Discovery BoxJoshua 1:1--9:27
Context1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! 1 Cross the Jordan River! 2 Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. 3 1:3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses. 4 1:4 Your territory will extend from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) 5 and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea 6 in the west. 7 1:5 No one will be able to resist you 8 all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 1:6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 9 1:7 Make sure you are 10 very strong and brave! Carefully obey 11 all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! 12 Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful 13 in all you do. 14 1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! 15 You must memorize it 16 day and night so you can carefully obey 17 all that is written in it. Then you will prosper 18 and be successful. 19 1:9 I repeat, 20 be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, 21 for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” 22
1:10 Joshua instructed 23 the leaders of the people: 1:11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your supplies, for within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to you.’” 24
1:12 Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh: 1:13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you. 25 The Lord your God is giving you a place to settle and is handing this land over to you. 26 1:14 Your wives, children and cattle may stay in the land that Moses assigned to you east of the Jordan River. But all you warriors must cross over armed for battle ahead of your brothers. 27 You must help them 1:15 until the Lord gives your brothers a place like yours to settle and they conquer the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to them. Then you may go back to your allotted land and occupy the land Moses the Lord’s servant assigned you east of the Jordan.” 28
1:16 They told Joshua, “We will do everything you say. We will go wherever you send us. 1:17 Just as we obeyed 29 Moses, so we will obey you. But 30 may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses! 1:18 Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands will be executed. 31 But 32 be strong and brave!”
2:1 Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: 33 “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.” 34 They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. 35 2:2 The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well! 36 Israelite men have come here tonight 37 to spy on the land.” 2:3 So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab: 38 “Turn over 39 the men who came to you 40 – the ones who came to your house 41 – for they have come to spy on the whole land!” 2:4 But the woman hid the two men 42 and replied, “Yes, these men were clients of mine, 43 but I didn’t know where they came from. 2:5 When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. 44 I don’t know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!” 2:6 (Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out 45 on the roof.) 2:7 Meanwhile 46 the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River 47 near the fords. 48 The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them. 49
2:8 Now before the spies 50 went to sleep, Rahab 51 went up 52 to the roof. 2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. 53 We are absolutely terrified of you, 54 and all who live in the land are cringing before 55 you. 56 2:10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. 57 2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. 58 For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. 59 Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. 60 Give me a solemn pledge 61 2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us 62 from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you 63 die, may we die too! 64 If you do not report what we’ve been up to, 65 then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance 66 to you.” 67
2:15 Then Rahab 68 let them down by a rope 69 through the window. (Her 70 house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.) 71 2:16 She told them, “Head 72 to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t find you. 73 Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you 74 to return. Then you can be on your way.” 2:17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met: 75 2:18 When we invade the land 76 , tie this red rope 77 in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house. 78 2:19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death – we are innocent in that case! 79 But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible. 80 2:20 If you should report what we’ve been up to, 81 we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.” 2:21 She said, “I agree to these conditions.” 82 She sent them on their way 83 and then tied the red rope in the window. 2:22 They went 84 to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them 85 to return. Their pursuers 86 looked all along the way but did not find them. 87 2:23 Then the two men returned – they came down from the hills, crossed the river, 88 came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. 2:24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us! 89 All who live in the land are cringing before us!” 90
3:1 Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan. 91 They camped there before crossing the river. 92 3:2 After three days the leaders went through the camp 3:3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God 93 being carried by the Levitical priests, you must leave here 94 and walk 95 behind it. 3:4 But stay about three thousand feet behind it. 96 Keep your distance 97 so you can see 98 which way you should go, for you have not traveled this way before.”
3:5 Joshua told the people, “Ritually consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform miraculous deeds among you.” 3:6 Joshua told the priests, “Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
3:7 The Lord told Joshua, “This very day I will begin to honor you before all Israel 99 so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. 3:8 Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, ‘When you reach the bank of the Jordan River, 100 wade into the water.’” 101
3:9 Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God!” 3:10 Joshua continued, 102 “This is how you will know the living God is among you and that he will truly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 3:11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Ruler 103 of the whole earth is ready to enter the Jordan ahead of you. 3:12 Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe. 3:13 When the feet 104 of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Ruler 105 of the whole earth, touch 106 the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.” 107
3:14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went 108 ahead of them. 3:15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface 109 of the water – (the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time) 110 – 3:16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. 111 It piled up far upstream 112 at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). 113 The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. 114 3:17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side. 115
4:1 When the entire nation was on the other side, 116 the Lord told Joshua, 4:2 “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. 4:3 Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests 117 stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”
4:4 Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. 4:5 Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. 4:6 The stones 118 will be a reminder to you. 119 When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ 4:7 tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing 120 before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing. 121 These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”
4:8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones 122 in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.
