1 Yericho had completely barricaded its gates against the people of Isra’el — no one left, and no one entered.
2 Adonaisaid to Y’hoshua, “I have handed Yericho over to you, including its king and his warriors.
3 You are to encircle the city with all your soldiers and march around it once. Do this for six days.
4 Sevencohanimare to carry sevenshofars in front of the ark. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, and thecohanimwill blow theshofars.
5 Then they are to blow a long blast on theshofar. On hearing the sound of theshofar, all the people are to shout as loudly as they can; and the wall of the city will fall down flat. Then the people are to go up into the city, each one straight from where he stands.”
6 Y’hoshua the son of Nun called thecohanimand told them, “Take up the ark for the covenant, and have sevencohanimcarry sevenshofars ahead of the ark ofAdonai.”
7 To the people he said, “Move on, encircle the city, and have the army march ahead of the ark ofAdonai.”
8 When Y’hoshua had spoken to the people, the sevencohanimcarrying the sevenshofars beforeAdonaipassed on and blew on theshofars, with the ark for the covenant ofAdonaifollowing them.
9 The fighting men went ahead of thecohanimblowing theshofars, while the rearguard marched after the ark, with incessant blowing on theshofars.
10 Y’hoshua gave this order to the people: “Don’t shout, don’t let your voice be heard, don’t let a single word out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout; then you will shout.”
11 So he had the ark ofAdonaimake a circle around the city, going around it once; then they returned to camp and stayed in the camp.
12 The next morning Y’hoshua got up early, and thecohanimtook up the ark ofAdonai.
13 The sevencohanimcarrying the sevenshofars ahead of the ark ofAdonaiwent on, continually blowing on theirshofars, with the fighting men marching ahead of them and the rearguard following after the ark ofAdonai; all the while the blowing on theshofars was incessant.
14 The second day, they went around the city once and returned to camp. They did the same for six days.
15 On the seventh day, they got up early, at sunrise, and went around the city in the same way seven times. That was the only day they encircled the city seven times.
16 The seventh time, when thecohanimblew on theirshofars, Y’hoshua said to the people, “Shout! becauseAdonaihas given you the city!
17 But the city and everything in it is to be set aside forAdonaiand therefore to be destroyed completely; only Rachav the prostitute is to be spared, she and everyone with her in her house, because she hid the messengers we sent.
18 So you, keep clear of everything reserved for destruction. If you bring a curse on yourselves by taking anything set aside to be destroyed, you will bring a curse on the whole camp of Isra’el and cause great distress there.
19 All the silver and gold, and all the brass and iron utensils are to be separated out forAdonaiand added to the treasury ofAdonai.”
20 So the people shouted, with theshofars blowing. When the people heard the sound of theshofars, the people let out a great shout; and the wall fell down flat; so that the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead of him; and they captured the city.
21 They completely destroyed everything in the city with the sword — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22 Y’hoshua said to the two men who had reconnoitered the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out with all that she has, as you swore to her.”
23 The young men, the spies, went in and brought out Rachav with her father, mother, brothers and all she had; they brought out all her relatives and put them safely outside the camp of Isra’el.
24 Then they burned the city to ashes with everything in it, except for the silver, the gold and the brass and iron utensils, which they put in the treasury of the house ofAdonai.
25 But Y’hoshua spared Rachav the prostitute, her father’s household and everything she had; and she has continued living with Isra’el from then until now; because she hid the messengers Y’hoshua had sent to reconnoiter Yericho.
26 Y’hoshua then made the people take this oath: “A curse beforeAdonaion anyone who rises up and rebuilds this city of Yericho: he will lay its foundation with the loss of his firstborn son and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son.”
27 SoAdonaiwas with Y’hoshua, and people heard about him throughout the land.