Already Jericho was bolted and barred against the approach of Israel, so that there was no entering or leaving it,

and now the Lord promised to make Josue master of it, with its king and all its defenders.

Once a day, he said, you will march round the city walls, every man of you that bears arms, for six days together.

And on the seventh day do as follows. The priests will be carrying seven trumpets, such as are used at jubilee time, and marching with these in front of the ark that bears witness of my covenant. On this day you will go round the city seven times, to the sound of the trumpets the priests are carrying.✻

And when the trumpets blow a long blast that rises and falls, the whole people, on hearing it, must raise a loud cry; at that cry, the walls of the city will fall down flat, and each man will go in to the assault at the place where he is posted.

So Josue the son of Nun summoned the priests and gave them their orders; how some were to carry the ark of the Lord, and seven others march before it with the trumpets of jubilee;

then he bade the people march round the city, fully armed, in front of the ark.

When Josue had finished speaking, the seven priests blew their seven trumpets before the ark,

and all the fighting men went fully armed in front of it, while the rest of the people followed; and the blast of the trumpets echoed all around.

Josue had warned the people not to cry out or utter any sound until the day came when he should bid them cry aloud.

So that day the ark of the Lord went round the city once, and was brought back to the camp, where it rested.

And when the next day dawned, Josue was astir, and the priests took up the ark,

seven of them carrying the seven jubilee trumpets and blowing them before the ark as they went, with the fighting men in the van and the rest of the people behind, marching to the noise of trumpets;

and again they returned back to the camp when they had gone round the city once only.

Thus the six days passed,

and on the seventh day they rose at dawn and went round the city seven times, as they were bidden.

And when the priests were ready to blow their trumpets on the seventh journey, Josue gave word to the whole of Israel, Now you are to shout; the Lord has put the city in your power.

This city and all it contains is forfeit to the Lord; none must be spared except the harlot Rahab and those in her house. She it was that harboured the spies we sent out.

Beware of touching anything that lies under the ban; that were sin in you, and trouble would come upon the whole camp of Israel through your guilt.

All the gold and silver, all that is made of bronze or iron, must be consecrated to the Lord and laid up in his treasure-house.

Then the people cried aloud, and still the trumpets blew, till every ear was deafened by the shouting and the clangour; and all at once the walls fell down flat. Thereupon each man went to the assault where he was posted, and they took the city.

All that was in it they slew, sparing neither man nor woman, neither youth nor age; even cattle and sheep and asses were put to the sword.

But now Josue said to the two men who had been sent out as spies, Make your way into the house of the harlot yonder, and bring her out, with all that is hers; such was the sworn promise you gave her.

So the two men went in, and brought Rahab out with her parents and her kindred and all that belonged to her, giving this family of hers lodging, but not in the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the city and all that was in it, except the silver and gold and what was made of bronze or iron; these they laid up as consecrated in the Lord’s treasury.

But Josue spared the harlot Rahab, with all her father’s household and all that was hers; and to this day her posterity finds a home in Israel. So well was she rewarded for hiding away those two spies of his in Jericho.

At this time Josue laid the place under a ban;

May the Lord’s curse, he said, light on the man that restores the city of Jericho and builds it up again. The foundations will cost him his first-born, and the gates of it his youngest son.

And the Lord stood at Josue’s side, till his fame spread abroad all over the land.