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The sin of Achan

7 The Israelites did not obey what Joshua had said about the valuable things that belonged to God. Achan took some of these things for himself. He was Carmi's son, who was the son of Zimri, who was the son of Zerah. They were from the tribe of Judah. The Lord was very angry with the Israelites.

2 Joshua sent some men to go from Jericho to Ai. That is a city near to Beth Aven, and east of Bethel. He said to the men, ‘Go up and look at the land near there secretly.’ So the men went to Ai to see what they could discover. 3 The men came back and they said to Joshua, ‘There are not many men in Ai. Do not send our whole army to attack it. 2,000 or 3,000 men will be enough to take the city.’

4 So about 3,000 Israelite men went to attack Ai. But the men of Ai made them run away. 5 They chased the Israelites away from the gate of the city and they killed about 36 Israelite soldiers. They chased them down the hill as far as Shebarim. They killed the Israelites as they ran down the hill. When the people of Israel heard this, they became very frightened.

6 Joshua was so upset that he tore his clothes. He fell with his face to the ground in front of the Lord 's Covenant Box. He stayed there until evening time, together with the Israelite leaders. They all put dirt on their heads. [ a ] 7 Joshua said, ‘Almighty Lord , why did you ever bring us over the Jordan River? Did you bring us here so that the Amorites could destroy us? It would have been better for us to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Now our army has had to run away from our enemies! Lord, there is nothing more for me to say! 9 The Canaanites and the other tribes who live in this land will hear about what has happened. They will come to attack us and they will completely destroy us all. If that happens, nobody will ever respect your great name again!’

10 The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! Why are you lying there on the ground? 11 Israel has done a bad thing. They have not obeyed the command of the covenant that I made with them. That have taken for themselves some of the valuable things that belong to me. They have taken them and they have tried to deceive me. They have hidden them among their own things. 12 That is why the Israelites are running away from their enemies. They themselves must now be destroyed because they belong to me. If you want me to continue to help you, you must destroy everything that belongs to me. You should not have taken those valuable things for yourselves.

13 So stand up now! Tell the people to make themselves clean. Make yourselves ready! Tomorrow you will come to stand in front of me. I, the Lord God of Israel tell you, “Israelite people, you have kept some of the things that I told you to destroy. You will not win against your enemies until you have removed those things!” 14 In the morning, tell the Israelites to come to me, one tribe at a time. I will choose one tribe. The clans of that tribe will come in front of me, one clan at a time. I will choose one clan. Then the families of that clan will come in front of me, family by family. I will choose one family. Then the men of that family will come to stand in front of me, one by one. 15 Then I will show you which man has taken the things that belong to me. You must kill that man and burn his body. You must kill him and everything that he has, together with all his family. He has done a very bad thing that no Israelite should ever do. He has turned against the covenant that I made with my people.’

16 Early the next morning, Joshua told the tribes to come and stand in front of the Lord . They came one tribe at a time. The Lord chose the tribe of Judah. 17 Then clans of the tribe of Judah came, one clan at a time. The Lord chose Zerah's clan. Families from Zerah's clan then came, one family at a time. The Lord chose Zimri's family. 18 Joshua then made each man from Zimri's family come, one by one. The Lord chose Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zimri, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah.

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, tell the truth, to show that you respect the Lord , Israel's God. Tell me what you have done. Do not try to deceive me.’

20 Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have done a bad thing against the Lord , Israel's God. This is what I have done. 21 I found a beautiful coat from Babylon, and I found 200 silver coins, and a piece of gold that weighed half a kilogram. I wanted them so much that I took them for myself. I hid them in the ground in my tent. The silver coins are under the other things.’

22 So Joshua sent some men to go to Achan's tent. They ran there and they found the things that Achan had hidden. The silver coins were under the other things. 23 The men took the things out from the tent. They brought them to Joshua and all the other Israelites. They put them all on the ground in front of the Lord .

24 Then Joshua and all the people took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver coins, the coat, and the heavy piece of gold. They also took his sons, his daughters, and his cows, sheep and donkeys. They took all his things to Achor valley. [ b ] 25 Joshua said, ‘Why did you cause so much trouble to come to us? The Lord will certainly give you trouble today!’

Then all the Israelites threw stones at him until he died. They also killed his family and they burned all the bodies. 26 They put a big heap of stones over him. They are still there today. That is why the place is still called ‘Trouble Valley’. Then the Lord was not angry with his people any more.

Footnotes

  1. 7:6 When Israelite people were very sad or upset, they tore their clothes and they put dirt on their heads.
  2. 7:24 ‘Achor’ means trouble.

Achan’s Sin

7 But the Israelites did not obey God. There was a man from the tribe of Judah named Achan son of Carmi, grandson of Zimri, great-grandson of Zerah. Achan kept some of the things that should have been destroyed. So the Lord became very angry with the Israelites.

2 After they defeated Jericho, Joshua sent some men to Ai. [ a ] Ai was near Beth Aven, east of Bethel. He told them, “Go to Ai and look for weaknesses in that area.” So the men went to spy on that land.