4:10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly, 4:11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed as the people looked on. 123 4:12 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. 4:13 About forty thousand battle-ready troops 124 marched past the Lord to fight 125 on the plains of Jericho. 126 4:14 That day the Lord brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected 127 him all his life, 128 just as they had respected 129 Moses.
4:15 The Lord told Joshua, 4:16 “Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws 130 to come up from the Jordan.” 4:17 So Joshua instructed the priests, “Come up from the Jordan!” 4:18 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land, 131 the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage. 132
4:19 The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month 133 and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 134 4:20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the 135 twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 4:21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’ 136 4:22 explain 137 to your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River 138 on dry ground.’ 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it. 139 4:24 He has done this so 140 all the nations 141 of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power 142 and so you might always obey 143 the Lord your God.”
5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they 144 crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. 145
5:2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.” 146 5:3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites on the Hill of the Foreskins. 147 5:4 This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt. 148 5:5 Now 149 all the men 150 who left were circumcised, but all the sons 151 born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised. 5:6 Indeed, for forty years the Israelites traveled through the desert until all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt, the ones who had disobeyed the Lord, died off. 152 For the Lord had sworn a solemn oath to them that he would not let them see the land he had sworn on oath to give them, 153 a land rich in 154 milk and honey. 5:7 He replaced them with their sons, 155 whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way. 5:8 When all the men 156 had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they had healed. 5:9 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have taken away 157 the disgrace 158 of Egypt from you.” So that place is called Gilgal 159 even to this day.
5:10 So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho. 160 5:11 They ate some of the produce of the land the day after the Passover, including unleavened bread and roasted grain. 161 5:12 The manna stopped appearing the day they ate 162 some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again. 163
5:13 When Joshua was near 164 Jericho, 165 he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. 166 Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” 167 5:14 He answered, 168 “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. 169 Now I have arrived!” 170 Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground 171 and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?” 5:15 The commander of the Lord’s army answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
6:1 Now Jericho 172 was shut tightly 173 because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. 174 6:2 The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, 175 along with its king and its warriors. 6:3 Have all the warriors march around the city one time; 176 do this for six days. 6:4 Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns 177 in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns. 6:5 When you hear the signal from the ram’s horn, 178 have the whole army give a loud battle cry. 179 Then the city wall will collapse 180 and the warriors should charge straight ahead.” 181
6:6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and instructed them, “Pick up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests must carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 6:7 And he told 182 the army, 183 “Move ahead 184 and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
6:8 When Joshua gave the army its orders, 185 the seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved ahead and blew the horns as the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed behind. 6:9 Armed troops marched ahead of the priests blowing the horns, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark blowing rams’ horns. 6:10 Now Joshua had instructed the army, 186 “Do not give a battle cry 187 or raise your voices; say nothing 188 until the day I tell you, ‘Give the battle cry.’ 189 Then give the battle cry!” 190 6:11 So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time. 191 Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there. 192
6:12 Bright and early the next morning Joshua had the priests pick up the ark of the Lord. 193 6:13 The seven priests carrying the seven rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord marched along blowing their horns. Armed troops marched ahead of them, while the rear guard followed along behind the ark of the Lord blowing rams’ horns. 6:14 They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.
6:15 On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn 194 and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times. 195 6:16 The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, 196 “Give the battle cry, 197 for the Lord is handing the city over to you! 198 6:17 The city and all that is in it must be set apart for the Lord, 199 except for Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house, because she hid the spies 200 we sent. 6:18 But be careful when you are setting apart the riches for the Lord. If you take any of it, you will make the Israelite camp subject to annihilation and cause a disaster. 201 6:19 All the silver and gold, as well as bronze and iron items, belong to the Lord. 202 They must go into the Lord’s treasury.”
