-
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.
02 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.
03 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.
04 So there went up thither of the people about
three thousand men: and they fled before the men
of Ai.
05 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.
06 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.
07 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!
08 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth
their backs before their enemies!
09 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 tomorrow: 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.
__________________________________ |
