6
1 Now Yericho was closely shut up because of the Bnei Yisroel; none went out, and none came in.
2 And Hashem said unto Yehoshua, See, I have given into thine yad Yericho, and the melech thereof, and the gibborei hechayil. 3 And ye shall march around the Ir, all ye anshei hamilchamah, and go around the Ir once. Thus shalt thou do sheshet yamim. 4 And shivah Kohanim shall bear before the Aron shivah shoferot hayovelim; and the Yom HaShevi'i ye shall march around the Ir sheva times, and the Kohanim shall sound the shoferot. 5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the keren hayovel, when ye hear the sound of the shofar, Kol HaAm shall shout with a teruah gedolah; and the Chomat HaIr shall fall down, and HaAm shall go up every ish charging straight in.
6 And Yehoshua ben Nun called the Kohanim, and said unto them, Take up the Aron HaBrit, and let shivah Kohanim bear shivah shoferot yovelim (seven ram-shofars) before the Aron Hashem. 7 And he ordered HaAm, Pass on, and march on the Ir, and let him that is armed pass on ahead of the Aron Hashem.
8 And it came to pass, when Yehoshua had spoken unto HaAm, that the shivah Kohanim bearing the shivah shoferot hayovelim passed on before Hashem, and sounded the shoferot; and the Aron Brit Hashem followed after them. 9 And the armed men marched ahead of the Kohanim that blew with the shoferot, and the rear guard came after the Aron, with the shoferot of the Kohanim going on sounding.
10 Yehoshua had commanded HaAm, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any davar proceed out of your mouth, until the Yom I tell you to shout; then shall ye shout.
11 So the Aron Hashem circled the Ir, going about it once; and they returned to the machaneh, and spent the night in the machaneh.
12 And Yehoshua rose early in the boker, and the Kohanim took up the Aron Hashem. 13 And shivah kohanim bearing shivah shoferot hayovelim before the Aron Hashem went on continually, and sounded the shoferot; and the armed men went before them; with the rearguard after the Aron Hashem, the Kohanim going on, and sounding the shoferot. 14 And the Yom HaSheni they circled the Ir once, and returned to the machaneh; so they did sheshet yamim. 15 And it came to pass on the Yom HaShevi'i, that they got up early about shachar, circled the Ir after the same manner sheva times; only on that Yom they marched around the Ir sheva pe'amim. 16 And it came to pass on the Shevi'it, when the Kohanim sounded the shoferot, Yehoshua said unto HaAm, Shout; for Hashem hath given you the Ir. 17 And the Ir shall be cherem, even it, and all that are therein, to Hashem; only Rachav the zonah shall live, she and all that are with her in the bais, because she hid the malachim that we sent. 18 And ye, be shomer to keep yourselves from the cherem, lest ye make yourselves cherem, when ye take of the cherem, and make the Machaneh Yisroel cherem, and trouble it. 19 But all the kesef, zahav, and vessels of nechoshet and barzel, are kodesh unto Hashem; they shall come into the Otzar Hashem.
20 So HaAm shouted when the Kohanim sounded the shoferot; and it came to pass, when HaAm heard the kol (sound) of the shofar, and HaAm shouted with a teruah gedolah, that the chomah fell down, so that HaAm went up into the Ir, every ish straight before him, and they took the Ir.
21 And they utterly destroyed* all that was in the Ir, both ish and isha, na'ar and zaken, and shor, and seh, and chamor, with the edge of the cherev.
22 But Yehoshua had said unto the two anashim that had spied out HaAretz, Go into the bais haisha hazonah, and bring out from there the isha, and all that she hath, just as ye swore unto her.
23 And hane'arim (the young men) that were spies went in, and brought out Rachav, and her av, and her em, and her achim, and all that she had; and they brought out all her mishpechot, and put them outside the Machaneh Yisroel. 24 And they burned the Ir with eish, and all that was therein; only the kesef, and the zahav, and the vessels of nechoshet and of barzel (iron), they put into the Otzar Bais Hashem. 25 And Yehoshua saved Rachav the zonah alive, and her Bais Avi, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Yisroel even unto this day; because she hid the malachim, which Yehoshua sent to spy out Yericho.
26 And Yehoshua made them take this shevu'ah, saying, Arur (cursed) be the ish before Hashem, that riseth up and rebuildeth this Ir Yericho; he shall lay the foundation thereof with his bechor, and with his tza'ir (youngest son) shall he set up the delatot (gates) thereof.†
27 So Hashem was with Yehoshua; and his fame was noised throughout kol HaAretz.
* 6:21 devoted as cherem † 6:26 See fulfillment 1Kgs 16:34