6:20 The rams’ horns sounded 203 and when the army 204 heard the signal, 205 they gave a loud battle cry. 206 The wall collapsed 207 and the warriors charged straight ahead into the city and captured it. 208 6:21 They annihilated with the sword everything that breathed in the city, 209 including men and women, young and old, as well as cattle, sheep, and donkeys. 6:22 Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the prostitute’s house 210 and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you promised her.” 211 6:23 So the young spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a place outside 212 the Israelite camp. 6:24 But they burned 213 the city and all that was in it, except for the silver, gold, and bronze and iron items they put in the treasury of the Lord’s house. 214 6:25 Yet Joshua spared 215 Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, 216 and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel 217 to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. 218 6:26 At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: 219 “The man who attempts to rebuild 220 this city of Jericho 221 will stand condemned before the Lord. 222 He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” 223 6:27 The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. 224
7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 225 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 226 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 227 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 228
7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho 229 to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel 230 ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, 231 “Don’t send the whole army. 232 About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. 233 Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” 234
7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures 235 and defeated them on the steep slope. 236 The people’s 237 courage melted away like water. 238
7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; 239 he and the leaders 240 of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening 241 and threw dirt on their heads. 242 7:7 Joshua prayed, 243 “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated 244 before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us 245 from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” 246
7:10 The Lord responded 247 to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? 248 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! 249 They have taken some of the riches; 250 they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. 251 7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. 252 I will no longer be with you, 253 unless you destroy what has contaminated you. 254 7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, 255 O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” 256 7:14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. 257 The tribe the Lord selects 258 must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. 259 The family the Lord selects must approach man by man. 260 7:15 The one caught with the riches 261 must be burned up 262 along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
7:16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order 263 and the tribe of Judah was selected. 7:17 He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi 264 was selected. 265 7:18 He then made Zabdi’s 266 family approach man by man 267 and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor 268 the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!” 7:20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way: 269 7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, 270 two hundred silver pieces, 271 and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”
7:22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. 272 7:23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed 273 it before the Lord. 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster. 274 7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster 275 on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) 276 7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day 277 ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 278 Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! 279 See, I am handing over to you 280 the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 8:2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho 281 and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”
8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. 282 Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told 283 them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops 284 who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack 285 us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place 286 and seize 287 the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it 288 on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” 289 8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place 290 west of Ai, between Bethel 291 and Ai. 292 Joshua spent that night with the army. 293
8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered 294 the army, 295 and he and the leaders 296 of Israel marched 297 at the head of it 298 to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. 299 They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. 300 8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel 301 and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into 302 the middle of the valley.
8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. 303 But he did not realize 304 men were hiding behind the city. 305 8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements 306 in Ai 307 were ordered 308 to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; 309 they all went out after Israel. 310 They left the city wide open and chased Israel.
8:18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city 311 over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand. 8:19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. 312 They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. 8:20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw 313 the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. 314 In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers. 8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the city was going up in smoke, 315 they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 8:22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle. 316 The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees. 8:23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
8:24 When Israel had finished killing all the men 317 of Ai who had chased them toward the desert 318 (they all fell by the sword), 319 all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it. 8:25 Twelve thousand men and women died 320 that day, including all the men of Ai. 8:26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. 321 8:27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in accordance with the Lord’s orders to Joshua. 322 8:28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). 323 8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. 324 At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. 325 They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). 326
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 8:31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. 327 They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. 328 8:32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses. 329 8:33 All the people, 330 rulers, 331 leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. 332 Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. 333 8:34 Then 334 Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 8:35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given 335 before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them. 336
9:1 When the news reached all the kings on the west side of the Jordan 337 – in the hill country, the lowlands, 338 and all along the Mediterranean coast 339 as far as 340 Lebanon (including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites) – 9:2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel. 341
9:3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho 342 and Ai, 9:4 they did something clever. They collected some provisions 343 and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched. 9:5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes. All their bread 344 was dry and hard. 345 9:6 They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.” 9:7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us. 346 So how can we make a treaty with you?” 9:8 But they said to Joshua, “We are willing to be your subjects.” 347 So Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9:9 They told him, “Your subjects 348 have come from a very distant land because of the reputation 349 of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt 350 9:10 and all he did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan – King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. 9:11 Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, “We are willing to be your subjects. 351 Make a treaty with us.”’ 9:12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you, 352 but now it is dry and hard. 353 9:13 These wineskins we filled were brand new, but look how they have ripped. Our clothes and sandals have worn out because it has been a very long journey.” 9:14 The men examined 354 some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the Lord’s advice. 355 9:15 Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community 356 sealed it with an oath. 357
9:16 Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby. 358 9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities – Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 9:18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. 359 The whole community criticized 360 the leaders, 9:19 but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of 361 the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt 362 them! 9:20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.” 363 9:21 The leaders then added, 364 “Let them live.” So they became 365 woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. 366
9:22 367 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites 368 and said to them, “Why did you trick 369 us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby? 370 9:23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 371 9:24 They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects 372 how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified 373 we would lose our lives, so we did this thing. 9:25 So now we are in your power. 374 Do to us what you think is good and appropriate. 375 9:26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them 376 9:27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.) 377
[1:2] 2 tn Heb “this Jordan”; the word “River” has been supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in v. 11).
