Study Desk

Y'hoshua tore his clothes and fell to his face on the ground before the ark of Adonai until evening, he and the leaders of Isra'el, and they put dust on their heads.

The person who is caught with things in his possession that were reserved for destruction is to be burned to ashes, he and everything he has, because he has violated the covenant of Adonai and has committed a shameful deed in Isra'el.'"

He had his household come forward, one person at a time; and ‘Akhan the son of Karmi, the son of Zavdi, the son of Zerach, of the tribe of Y'hudah, was taken.

Y'hoshua sent messengers, who ran to the tent. It was all there, hidden in his tent, including the silver underneath.

Y'hoshua, together with all Isra'el, took ‘Akhan, the son of Zerach, with the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything he had, and brought them up to the Akhor Valley.

Over him they piled a great mound of stones, which is there to this day. Finally Adonai turned away from his fierce anger. And this is why that place is called the Valley of Akhor [trouble] to this day.

Adonai said to Y'hoshua, "Don't be afraid or fall into despair! Take all the people who can fight with you, set out, and go up to ‘Ai; because now I have handed over to you the king of ‘Ai, his people, his city and his land.

So Y'hoshua set out for ‘Ai with all the people who could fight. Y'hoshua chose 30,000 men, the most courageous of his troops, and sent them out by night.

Y'hoshua got up early in the morning, mustered his men and went up to ‘Ai ahead of the people, he and the leaders of Isra'el .

The king of ‘Ai saw this, so the men in the city hurried out early in the morning to battle against Isra'el, he and all his people, at a meeting-place facing the ‘Aravah. But he was unaware that behind the city an ambush had been laid against him.

Then Adonai said to Y'hoshua, "Point the spear in your hand toward ‘Ai, because I will hand it over to you." Y'hoshua pointed the spear in his hand toward the city.

The men in ambush jumped up quickly from their place; the moment he stretched out his hand, they ran, entered the city and captured it; and they hurried to set the city on fire.

For Y'hoshua did not withdraw his hand, which he had used to point the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of ‘Ai.

The king of ‘Ai he hanged on a tree until evening; at sundown Y'hoshua gave an order, so they took his carcass down from the tree, threw it at the entrance of the city gate and piled on it a big heap of stones, which is there to this day.

They answered Y'hoshua, "It is because we heard the reports that Adonai your God had ordered his servant Moshe to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from ahead of you. So we were terrified for our lives on account of you; that's why we did this.

his people became greatly alarmed; because Giv‘on was as large as one of the royal cities, larger than ‘Ai, and all its men were courageous.

But then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lakhish; so Y'hoshua attacked him and his people, until he had no one left with him.

So Y'hoshua came against them suddenly with all his fighting men and fell on them at the Merom Spring.

Moshe had given orders to Y'hoshua, just as Adonai had given orders to Moshe his servant, and Y'hoshua acted accordingly — he did everything Adonai had ordered Moshe.

Y'hoshua blessed him and gave Hevron to Kalev the son of Y'funeh as his inheritance.