Study Desk

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Make knives for yourselves out of hard stone. And cut the piece of skin from the sex part of the sons of Israel as before."

For the people of Israel walked forty years in the desert, until all the men of war who came out of Egypt died, because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. The Lord had promised them that He would not let them see the land He had promised to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

So Joshua went through the religious act on their children, whom the Lord raised up in their place. For they had not gone through this religious act along the way.

When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing near him with his sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said, "Are you for us or for those who hate us?"

The Captain of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your shoes off your feet. For the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Walk around the city. Have all the men of war go around the city once. Do this for six days.

Then he said to the people, "Go and walk around the city. Let the men ready for battle go in front of the special box of the agreement."

The men ready for battle went in front of the religious leaders who blew the horns. The other soldiers came behind the special box of the agreement while the horns sounded without stopping.

The seven religious leaders carrying the seven rams' horns in front of the special box of the agreement began walking and blew the horns without stopping. The men ready for battle went in front of them. The other soldiers came behind the special box of the agreement. And the horns sounded without stopping.

The second day they walked around the city once. Then they returned to the tents. They did this for six days.

The seventh time, when the religious leaders blew their horns, Joshua said to the people, "Call out! For the Lord has given you the city.

When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Do not have all the people go there. Only about 2,000 or 3,000 men need to go to Ai. Do not make the whole army fight, for the people of Ai are few."

The Canaanites and all the people living in the land will hear of it. They will gather around us and destroy our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"

Get up! Set apart the people and say, ‘Make yourselves holy for tomorrow. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has said, "There are things among you which should be destroyed, O Israel. You cannot stand in front of those who fight against you until you take away the things among you which should be destroyed."

I saw among what was left of the city a beautiful coat from Shinar. I saw 200 pieces of silver, and a large piece of gold as heavy as fifty pieces of silver. I had a desire for them and took them. See, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under it."

Do the same to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Take only its riches and its cattle for yourselves. Hide men behind the city to fight against it."

They will come out after us until we have taken them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are running from us as they did before.' So we will run from them.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Hold out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai. For I will give the city to you." So Joshua held out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.

Israel took only the cattle and the riches of that city for themselves, as the Lord had told Joshua.

All Israel stood on both sides of the special box, in front of the Levite religious leaders who carried the special box of the agreement of the Lord. Strangers stood there as well as those born among the people, with their leaders and heads and men who judge between what is right or wrong. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim. The other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. They did just as the Lord's servant Moses had told them before. They prayed for good to come to the people of Israel.