[1:2] 3 tc Heb “Cross over this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel.” The final phrase, “to the children of Israel,” is probably a later scribal addition specifying the identity of “these people/them.”
[1:3] 4 tn Heb “Every place on which the sole of your foot walks, to you I have given it, as I said to Moses.” The second person pronouns in vv. 3-4 are plural, indicating that all the people are addressed here. The verbal form נְתַתִּיו (nÿtattiv, “I have given it”) is probably a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Another option is to translate, “I have already assigned it.” In this case the verb would probably refer to the
[1:4] 5 tn Heb “all the land of the Hittites.” The expression “the land of the Hittites” does not refer to Anatolia (modern Turkey), where the ancient Hittite kingdom of the second millennium
[1:4] 6 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
[1:4] 7 tn Heb “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, even to the great sea [at] the place where the sun sets, your territory will be.”
[1:5] 8 tn Heb “A man will not stand before you.” The second person pronouns in this verse are singular, indicating Joshua is the addressee.
[1:6] 9 tn Heb “For you will cause these people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give to them.” The pronoun “them” at the end of the verse refers to either the people or to the fathers.
[1:7] 11 tn Heb “so you can be careful to do.” The use of the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (lishmor, “to keep”) after the imperatives suggests that strength and bravery will be necessary for obedience. Another option is to take the form לִשְׁמֹר as a vocative lamed (ל) with imperative (see Isa 38:20 for an example of this construction), which could be translated, “Indeed, be careful!”
[1:7] 12 tn Heb “commanded you.”
[1:7] 13 tn Heb “be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.
[1:7] 14 tn Heb “in all which you go.”
[1:8] 16 tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).
[1:8] 17 tn Heb “be careful to do.”
[1:8] 18 tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”
[1:8] 19 tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.
[1:9] 20 tn Heb “Have I not commanded you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes the importance of the following command by reminding the listener that it is being repeated.
[1:9] 21 tn Or perhaps, “don’t get discouraged!”
[1:9] 22 tn Heb “in all which you go.”
[1:11] 24 tn Heb “to enter to possess the land which the
[1:13] 25 tn Heb “remember the word which Moses, the
[1:13] 26 tn Heb “is providing rest for you and is giving to you this land.”
[1:14] 27 tn Heb “But you must cross over armed for battle before your brothers, all [you] mighty men of strength.”
[1:15] 28 tn Heb “Then you may return to the land of your possession and possess it, that which Moses, the
[1:17] 29 tn Heb “listened to.”
[1:17] 30 tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 18 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).
[1:18] 31 tn Heb “any man who rebels against your mouth and does not listen to your words, to all which you command us, will be put to death.”
[1:18] 32 tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 17 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).
[2:1] 33 tn Heb “Joshua, son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spies, secretly, saying.”
[2:1] 34 tn Heb “go, see the land, and Jericho.”
[2:1] 35 tn Heb “they went and entered the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they slept there.”
[2:2] 37 tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”
[2:3] 38 tn Heb “and the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying.”
[2:3] 40 tn The idiom “come to” (בוֹא אֶל, bo’ ’el) probably has sexual connotations here, as it often does elsewhere when a man “comes to” a woman. If so, the phrase could be translated “your clients.” The instructions reflect Rahab’s perspective as to the identity of the men.
