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The Book of Joshua, Chapter 7
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1 |
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed
thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of
Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the
anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.
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2 |
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven,
on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the
country.
And the men went up and viewed Ai.
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3 |
And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the
people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite
Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but
few.
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4 |
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men:
and they fled before the men of Ai.
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5 |
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they
chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in
the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became
as water.
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6 |
And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face
before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of
Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
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7 |
And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore hast thou at all
brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the
Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt
on the other side Jordan!
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8 |
O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel
turneth their backs before their enemies!
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9 |
For the Canaanites and
all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us
round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto
thy great name?
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10 |
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up;
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?
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11 |
Israel hath sinned, and
they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for
they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and
dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
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12 |
Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their
enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they
were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed from among you.
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13 |
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to
morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed
thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before
thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.
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14 |
In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your
tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall
come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD
shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD
shall take shall come man by man.
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15 |
And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing
shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath
transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought
folly in Israel.
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16 |
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by
their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
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17 |
And he brought
the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he
brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
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18 |
And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of
Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was
taken.
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19 |
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to
the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now
what thou hast done; hide it not from me.
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20 |
And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against
the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
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21 |
When I saw
among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels
of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted
them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the
midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
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22 |
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and,
behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
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23 |
And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them
unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out
before the LORD.
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24 |
And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah,
and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons,
and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his
tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of
Achor.
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25 |
And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall
trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and
burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
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26 |
And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So
the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name
of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
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