3 Later, the men came back to Joshua. They said, “Ai is a weak area. We will not need all of our people to defeat them. Send 2000 or 3000 men to fight there. There is no need to use the whole army. There are only a few men there to fight against us.”

4-5 So about 3000 men went to Ai, but the people of Ai killed about 36 men of Israel. And the Israelites ran away. The people of Ai chased them from the city gates all the way to the quarries. [ b ] The people of Ai beat them badly.

When the people from Israel saw this, they became very frightened and lost their courage. 6 When Joshua heard about this, he tore his clothes to show his sadness. He bowed down to the ground before the Holy Box and stayed there until evening. The leaders of Israel did the same thing. They also threw dirt on their heads to show their sadness.

7 Joshua said, “Lord God , you brought our people across the Jordan River. Why did you bring us this far and then allow the Amorites to destroy us? We should have been satisfied and stayed on the other side of the Jordan River. 8 I promise by my life, Lord! There is nothing I can say now. Israel has surrendered to the enemy. 9 The Canaanites and all the other people in this country will hear about what happened. Then they will attack us and kill all of us! Then what will you do to protect your great name?”

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Why are you down there with your face on the ground? Stand up! 11 The Israelites sinned against me. They have broken the agreement that I commanded them to obey. They took some of the things that I commanded them to destroy. They have stolen from me. They have lied. They have taken those things for themselves. 12 That is why the army of Israel turned and ran away from the fight. They did that because they have done wrong. They should be destroyed. I will not continue to help you or be with you unless you destroy everything I commanded you to destroy.

13 “Now go and make the people pure. Tell them, ‘Make yourselves pure. Prepare for tomorrow. The Lord , the God of Israel, says that some people are keeping things that he commanded to be destroyed. You will never be able to defeat your enemies until you throw away those things.

14 “Tomorrow morning you must all stand before the Lord . All the tribes will stand before the Lord , and he will choose one tribe. Only that tribe will stand before him. Then the Lord will choose one family group from that tribe. Only that family group must stand before him. Then he will look at each family in that family group, and the Lord will choose one family. Then he will look at each man in that family. 15 The man who is keeping those things that we should have destroyed will be caught. Then he will be destroyed by fire, and everything that he owns will be destroyed with him. He broke the agreement with the Lord . He has done a very bad thing to the Israelites!”

16 Early the next morning, Joshua led out all the Israelites. Each tribe came forward to stand before the Lord , and he chose the tribe of Judah. 17 So then all the family groups of Judah stood before the Lord , and he chose the Zerah family group. Then all the families of the Zerah group stood before the Lord , and he chose the family of Zimri. 18 Then Joshua told all the men in that family to come before the Lord . He chose Achan the son of Carmi. (Carmi was the son of Zimri. And Zimri was the son of Zerah.)

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “Son, you must honor the Lord , the God of Israel. Praise him and confess your sins to him. Tell me what you did, and don’t try to hide anything from me.”

20 Achan answered, “It is true! I sinned against the Lord , the God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 In Jericho, I saw a beautiful coat from Babylonia, [ c ] about 5 pounds [ d ] of silver, and about a pound [ e ] of gold. I wanted these things for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent. The silver is under the coat.”

22 So Joshua sent some men to the tent. They ran to the tent and found the things hidden there. The silver was under the coat. 23 The men brought the things out of the tent and took them to Joshua and all the Israelites. They threw them on the ground before the Lord .

24 Then Joshua and all the people led Achan son of Zerah to the Valley of Achor. They also took the silver, the coat, the gold, Achan’s sons and daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything he owned. They took all these things to the Valley of Achor with Achan. 25 Then Joshua said, “You caused much trouble for us, but now the Lord will bring trouble to you.” Then all the people threw stones at Achan and his family until they died. Then the people burned them and everything he owned. 26 After they burned Achan, they put many rocks over his body. The rocks are still there today. That is why it is called the Valley of Achor. [ f ] After this the Lord was not angry with the people.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:2 Ai The name of this town means “the ruins.”
  2. Joshua 7:4 quarries Places where people cut stones from the solid rock.
  3. Joshua 7:21 Babylonia Literally, “Shinar,” which may be a form of the name Sumer.
  4. Joshua 7:21 about 5 pounds Literally, “200 shekels” (2.3 kg).
  5. Joshua 7:21 about a pound Literally, “50 shekels” (575 g).
  6. Joshua 7:26 Achor This name means “trouble.”

7 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 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.

Israel Is Defeated at Ai

7 ( A ) But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully regarding the things designated for destruction, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the designated things; therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near ( B ) Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “ [ a ] Go up and spy out the land.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up; have only about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai; do not trouble all the people there, for they are few.” 4 So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but ( C ) they fled [ b ] from the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck and killed about thirty-six of their men, and pursued them [ c ] from the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them on the mountainside; and the ( D ) hearts of the people melted and became like water.