[2:3] 41 tn The words “the ones who came to your house” (Heb “who came to your house”) may be a euphemistic scribal addition designed to blur the sexual connotation of the preceding words.
[2:4] 42 tn Heb “The woman took the two men and hid him.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “hid” has to be a scribal error (see GKC §135.p).
[2:4] 43 tn Heb “the men came to me.” See the note on this phrase in v. 3.
[2:5] 44 tn Heb “And the gate was to be shut in the darkness and the men went out.”
[2:6] 45 tn Heb “arranged in rows by her.”
[2:7] 46 tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.
[2:7] 47 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.
[2:7] 48 tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.
[2:7] 49 tn Heb “And they shut the gate after – as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.
[2:8] 51 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:8] 52 tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
[2:9] 53 tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.
[2:9] 54 tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”
[2:9] 55 tn Or “melting away because of.”
[2:9] 56 tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the
[2:10] 57 tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”
[2:11] 58 tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”
[2:12] 59 tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the
[2:12] 60 tn Heb “with the house of my father.”
[2:12] 61 tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”
[2:14] 63 tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.
[2:14] 64 tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.
[2:14] 65 tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”
[2:14] 66 tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.
[2:14] 67 tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.
[2:15] 68 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:15] 69 tc The phrase “by a rope” is omitted in the LXX. It may be a later clarifying addition. If original, the omission in the LXX is likely due to an error of homoioarcton. A scribe’s or translator’s eye could have jumped from the initial ב (bet) in the phrase בַּחֶבֶל (bakhevel, “with a rope”) to the initial ב on the immediately following בְּעַד (bÿ’ad, “through”) and accidentally omitted the intervening letters.
[2:15] 70 tn Heb “For her house.”
[2:15] 71 tc These explanatory statements are omitted in the LXX and probably represent a later scribal addition.
[2:16] 73 tn Heb “so that the pursuers might not meet you.”
[2:16] 74 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“you”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
[2:17] 75 tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.
[2:18] 76 tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”
[2:18] 77 tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”
[2:18] 78 tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”
[2:19] 79 tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”
[2:19] 80 tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”
[2:20] 81 tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”
[2:21] 82 tn Heb “According to your words, so it [will be].”
[2:21] 83 tn Heb “she sent them away and they went.”
[2:22] 84 tn Heb “they went and came.”
[2:22] 85 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“them”) is added for clarification.
[2:22] 86 tn Heb “the ones chasing them.” This has been rendered as “their pursuers” in the translation to avoid redundancy with the preceding clause.
[2:22] 87 tn Heb “The pursuers looked in all the way and did not find [them].”
[2:23] 88 tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, are added for clarification.
[2:24] 89 tn Heb “Surely the
[2:24] 90 tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”
[3:1] 91 tn Heb “And Joshua arose early in the morning and he and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.”
[3:1] 92 tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[3:3] 93 sn The ark of the covenant refers to the wooden chest that symbolized God’s presence among his covenant people.
[3:3] 94 tn Heb “set out from your place.”
[3:4] 96 tn Heb “But there should be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits in measurement.”
[3:4] 97 tn Heb “do not approach it.”
[3:7] 99 tn Or more literally, “to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel.”
[3:8] 100 tn Heb “the edge of the waters of the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
[3:8] 101 tn Heb “stand in the Jordan.” Here the repetition of the word “Jordan” would be redundant according to contemporary English style, so it was not included in the translation.
[3:11] 103 tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”
[3:13] 104 tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”
[3:13] 105 tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.”
[3:13] 107 tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”
[3:14] 108 tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.
[3:15] 109 tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”
[3:15] 110 tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”
[3:16] 111 tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”
[3:16] 112 tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”
[3:16] 113 tn Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.”
[3:16] 114 map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[3:17] 115 tn Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
[4:1] 116 tn Heb “And when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
[4:3] 117 tn Heb “the feet of the priests.”
[4:6] 118 tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:6] 119 tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”
[4:7] 120 tn Heb “were cut off from before.”
[4:7] 121 tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”
[4:9] 122 tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.
[4:11] 123 tn Heb “in the presence of the people.”
[4:13] 124 tn Heb “men equipped for battle.”
