursed before Yahweh be the manwho rises up and rebuilds this city (Jericho)! On his first-born wil he lay its foundations, on his youngest son setup its gates!	26 “Cursed before the Lord is the man who will raise up and rebuild the city of Jericho! With his firstborn, may he lay its foundation, and with the last of his children, may he set up its gates.”
27 So Yahweh was with Joshua, whose fame spread throughout the country.	27 And so the Lord was with Joshua, and his name was made known throughout all the land.