Study Desk

So he had the ark of the LORD taken around the city, circling it once; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

So the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp; they did the same for six days.

"But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things designated for destruction, so that you do not covet them and take some of the designated things, and turn the camp of Israel into something designated for destruction and bring disaster on it.

So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, everyone straight ahead, and they took the city.

So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel.

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." So the men went up and spied out Ai.

So about three thousand men from the people went up there, but they fled from the men of Ai.

So the LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?

'So in the morning you shall come forward by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD selects by lot shall come forward by families, and the family which the LORD selects shall come forward by households, and the household which the LORD selects shall come forward man by man.

So Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel forward by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was selected.

So he brought the family of Judah forward, and he selected the family of the Zerahites; then he brought the family of the Zerahites forward man by man, and Zabdi was selected.

So Achan answered Joshua and said, "Truly, I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel, and this is what I did:

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath it.

So they took them from inside the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the sons of Israel; and they laid them out before the LORD.

So Joshua rose up with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose thirty thousand men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.

"They will come out after us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing before us just as they did the first time.' So we will flee before them.

So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

So they stationed the people, all the army that was on the north side of the city, and its rear guard on the west side of the city, and Joshua spent that night in the midst of the valley.

So not a man was left in Ai or Bethel, but they had all gone out after Israel, and they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel.