the Fourth Week of Advent
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George Lamsa Translation
Joshua 6
1 NOW Jericho was shut up because of the presence of the children of Israel; none went out and none came in.2 And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, with its king and all its armed forces.3 And you shall encircle the city, all the men of war, and you shall go round about the city once a day. Thus shall you do for six days.4 And seven priests shall bear trumpets, and blow before the ark; and on the seventh day you shall go around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.5 And it shall come to pass that when they blow the trumpets and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets and blow them before the ark of the LORD.7 And he said to the people, Pass on and encircle the city, and let those who are armed march on before the ark of the LORD.8 And as Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets passed on before the ark of the LORD, blowing on the trumpets; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew on the trumpets, and the rest of the people who were gathered went after the ark, and they marched on blowing the trumpets.10 But Joshua had commanded the people, saying, You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word come out of your mouth, until the day that I bid you to shout; then shall you shout.11 So the ark of the LORD made a circuit of 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 went before the ark of the LORD; they went on continually, and blew with the trumpets; and the armed men went before them; and the rest of the multitude went after the ark of the LORD, while the priests were blowing with trumpets.14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned to the camp; so they did for six days.15 And on the seventh day, they rose in the morning, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; it was on that day only that they compassed the city seven times.16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for the LORD has delivered the city to you.
17 And this city and all that is therein, is to be devoted to the LORD; only Rahab the harlot you shall spare, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the spies that we sent.18 And as for you, you are to be careful of the devoted things, lest you defile yourselves by taking some of the devoted things, 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 to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they shouted with a great shout, and 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 were in the city, both men and women, young and old and oxen and sheep and asses, with the edge of the sword.22 But Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the country, Go into the harlots house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.23 And the spies went in. and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and placed 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 brought into the treasury of the house of the LORD.25 But Rahab the harlot and her fathers household and all that she had. Joshua saved alive; and she dwelt among the children of Israel even to this day; because she hid the spies whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.26 And Joshua swore at that time, saying, Cursed before the LORD be the man that rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; with the death of his first-born shall he build it, and with the death of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame spread throughout all the land.