Joshua 4-6

21st Century King James Version

4 And it came to pass, when all the people had clean passed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying,

² “Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

³ and command ye them, saying, ‘Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones; and ye shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where ye shall lodge this night.’”

⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

⁵ And Joshua said unto them, “Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

⁶ that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What mean ye by these stones?’

⁷ then ye shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord: when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.”

⁸ And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord spoke unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

⁹ And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there unto this day.

¹⁰ For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over.

¹¹ And it came to pass, when all the people had clean passed over, that the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

¹² And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke unto them.

¹³ About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord unto battle to the plains of Jericho.

¹⁴ On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

¹⁵ And the Lord spoke unto Joshua, saying,

¹⁶ “Command the priests who bear the ark of the Testimony that they come up out of the Jordan.”

¹⁷ Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come ye up out of the Jordan.”

¹⁸ And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.

¹⁹ And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.

²⁰ And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

²¹ And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying, “When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What mean these stones?’

²² then ye shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.’

²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you until ye had passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us until we had gone over,

²⁴ that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.”

5 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the side of the Jordan westward and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had passed over, that their heart melted; neither was there spirit in them any more because of the children of Israel.

² At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, “Make thee sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.”

³ And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins [or, Gibeahhaaraloth].

⁴ And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way after they came out of Egypt.

⁵ Now all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness on the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

⁶ For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord. Unto these the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord swore unto their fathers that He would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

⁷ And their children, whom He raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way.

⁸ And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp till they were whole.

⁹ And the Lord said unto Joshua, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal [that is, Rolling] unto this day.

¹⁰ And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹ And they ate of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn on the selfsame day.

¹² And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³ And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him and said unto him, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?”

¹⁴ And he said, “Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord have I now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said unto him, “What saith my lord unto his servant?”

¹⁵ And the captain of the Lord’S host said unto Joshua, “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” And Joshua did so.

6 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

² And the Lord said unto Joshua, “See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof and the mighty men of valor.

³ And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

⁴ And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns; and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

⁵ And it shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.”

⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”

⁷ And he said unto the people, “Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord and blew with the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them.

⁹ And the armed men went before the priests who blew with the trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

¹⁰ And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “Ye shall not shout nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I bid you shout. Then shall ye shout.”

¹¹ So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once; and they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

¹² And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord.

¹³ And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets.

¹⁴ And the second day they compassed the city once and returned into the camp. So they did six days.

¹⁵ And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city in the same manner seven times. Only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, “Shout! For the Lord hath given you the city.

¹⁷ And the city shall be accursed, even it and all who are therein, to the Lord. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

¹⁸ And ye, in all ways keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it.

¹⁹ But all the silver and gold and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the Lord. They shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

²⁰ So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him; and they took the city.

²¹ And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

²² But Joshua had said unto the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out from thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her.”

²³ And the young men who were spies went in and brought Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred and left them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ And they burned the city with fire and all that was therein. Only the silver and the gold and the vessels of brass and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.

²⁵ And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶ And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.”

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the country.