1Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.
2Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
6So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”
8When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. 9The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not 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, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.
12Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the Lord and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17The city and all that is in it are to be devoted6:17 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 18 and 21. to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”
20When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” 23So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
24Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. 25But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
26At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho:
“At the cost of his firstborn son
he will lay its foundations;
at the cost of his youngest
he will set up its gates.”
27So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Wɔfa Yeriko
1Wɔtotoo Yeriko apon mu papee, efisɛ na wosuro Israelfo no. Wɔamma obiara kwan ma wankɔ mu anaa wamfi adi.
2Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se, “Mede Yeriko, ɛhɔ hene ne ɛhɔ akofo nyinaa ahyɛ wo nsa. 3Ma wo nsraadɔm no nyinaa mmɔ nsra ntwa kuropɔn no ho nhyia pɛnkoro da biara nnansia. 4Asɔfo baason a wokurakura adwennini mmɛn abɛn bedi Adaka no anim. Da a ɛto so ason no, ɛsɛ sɛ mobɔ nsra twa kuropɔn no ho mpɛn ason, a asɔfo no rehyɛn mmɛn no. 5Sɛ mote sɛ asɔfo no hyɛn mmɛn no denneennen ma ɛkyɛ a, nnipa no nyinaa mmɔ nnye so. Afei kuropɔn no afasu nyinaa bedwiriw agu fam, na nnipa no betumi atow ahyɛ kuropɔn no so.”
6Na Yosua frɛɛ asɔfo no ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Momfa Apam Adaka no na mo mu baason nni anim a wokurakura mmɛn.” 7Enti, ɔhyɛɛ nnipa no se, “Mommɔ nsra mfa kuropɔn no ho na wɔn a wokurakura akode no bedi Awurade adaka no anim.”
8Yosua kasa kyerɛɛ nnipa no wiei no, asɔfo baason a wokurakura mmɛn no fii ase bɔɔ nsra wɔ Awurade anim a wɔrehyɛn mmɛn no. Na asɔfo a wɔso Awurade Apam Adaka no dii wɔn akyi. 9Wɔn a wokurakura akode no bi bɔɔ nsra wɔ asɔfo no a wɔrehyɛn mmɛn no anim, na bi nso bɔɔ nsra wɔ asɔfo a wɔso Adaka no akyi, bere a asɔfo no gu so rehyɛn mmɛn no. 10Yosua hyɛe se, “Monnteɛ mu na monnkasa mpo. Mommma asɛm biara mfi mo anum, kosi sɛ mɛka akyerɛ mo se monteɛ mu na moateɛ mu.” 11Enti, da no, wɔsoaa Awurade Adaka no twaa kuropɔn no ho pɛnkoro. Na afei obiara san kɔɔ atenae hɔ kɔhomee anadwo no.
12Ade kyee no Yosua sɔree anɔpahema, na asɔfo no soaa Awurade Adaka no bio. 13Asɔfo baason a wokurakura adwennimmɛn mmɛn no bɔɔ nsra wɔ Awurade Adaka no anim, a wɔrehyɛn wɔn mmɛn. Wɔn a wokurakura akode no bi nso bɔɔ nsra wɔ asɔfo a wokurakura mmɛn no anim ne Awurade Adaka no akyi. Saa bere no nyinaa na asɔfo no rehyɛn wɔn mmɛn no. 14Da a ɛto so abien no, wɔbɔɔ nsra twaa kuropɔn no ho pɛnkoro, na wɔsan kɔɔ atenae hɔ. Wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ saa ara nnansia.
15Da a ɛto so ason no, Israelfo no sɔree anɔpahema, bɔɔ nsra twaa kuropɔn no ho hyiae, sɛnea wɔayɛ dedaw no. Nanso, saa bere yi de, wɔbɔɔ nsra twaa kuropɔn no ho mpɛn ason. 16Ne mpɛn ason so no, bere a asɔfo no hyɛn wɔn mmɛn denneennen ma ɛkyɛe no, Yosua hyɛɛ ɔmanfo no se, “Monteɛteɛ mu! Na Awurade de kuropɔn no ama mo! 17Kuropɔn no ne emu nneɛma no, ɛsɛ sɛ mosɛe ne nyinaa sɛ afɔrebɔde ma Awurade. Oguamanfo Rahab ne ne fifo nko na ɛsɛ sɛ wogyaw wɔn, efisɛ ɔbɔɔ akwansrafo no ho ban. 18Mommmfa nneɛma a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsɛe no no mu biara, sɛ mofa a, mo ankasa na wɔbɛsɛe mo korakora na mode ɔhaw bɛbrɛ Israel nyinaa. 19Biribiara a wɔde dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, kɔbere mfrafrae anaa dade ayɛ no yɛ kronkron ma Awurade, enti ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ba nʼadekorabea hɔ.”
20Bere a nnipa no tee mmɛn no nnyigyei no, wɔteɛteɛɛ mu denneennen sɛnea wobetumi. Prɛko pɛ Yeriko afasu no dwiriw guu fam maa Israelfo no fi afanan nyinaa tow hyɛɛ kuropɔn no so na wɔfae. 21Wɔsɛee biribiara a ɛwɔ kuropɔn no mu pasaa, mmarima ne mmea, mmofra ne mpanyin, anantwi, nguan, mfurum ne biribiara.
22Afei, Yosua ka kyerɛɛ akwansrafo baanu no se, “Munni mo bɔhyɛ no so. Monkɔ oguamanfo no fi na monkɔfa no ne nʼabusuafo nyinaa mmra.” 23Mmerante no kɔfaa Rahab, nʼagya, ne na, ne nuabarimanom ne abusuafo a na wɔwɔ ne nkyɛn no nyinaa bae. Wɔde abusuafo no nyinaa kosiee baabi a ɔhaw biara nni hɔ na ɛbɛn Israelfo atenae.
24Afei, Israelfo no hyew kuropɔn no ne emu nneɛma nyinaa. Nneɛma a wɔanhyew no yɛ nea wɔde dwetɛ, sikakɔkɔɔ, kɔbere mfrafrae anaa dade ayɛ. Wɔde ne nyinaa kosiee Awurade fi adekoradan mu. 25Enti, Yosua amfa ne nsa anka oguamanfo Rahab ne nʼabusuafo a na wɔka ne ho wɔ fie no, efisɛ ɔde akwansrafo a Yosua somaa wɔn Yeriko no siei. Enti ɔte Israelfo mu besi nnɛ.
26Saa bere no, Yosua kaa saa nnome nsɛm yi: “Awurade nnome mmra obiara a ɔyɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛkyekyere Yeriko kuropɔn no bio.
“Ɔde nʼabakan na ebefi ase,
na ɔde nʼakumaa na ebesisi ano apon.”
27Na Awurade kaa Yosua ho na ne din hyetaa asase no so nyinaa.
