Joshua 6

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

Jericho was completely sealed off due to the presence of the Israelites; no one could enter or leave.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.

The LORD assured Joshua, "Look, I've handed you Jericho, its king, and all its brave warriors."

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

All you fighting men must march around the city once a day. Do this for six days.

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.

Seven priests, each carrying a ram's horn trumpet, will lead the ark. On the seventh day, they'll circle the city seven times, their trumpets sounding loud and clear.

And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, 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.

When the ram's horn sounds a long blast and you hear the trumpet's call, everyone will let out a mighty cheer. The city walls will crumble to the ground, and everyone will rise, moving forward without hesitation.

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.

Joshua, Nun's son, passionately beckoned the priests. He urged, "Carry the sacred ark of the covenant. Let seven priests, each with a ram's horn trumpet, lead the way in honor of the Lord."

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.

He told the crowd, "Move forward, encircle the city. Let the one with weapons lead the way, ahead of the Lord's sacred chest."

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.

After Joshua addressed the crowd, seven priests, each holding a ram's horn trumpet, stepped forward. They played a powerful melody that echoed before the Lord, and behind them, the sacred ark of the covenant followed.

And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

The soldiers bravely led the way, followed by the priests who filled the air with the resounding notes of their trumpets. Behind them came the sacred ark, and the rear guard followed it, while the trumpets kept sounding.

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.

Joshua instructed the people firmly, "Stay silent. Don't utter a word or make a sound until I tell you to cheer. When that moment comes, let your voices ring out."

So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

The Lord's sacred chest encircled the city just once before they returned to their camp, settling in for the night with a sense of awe and reverence.

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

As dawn broke, Joshua, filled with determination, got up. The priests, with reverence, lifted the sacred ark of the LORD.

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 rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

Seven priests, each carrying a ram's horn trumpet, led the way for the Ark of the Lord. They played their trumpets ceaselessly, their music echoing with divine purpose. Soldiers marched ahead, their armor glinting, while the rear guard followed the Ark. The priests continued their holy procession, their trumpets singing in the air.

And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.

On the second day, they circled the city once, then retreated back to their camp. They repeated this for six days, their hearts heavy with anticipation and determination.

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

On the seventh day, they woke up at the break of dawn. Filled with determination, they circled the city, just as they had done before, but this time, they did it seven times.

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.

On the seventh time around, as the priests blew their trumpets, Joshua turned to the people, his voice filled with joy and certainty, "Raise your voices! For God has given you this city!"

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

The city is doomed, completely, dedicated to the Lord. Yet Rahab, the prostitute, will survive along with everyone in her home, because she protected our messengers.

And ye, in any wise 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.

Keep well away from the things that are cursed, for if you take any of them, you will become cursed yourselves, and you will bring the curse and disaster on the whole camp of Israel.

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.

All the precious metals and crafted vessels are sacred gifts to the Lord. They are destined for His divine treasury.

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.

As the priests' trumpets blared, the people roared in unison, and at that great shout the city walls fell down flat. With hearts pounding and spirits high, they surged straight into the city and captured it.

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.

With the sword, they utterly destroyed every living soul in the city: men and women, young and old, and even the oxen, sheep and donkeys.

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

Joshua firmly instructed the two spies, "Go to the woman's house, the one you promised safety. Bring her and all her belongings out of there."

And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out 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 without the camp of Israel.

The young spies courageously entered and safely escorted Rahab, her parents, her siblings, and all her loved ones out. They ensured every single member of her family was safely removed, leaving them outside the Israelite camp.

And they burnt 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.

They set the city ablaze, consuming everything within. Only the precious metals - silver and gold, along with brass and iron artifacts, were spared, to be added to the Lord's treasury.

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, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua bravely protected Rahab, a woman of the night, along with her family and all their possessions. She found a new home in Israel, where she lived for the rest of her days. This was her reward for courageously hiding Joshua's spies in Jericho.

And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that 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.

In that moment, Joshua passionately warned them, "May the man who dares to rebuild this city, Jericho, be cursed in God's eyes. His actions will cost him dearly, his eldest will pay when the foundation is laid, and his youngest when the gates are erected."

So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

God stood by Joshua's side, and his renown echoed across the land.