[4:13] 126 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[4:14] 128 tn Heb “all the days of his life.”
[4:14] 129 tn Heb “had feared.”
[4:16] 130 tn Traditionally, “the ark of the testimony,” another name for the ark of the covenant. The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut, “testimony” or “witness”) here refers to the Mosaic covenant and the body of stipulations contained within it (see HALOT 2:791).
[4:18] 131 tn Heb “and the soles of the feet of the priests were brought up to the dry land.”
[4:18] 132 tn Heb “and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went as formerly over their banks.”
[4:19] 133 sn The first month was the month Abib (= late March-early April in the modern calendar). The Passover in Egypt also occurred on the tenth day of the first month (Exod 12:2; 13:4).
[4:19] 134 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[4:20] 135 tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7.
[4:21] 136 tn Heb “What are these stones?”
[4:22] 137 tn Heb “make known.”
[4:22] 138 tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.
[4:23] 139 tn Heb “just as the
[4:24] 140 tn Heb “in order that.”
[4:24] 142 tn Heb “know the hand of the
[5:1] 144 tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”
[5:1] 145 tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”
[5:2] 146 tn Heb “return, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate the repetition of an action.
[5:3] 147 tn Or “Gibeath Haaraloth.” This name means “Hill of the Foreskins.” Many modern translations simply give the Hebrew name, although an explanatory note giving the meaning of the name is often included.
[5:4] 148 tn Heb “All the people who went out from Egypt, the males, all the men of war, died in the desert in the way when they went out from Egypt.”
[5:5] 151 tn Heb “all the people.”
[5:6] 152 tn Heb “all the nation, the men of war who went out from Egypt, who did not listen to the voice of the
[5:6] 153 tn Some Hebrew
[5:6] 154 tn Heb “flowing with.”
[5:7] 155 tn Heb “their sons he raised up in their place.”
[5:9] 157 tn Heb “rolled away.”
[5:9] 158 sn One might take the disgrace of Egypt as a reference to their uncircumcised condition (see Gen 34:14), but the generation that left Egypt was circumcised (see v. 5). It more likely refers to the disgrace they experienced in Egyptian slavery. When this new generation reached the promised land and renewed their covenantal commitment to the Lord by submitting to the rite of circumcision, the
[5:9] 159 sn The name Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew verb “roll away” (גַּלַל, galal).
[5:10] 160 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[5:11] 161 tn The Hebrew text adds, “on this same day.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
[5:12] 162 tn Heb “the day after, when they ate.” The present translation assumes this means the day after the Passover, though it is possible it refers to the day after they began eating the land’s produce.
[5:12] 163 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel had no more manna.”
[5:13] 165 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[5:13] 166 tn Heb “he lifted up his eyes and looked. And look, a man was standing in front of him, and his sword was drawn in his hand.” The verb הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the reader to view the scene through Joshua’s eyes. By calling the stranger “a man,” the author reflects Joshua’s perspective. The text shortly reveals his true identity (vv. 14-15).
[5:13] 167 tn Heb “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
[5:14] 168 tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew
[5:14] 169 sn The Lord’s heavenly army, like an earthly army, has a commander who leads the troops. For the phrase שַׂר־צְבָא (sar-tsÿva’, “army commander”) in the human sphere, see among many other references Gen 21:22, 32; 26:26; Judg 4:2, 7; 1 Sam 12:9.
[5:14] 170 sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the
[5:14] 171 tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”
[6:1] 172 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:1] 173 tn Heb “was shutting and shut up.” HALOT 2:743 paraphrases, “blocking [any way of access] and blocked [against any who would leave].”
[6:1] 174 tn Heb “there was no one going out and there was no one coming in.”
[6:2] 175 tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.
[6:3] 176 tn Heb “and go around the city, all [you] men of war, encircling the city one time.” The Hebrew verb וְסַבֹּתֶם (vÿsabbotem, “and go around”) is plural, being addressed to the whole army.
[6:4] 177 tn Heb “rams’ horns, trumpets.”
