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.
1Tsono mzinda wa Yeriko unali utatsekedwa kuti Aisraeli asalowe. Palibe amene amatuluka kapena kulowa.
2Kenaka Yehova anati kwa Yoswa, “Taona ndapereka Yeriko, pamodzi ndi mfumu yake ndi ankhondo ake mʼmanja mwako. 3Tsono iwe pamodzi ndi ankhondo ako onse muzizungulira mzindawu masiku asanu ndi limodzi, kamodzi pa tsiku. 4Ansembe asanu ndi awiri, atanyamula malipenga a nyanga za nkhosa zazimuna, akhale patsogolo pa Bokosi la Chipangano. Pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chiwiri mudzazungulire mzindawu kasanu ndi kawiri ansembe akuliza malipenga. 5Ansembe adzalize malipenga kosalekeza. Tsono anthu onse akadzamva kuliza kumeneku adzafuwule kwambiri, ndipo makoma a mzindawo adzagwa. Zikadzatero ankhondo adzalowe mu mzindawo.”
6Ndipo Yoswa mwana wa Nuni anayitana ansembe ndipo anawawuza kuti, “Nyamulani Bokosi la Chipangano cha Yehova ndipo ansembe asanu ndi awiri anyamule malipenga. Iwowa akhale patsogolo pake.” 7Ndipo analamulira anthu kuti, “Yambani kuyenda! Yendani mozungulira mzinda ndipo ankhondo akhale patsogolo pa Bokosi la Yehova.”
8Mofanana ndi mmene Yoswa anayankhulira kwa anthu aja, ansembe asanu ndi awiri anapita patsogolo pa Bokosi la Chipangano la Yehova akuliza malipenga a nyanga za nkhosa zija, ndipo Bokosi la Chipangano cha Yehova limabwera pambuyo pawo. 9Ankhondo amayenda patsogolo pa ansembe amene amayimba malipenga, ndiponso gulu lina pambuyo pa Bokosilo. Nthawi yonseyi nʼkuti malipenga akulira. 10Koma Yoswa nʼkuti atalamulira anthu kuti, “Musafuwule, musakweze mawu anu kapena kuyankhula mpaka tsiku limene ndidzakuwuzani kuti mufuwule. Pamenepo mudzafuwule!” 11Ansembe onyamula Bokosi la Chipangano la Yehova anazungulira mzindawo kamodzi. Kenaka anthu anabwerera ku msasa wawo kukagona.
12Yoswa anadzuka mmawa tsiku linalo ndipo ansembe ananyamula Bokosi la Yehova. 13Ansembe asanu ndi awiri onyamula malipenga asanu ndi awiri anakhala patsogolo pa Bokosi la Yehova akuyimba malipenga. Ankhondo anali patsogolo pawo ndipo gulu lina linatsatira Bokosi la Yehova. Apa nʼkuti malipenga akulira. 14Tsiku lachiwiri anazunguliranso mzinda kamodzi ndi kubwerera ku misasa. Iwo anachita izi kwa masiku asanu ndi limodzi.
15Pa tsiku lachisanu ndi chiwiri, anadzuka mʼbandakucha ndipo anazungulira mzindawo kasanu ndi kawiri. Ndi pa tsiku lokhali limene anazungulira mzindawu kasanu ndi kawiri. 16Pomwe amazungulira kachisanu ndi chiwiri, ansembe akuliza malipenga mokweza, Yoswa analamulira anthu kuti “Fuwulani pakuti Yehova wakupatsani mzindawu! 17Mzindawu ndi zonse zimene zili mʼmenemo muziwononge. Rahabe yekha, mayi wadama, ndi aliyense amene ali pamodzi naye mʼnyumba mwake asaphedwe, chifukwa anabisa anthu odzazonda, amene ife tinawatuma 18Koma musatenge kanthu kalikonse koyenera kuwonongedwa. Mukadzangotenga kanthu kalikonse koyenera kuwonongedwa, mudzaputa mavuto, misasa ya Israeli idzawonongedwa. 19Zonse za siliva ndi golide, ziwiya zamkuwa ndi zachitsulo, ndi zake za Yehova ndipo ziyenera kukasungidwa mosungiramo chuma chake.”
20Ansembe analiza malipenga. Anthu atamva kulira kwa malipenga, anafuwula kwambiri ndipo makoma a Yeriko anagwa. Choncho ankhondo anabwera ku mzinda uja nawulanda. 21Iwo analowa mu mzindawo nawononga ndi lupanga chilichonse chamoyo kuyambira amuna, akazi, ana ndi akulu, ngʼombe, nkhosa ndi abulu.
22Yoswa anawuza anthu awiri amene anakazonda dziko aja kuti, “Pitani ku nyumba ya mkazi wadama uja ndipo mukamutulutse iye pamodzi ndi onse amene ali naye ndipo mukabwere nawo kuno, munamulumbirira.” 23Choncho iwo anapita nakatenga Rahabe, abambo ake ndi amayi ake, abale ake ndi onse amene anali naye. Iwo anatulutsa banja lake lonse ndipo analiyika kuseri kwa msasa wa Aisraeli.
24Kenaka iwo anawotcha mzinda wonse ndi chilichonse chimene chinali mʼmenemo, kupatulapo zasiliva ndi zagolide pamodzi ndi ziwiya zamkuwa ndi zachitsulo zimene anakaziyika mʼnyumba yosungiramo chuma cha Yehova. 25Koma Yoswa sanaphe Rahabe, mkazi wadamayo pamodzi ndi banja lake ndi onse amene anali naye, chifukwa anabisa anthu amene iye anawatuma kukazonda Yeriko. Zidzukulu zake za Rahabeyo zikukhala pakati pa Aisraeli mpaka lero.
26Pa nthawi imeneyo Yoswa anapereka chenjezo motemberera kuti, “Akhale wotembereredwa pamaso pa Yehova munthu amene adzamangenso mzinda uwu wa Yeriko:
“Aliyense amene adzayike maziko ake,
mwana wake wamwamuna wachisamba adzafa,
aliyense womanga zipata zake
mwana wake wamngʼono adzafa.”
27Motero Yehova anali ndi Yoswa, ndipo mbiri yake inafalikira dziko lonse.