6 Then Joshua ( E ) tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and ( F ) they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Oh, Lord [ d ] God ! Why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan, only to hand us over to the Amorites, to eliminate us? If only we had been willing [ e ] to live beyond the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their [ f ] back before their enemies? 9 ( G ) For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear about it, and they will surround us and eliminate our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?”

10 So the Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned, and ( H ) they have also violated My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things designated for destruction, and have both stolen and kept it a secret. Furthermore, they have also put them among their own things. 12 Therefore the ( I ) sons of Israel cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their [ g ] backs before their enemies, because they have become designated for destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you eliminate from your midst the things designated for destruction. 13 Stand up! ( J ) Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord , the God of Israel, has said this: “ ( K ) There are things designated for destruction in your midst, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you have removed the designated things from your midst.” 14 So in the morning you shall come forward by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which ( L ) the Lord selects by lot shall come forward by families, and the family which the Lord selects shall come forward by households, and the household which the Lord selects shall come forward man by man. 15 And ( M ) it shall be that the one who is selected with the things designated for destruction shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has violated the covenant of the Lord , and because he ( N ) has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

The Sin of Achan

16 So Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel forward by [ h ] tribes, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 So he brought the family of Judah forward, and he selected the family of the Zerahites; then he brought the family of the Zerahites forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected. 18 And he brought his household forward man by man; and ( O ) Achan, son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I implore you, ( P ) give glory to the Lord , the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.” 20 So Achan answered Joshua and said, “Truly, I have sinned against the Lord , the God of Israel, and [ i ] this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoils a beautiful robe from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I ( Q ) wanted them and took them; and behold, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath it. 23 So they took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel; and they [ j ] laid them out before the Lord . 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his [ k ] oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to ( R ) the Valley of [ l ] Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you ( S ) brought disaster on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you this day.” And all Israel stoned [ m ] them with stones; and they burned them with fire [ n ] after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they erected over him a large heap of stones that stands to this day, and the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called ( T ) the Valley of [ o ] Achor to this day.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:2 Lit saying, Go
  2. Joshua 7:4 Lit before
  3. Joshua 7:5 Lit before
  4. Joshua 7:7 Heb YHWH , usually rendered Lord
  5. Joshua 7:7 Lit and had lived
  6. Joshua 7:8 Lit neck
  7. Joshua 7:12 Lit necks
  8. Joshua 7:16 Lit its tribes
  9. Joshua 7:20 Lit thus and thus I did
  10. Joshua 7:23 Lit emptied
  11. Joshua 7:24 Or cattle
  12. Joshua 7:24 I.e., disaster
  13. Joshua 7:25 Lit him
  14. Joshua 7:25 Lit and they stoned
  15. Joshua 7:26 I.e., disaster

Achan’s Sin

7 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things [ a ] ; ( A ) Achan ( B ) son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, [ b ] the son of Zerah, ( C ) of the tribe of Judah, ( D ) took some of them. So the Lord ’s anger burned ( E ) against Israel. ( F )

2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, ( G ) which is near Beth Aven ( H ) to the east of Bethel, ( I ) and told them, “Go up and spy out ( J ) the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, ( K ) 5 who killed about thirty-six ( L ) of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear ( M ) and became like water.

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes ( N ) and fell facedown ( O ) to the ground before the ark of the Lord , remaining there till evening. ( P ) The elders of Israel ( Q ) did the same, and sprinkled dust ( R ) on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord , why ( S ) did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? ( T ) If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. ( U ) What then will you do for your own great name? ( V )

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; ( W ) they have violated my covenant, ( X ) which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, ( Y ) they have put them with their own possessions. ( Z ) 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; ( AA ) they turn their backs ( AB ) and run ( AC ) because they have been made liable to destruction. ( AD ) I will not be with you anymore ( AE ) unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves ( AF ) in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

14 “‘In the morning, present ( AG ) yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses ( AH ) shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things ( AI ) shall be destroyed by fire, ( AJ ) along with all that belongs to him. ( AK ) He has violated the covenant ( AL ) of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’” ( AM )

16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. ( AN ) He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, ( AO ) was chosen. ( AP )

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory ( AQ ) to the Lord , the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell ( AR ) me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

20 Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord , the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder ( AS ) a beautiful robe from Babylonia, [ c ] two hundred shekels [ d ] of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, [ e ] I coveted ( AT ) them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord .

24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons ( AU ) and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. ( AV ) 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble ( AW ) on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, ( AX ) and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. ( AY ) 26 Over Achan they heaped ( AZ ) up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. ( BA ) Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. ( BB ) Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor [ f ] ( BC ) ever since.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 7:1 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord , often by totally destroying them; also in verses 11, 12, 13 and 15.
  2. Joshua 7:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 2:6; Hebrew Zabdi ; also in verses 17 and 18.
  3. Joshua 7:21 Hebrew Shinar
  4. Joshua 7:21 That is, about 5 pounds or about 2.3 kilograms
  5. Joshua 7:21 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
  6. Joshua 7:26 Achor means trouble.