[6:5] 178 tn Heb “and it will be at the sounding of the horn, the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn.” The text of Josh 6:5 seems to be unduly repetitive, so for the sake of English style and readability, it is best to streamline the text here. The reading in the Hebrew looks like a conflation of variant readings, with the second (“when you hear the sound of the ram’s horn”) being an interpolation that assimilates the text to verse 20 (“when the army heard the sound of the horn”). Note that the words “when you hear the sound of the ram's horn” do not appear in the LXX of verse 5.
[6:5] 179 tn Heb “all the people will shout with a loud shout.”
[6:5] 180 tn Heb “fall in its place.”
[6:5] 181 tn Heb “and the people will go up, each man straight ahead.”
[6:7] 182 tn An alternative reading is “and they said.” In this case the subject is indefinite and the verb should be translated as passive, “[the army] was told.”
[6:7] 183 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:8] 185 tn Heb “when Joshua spoke to the people.”
[6:10] 186 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:10] 188 tn Heb “do not let a word come out of your mouths.”
[6:11] 191 tn Heb “and he made the ark of the
[6:11] 192 tn Heb “and they entered the camp and spent the night in the camp.”
[6:12] 193 tn Heb “Joshua rose early in the morning and the priests picked up the ark of the
[6:15] 194 tn Heb “On the seventh day they rose early, when the dawn ascended.”
[6:15] 195 tn Heb “and they went around the city according to this manner seven times, only on that day they went around the city seven times.”
[6:16] 196 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:16] 198 tn Heb “for the
[6:17] 199 tn Or “dedicated to the
[6:17] 200 tn Heb “messengers.”
[6:18] 201 tn Heb “Only you keep [away] from what is set apart [to the
[6:19] 202 tn Heb “it is holy to the
[6:20] 203 tc Heb “and the people shouted and they blew the rams’ horns.” The initial statement (“and the people shouted”) seems premature, since the verse goes on to explain that the battle cry followed the blowing of the horns. The statement has probably been accidentally duplicated from what follows. It is omitted in the LXX.
[6:20] 204 tn Heb “the people.”
[6:20] 205 tn Heb “the sound of the horn.”
[6:20] 206 tn Heb “they shouted with a loud shout.”
[6:20] 207 tn Heb “fell in its place.”
[6:20] 208 tn Heb “and the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.”
[6:21] 209 tn Heb “all which was in the city.”
[6:22] 210 tn Heb “the house of the woman, the prostitute.”
[6:22] 211 tn Heb “and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her as you swore on oath to her.”
[6:23] 212 tn Or “placed them outside.”
[6:24] 213 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
[6:24] 214 tn Heb “the treasury of the house of the
[6:25] 215 tn Heb “kept alive.”
[6:25] 216 tn Heb the house of her father.”
[6:25] 217 tn Or “among the Israelites”; Heb “in the midst of Israel.”
[6:25] 218 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[6:26] 219 tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the
[6:26] 220 tn Heb “rises up and builds.”
[6:26] 221 tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.
[6:26] 222 tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the
[6:26] 223 tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.
[6:27] 224 tn Heb “and the report about him was in all the land.” The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) may also be translated “earth.”
[7:1] 225 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 226 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
[7:1] 227 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 228 tn Heb “the anger of the
[7:2] 229 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[7:2] 230 map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[7:3] 231 tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”
[7:3] 232 tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”
[7:3] 233 tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”
[7:3] 234 tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”
[7:5] 235 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
[7:5] 236 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
[7:5] 238 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
[7:6] 239 sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).
[7:6] 241 tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the
[7:6] 242 sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).
[7:8] 244 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”
[7:9] 245 tn Heb “and cut off our name.”
[7:9] 246 tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”
[7:10] 248 tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”
[7:11] 249 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
[7:11] 250 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the
[7:11] 251 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
[7:12] 252 tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the
[7:12] 253 tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.
[7:12] 254 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 255 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 256 tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the
[7:14] 257 tn Heb “by your tribes.”
[7:14] 258 tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”
[7:15] 261 tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the
[7:15] 262 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
[7:16] 263 tn Heb “by tribes.”
[7:17] 264 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.
[7:17] 265 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The
[7:18] 266 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 268 tn Heb “give glory to.”
[7:20] 269 tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”
[7:21] 270 tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).
[7:22] 272 tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”
[7:23] 273 tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.
[7:24] 274 tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).
[7:25] 275 tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
[7:25] 276 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.
