The Father Brings Jericho's Walls Down
6 1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites; no one went out and no one came in.
2 Then our Father said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty warriors. 3 March around the city, all you fighting men, circling it once. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry seven rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow the horns. 5 When they sound a long blast on the ram's horn and you hear the trumpet, have all the people give a great shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse flat, and the people will charge straight in, each pressing straight ahead.
6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horns before the ark of our Father."
7 And he said to the people, "Move forward! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on ahead of the ark of our Father."
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns before our Father moved forward, blowing the horns, and the ark of the covenant of our Father followed behind them. 9 The armed men marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark while the horns kept sounding.
10 But Joshua commanded the people, "Do not shout or let your voice be heard, and do not let a single word leave your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you will shout." 11 So he had the ark of our Father circle the city, going around it once. Then they returned to the camp and spent the night there. 12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took up the ark of our Father. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams' horns before the ark of our Father marched on, blowing the horns continually. The armed men went ahead of them, and the rear guard followed the ark of our Father while the horns kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city in the usual way, except that on this day they circled it seven times. 16 On the seventh time around, as the priests blew the horns, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For our Father has given you the city. 17 The city and everything in it are to be devoted to our Father for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house will live, because she hid the messengers we sent. 1 1 v17 Devoted to our Father for destruction means everything was completely given over to God by being destroyed — no plunder could be taken for personal use. 18 But stay away from everything set apart for destruction, or you will bring destruction on yourselves by taking any of it, putting the whole camp of Israel in danger of destruction and bringing trouble on it. 19 But all the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are holy to our Father; they must go into his treasury.
20 So the people shouted as the priests blew the horns. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they let out a great shout, and the wall collapsed flat. The people charged straight into the city, each pressing straight ahead, and they captured it. 21 They devoted to destruction everything in the city—men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys—with the edge of the sword. 2 2 v21 The devoting of Jericho to destruction is one of Scripture's hardest scenes: our Father's long-withheld judgment on a society given to cruelty and child sacrifice. Even here his mercy reaches out, rescuing Rahab and her whole household—the outsider who turned to him in faith. 22 Now Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out, along with all who belong to her, just as you swore to her." 23 So the young men who had served as spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then they burned the city and everything in it. But they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the house of our Father. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father's household and all who belonged to her. She has lived among the Israelites to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 At that time Joshua made them swear this oath: "Cursed before our Father is the one who rises up to rebuild this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates." 27 So our Father was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.