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.
7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which [is] beside
Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spoke to them,
saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and
viewed Ai.
7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said to 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 labor thither;
for they [are but] few.
7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand
men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men:
for they chased them [from] before the gate [even] to Shebarim,
and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water.
7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his
face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, he and the
elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD GOD, why hast thou at all
brought this people over Jordan, 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 Jordan.
7:8 O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turn their backs
before their enemies!
7:9 For the Canaanites, and all the inhabitants of the land will
hear [of it], and will environ us, and cut off our name from
the earth: and what wilt thou do to thy great name?
7:10 And the LORD said to Joshua, Arise; Why liest thou thus
upon thy face?
7:11 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 goods.
7:12 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.
7:13 Rise, 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 thy enemies, until ye take away the
accursed thing from among you.
7:14 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 their families: 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.
7:15 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.
7:16 So Joshua rose early in the morning, and brought Israel by
their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
7:17 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:
7:18 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.
7:19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory
to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell
me now what thou hast done, hide [it] not from me.
7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned
against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.
7:21 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.
7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and
behold, [it was] hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
7:23 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.
7:24 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 to the valley of Achor.
7:25 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.
7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this
day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger:
wherefore the name of that place was called the valley of Achor
to this day.
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