[7:26] 277 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
[8:1] 278 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
[8:1] 279 tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”
[8:1] 280 tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.
[8:2] 281 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[8:3] 282 tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”
[8:4] 283 tn Or “commanded, ordered.”
[8:5] 284 tn Heb “the people.”
[8:6] 285 tn Heb “come out after.”
[8:7] 286 tn Heb “from the ambush.”
[8:7] 287 tn Heb “take possession of.”
[8:8] 289 tn Heb “I have commanded you.”
[8:9] 290 tn Or “the place of ambush.”
[8:9] 291 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[8:9] 292 tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”
[8:9] 293 tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”
[8:10] 294 tn Or “summoned, mustered.”
[8:10] 295 tn Heb “the people.”
[8:10] 298 tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.
[8:11] 299 tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”
[8:11] 300 tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”
[8:12] 301 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[8:13] 302 tn Some Hebrew
[8:14] 303 tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”
[8:14] 305 tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”
[8:16] 306 tn Heb “All the people.”
[8:16] 307 tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”
[8:16] 308 tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”
[8:17] 309 tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”
[8:17] 310 tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”
[8:18] 311 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:20] 313 tn Heb “and they saw, and look.” The Hebrew term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to the scene and invites the audience to view the events from the perspective of the men of Ai.
[8:20] 314 tn Heb “and there was not in them hands to flee here or there.” The Hebrew term יָדַיִם (yadayim, “hands”) is idiomatic for “strength.”
[8:21] 315 tn Heb “and that the smoke of the city ascended.”
[8:22] 316 tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”
[8:24] 317 tn Heb “residents.”
[8:24] 318 tn Heb “in the field, in the desert in which they chased them.”
[8:24] 319 tc Heb “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed.” The LXX omits the words, “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword.” They may represent a later scribal addition.
[8:26] 321 tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”
[8:27] 322 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[8:28] 323 tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”
[8:29] 324 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:29] 325 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
[8:29] 326 tn Heb “to this day.”
[8:31] 327 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).
[8:31] 328 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[8:32] 329 tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”
[8:33] 330 tn Heb “All Israel.”
[8:33] 332 tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.
[8:33] 333 tn Heb “as Moses, the
[8:35] 335 tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”
[8:35] 336 tn Heb “walked in their midst.”
[9:1] 337 tn Heb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”
[9:1] 338 tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
[9:1] 339 tn Heb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
[9:1] 340 tn Heb “in front of.”
[9:2] 341 tn Heb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”
[9:3] 342 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[9:4] 343 tc Heb “and they went and [?].” The root and meaning of the verb form יִצְטַיָּרוּ (yitstayyaru) are uncertain. The form is most likely a corruption of יִצְטַיָּדוּ (yitstayyadu), read by some Hebrew
[9:5] 344 tn Heb “all the bread of their provisions.”
[9:7] 346 tn Heb “in our midst.”
[9:8] 347 tn Heb “we are your servants.”
[9:9] 350 tn Heb “the report about him, all that he did in Egypt.”
[9:11] 351 tn Heb “your servants.”
[9:12] 352 tn Heb “in the day we went out to come to you.”
[9:14] 354 tn Heb “took.” This probably means they tasted some of the food to make sure it was stale.
[9:14] 355 tn Heb “but they did not ask the mouth of the
[9:15] 357 tn Heb “Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.”
[9:16] 358 tn Heb “At the end of three days, after they made the treaty with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and in their midst they were living.”
[9:18] 359 tn Heb “by the
[9:18] 360 tn Or “grumbled against.”
[9:19] 361 tn Heb “to them by….”
[9:20] 363 tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”
[9:21] 364 tc Heb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”
[9:21] 365 tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.
[9:21] 366 tn Heb “as the leaders said to them.”
[9:22] 367 sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.
[9:22] 370 tn Heb “live in our midst?”
[9:23] 371 tn Heb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
[9:24] 372 tn Heb “your servants.”
[9:24] 373 tn Or “we were very afraid.”
[9:25] 374 tn Heb “so now, look, we are in your hand.”
[9:25] 375 tn Heb “according to what is good and according to what is upright in your eyes to do us, do.”
[9:26] 376 tn Heb “And he did to them so and he rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel and they did not kill them.”
[9:27] 377 tn Heb “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the
