1The gates of Jericho were shut tight and guarded closely because of the Israelites. No one went out. No one came in.
2Then the Lord said to Joshua, “I have handed Jericho over to you. I have also handed over to you its king and its fighting men. 3March around the city once with all your fighting men. In fact, do it for six days. 4Have seven priests get trumpets made out of rams’ horns. They must carry them in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times. Tell the priests to blow the trumpets as you march. 5You will hear them blow a long blast on the trumpets. When you do, tell the whole army to give a loud shout. The wall of the city will fall down. Then the whole army will march up to the city. Everyone will go straight in.”
6So Joshua, the son of Nun, called for the priests. He said to them, “Go and get the ark of the covenant of the Lord. I want seven of you to carry trumpets in front of it.” 7He gave an order to the army. He said, “Move out! March around the city. Some of the fighting men must march in front of the ark of the Lord.”
8When Joshua had spoken to the men, the seven priests went forward. They were carrying the seven trumpets as they marched in front of the ark of the Lord. They were blowing the trumpets. The ark of the Lord’s covenant was carried behind the priests. 9Some of the fighting men marched ahead of the priests who were blowing the trumpets. The others followed behind the ark and guarded all the priests. That whole time the priests were blowing the trumpets. 10But Joshua had given an order to the army. He had said, “Don’t give a war cry. Don’t raise your voices. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11So he had the ark of the Lord carried around the city once. Then the army returned to camp. They spent the night there.
12Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests went and got the ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets started out. They marched in front of the ark of the Lord. They blew the trumpets. Some of the fighting men marched ahead of them. The others followed behind the ark and guarded all of them. The priests kept blowing the trumpets. 14On the second day they marched around the city once. Then the army returned to camp. They did all those things for six days.
15On the seventh day, they got up at sunrise. They marched around the city, just as they had done before. But on that day they went around it seven times. 16On the seventh time around, the priests blew a long blast on the trumpets. Then Joshua gave a command to the army. He said, “Shout! The Lord has given you the city! 17The city and everything in it must be set apart to the Lord to be destroyed. But the prostitute Rahab and all those with her in her house must be spared. That’s because she hid the spies we sent. 18But keep away from the things that have been set apart to the Lord. If you take any of them, you will be destroyed. And you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. You will cause it to be destroyed. 19All the silver and gold is holy. It is set apart to the Lord. So are all the things made out of bronze and iron. All those things must be added to the treasures kept in the Lord’s house.”
20The priests blew the trumpets. As soon as the army heard the sound, they gave a loud shout. Then the wall fell down. Everyone charged straight in. So they took the city. 21They set it apart to the Lord to be destroyed. They destroyed every living thing in it with their swords. They killed men and women. They wiped out young people and old people. They destroyed cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22Then Joshua spoke to the two men who had gone in to check out the land. He said, “Go into the prostitute’s house. Bring her out. Also bring out everyone with her. That’s what you promised her you would do.” 23So the young men who had checked out the land went into Rahab’s house. They brought her out along with her parents and brothers and sisters. They brought out everyone else there with her. They put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24Then they burned the whole city and everything in it. But they added the silver and gold to the treasures kept in the Lord’s house. They also put there the things made out of bronze and iron. 25But Joshua spared the prostitute Rahab. He spared her family. He also spared everyone else in the house with her. He did it because she hid the spies he had sent to Jericho. Rahab lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua made a promise and called down a curse. He said, “May the person who tries to rebuild this city of Jericho be under the Lord’s curse.
“If that person lays its foundations,
it will cost the life of his oldest son.
If he sets up its gates,
it will cost the life of his youngest son.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua. And Joshua became famous everywhere in the land.
6
エリコの城壁
1さて、エリコの町の城門は堅く閉じられていました。だれもがイスラエル人を恐れていたからで、人っ子ひとり出入りできないほどでした。 2ところが、主はヨシュアにこう告げたのです。「あなたは、もう勝ったも同然だ。町も人もみな、あなたたちのものだ。 3-4六日の間、全軍を率いて、日に一度、町の周囲を回りなさい。そのあと、ラッパを手にした七人の祭司と契約の箱が続き、七日目には七度回り、祭司がラッパを吹き鳴らしなさい。 5祭司がラッパをひときわ高く、長く吹き鳴らしたら、全員、大声でときの声を上げなさい。町の城壁はくずれ落ちるだろう。その時、四方八方から町へ攻め込むのだ。」
6-9ヨシュアは祭司たちを召集し、指示を与えました。すなわち、武装した者たちが行進の先頭に立ち、そのあとに七人の祭司がラッパを吹き鳴らしながら続くこと、そのうしろを主の契約の箱をかつぐ祭司が進み、さらに、護衛兵がしんがりを務めることなどです。
10ヨシュアは命じました。「ラッパの音以外、音を出してはいけない。一言も発してはならない。私が『ときの声を上げよ』と言ったら、いっせいに大声で叫びなさい。」
11その日、主の箱は一度だけ町の周囲を回りました。人々は宿営に帰り、夜を過ごしました。 12-14翌朝、夜明けとともにもう一度町の周囲を回り、宿営に戻りました。こうして六日間が同じように過ぎたのです。 15七日目、夜の白むころ、またも人々は立ち上がり、この日は一度ではなく七度回りました。 16七度目に、祭司たちが高らかに長くラッパを吹き鳴らすと、ヨシュアは大声で言いました。「ときの声を上げよ！ 主はこの町をわれわれに下さったのだ！ 17住民はみな滅ぼせ。だが娼婦ラハブと、その家の中の者たちは助けなさい。ラハブはわれわれの偵察者をかくまってくれたからだ。 18戦利品には手を出さず、すべて滅ぼし尽くしなさい。もしこれに背けば、イスラエル全体を災いが襲うだろう。 19ただし、金、銀、および青銅や鉄の器具はみな、主にささげ、主の宝物倉に納めなさい。」
20祭司の吹き鳴らすラッパの音を聞くと、人々はあらん限りの大声を出して、いっせいにときの声を上げました。と、どうでしょう。突然、城壁がくずれ落ちたのです。それっとばかり、四方八方から攻め込み、彼らはたちまちエリコの町を占領しました。 21町中の者は全部、男も女も、老いも若きも死にました。また、牛や羊、ろばも殺されました。
22それからヨシュアは、例の二人の偵察者に命じました。「約束を守りなさい。すぐ行って、ラハブと身内の者を助け出すのだ。」
23その若者たちは、ラハブを見つけて助け出しました。もちろん、彼女の両親、兄弟、いっしょにいた親族の者たちも。彼らは、イスラエルの宿営の外で生活することになりました。 24その間イスラエル人は、町とその中のすべてを焼き払いました。ただし、金、銀、および青銅や鉄の器具は別で、主のものとして取っておきました。 25こうしてヨシュアは、ラハブとその家に共にいた身内の者とを救ったのです。今もなお、その一族はイスラエル人の中に住んでいます。ヨシュアがエリコ偵察のために送り込んだ者たちを、ラハブがかくまってくれたからです。
26ヨシュアは、エリコを再建しようとする者には恐ろしい災いが下ると誓って言いました。その土台を築く者は長男を殺され、その門を建てる者は末息子を失うというのです。
27神が共に歩まれたので、ヨシュアの名声はこの地方一帯に知れ渡りました。
