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.
Yeriko Yatekwa Na Kuangamizwa
16:1 Yos 24:11Basi malango ya Yeriko yalifungwa kwa uthabiti kwa ajili ya Waisraeli. Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyetoka au kuingia.
26:2 Kum 7:24; Yos 8:1; Amu 11:21; 2Sam 5:19; Neh 9:24; Dan 5:18-19Kisha Bwana akamwambia Yoshua, “Tazama, nimeitia Yeriko mikononi mwako, pamoja na mfalme wake na watu wake wa vita. 3Zunguka mji mara moja pamoja na watu wote wenye silaha. Fanya hivi kwa siku sita. 46:4 Kut 19:13; Law 25:9; Hes 10:8; Amu 7:16Uwe na makuhani saba wakibeba mabaragumu ya pembe za kondoo dume mbele ya Sanduku. Siku ya saba, mzunguke mji mara saba, nao makuhani wakipiga baragumu hizo. 56:5 Kut 19:13; 1Sam 6:15; Ezr 3:11; 10:12; Za 42:4; 95:1; Isa 8:9; 42:13Utakapowasikia wamepaliza sauti kubwa ya baragumu, watu wote wapige kelele kwa sauti kuu, kisha ukuta wa mji utaanguka na watu watapanda, kila mtu akiendelea mbele.”
6Ndipo Yoshua mwana wa Nuni akaita makuhani na kuwaambia, “Chukueni Sanduku la Agano la Bwana na makuhani saba wachukue baragumu za pembe za kondoo dume mbele yake.” 76:7 Kut 14:15; Hes 10:35; 1Sam 4:3; 7:1Naye akawaagiza watu, “Songeni mbele! Mkauzunguke mji, na walinzi wenye silaha watangulie mbele ya Sanduku la Bwana.”
86:8 Yos 4:13Baada ya Yoshua kuzungumza na watu, wale makuhani saba wenye kuzibeba zile baragumu saba mbele za Bwana, wakatangulia mbele, wakipiga baragumu zao na Sanduku la Agano la Bwana likawafuata. 96:9 Hes 2:31; Isa 52:12, 13; Hes 10:25; Isa 42:11-13Walinzi waliokuwa na silaha wakaenda mbele ya hao makuhani waliopiga hizo baragumu na hao walinzi wa nyuma wakafuata Sanduku. Wakati wote huu baragumu zilikuwa zikipigwa. 106:10 1Sam 4:5; Ezr 3:11Bali Yoshua alikuwa amewaagiza watu, “Msipige kelele ya vita, msipaze sauti zenu, wala kusema neno lolote mpaka siku ile nitakayowaambia mpige kelele. Ndipo mtapiga kelele!” 11Basi akalipeleka Sanduku la Bwana kuzungushwa huo mji, likizungushwa mara moja. Kisha watu wakarudi kambini kulala.
126:12 Kum 31:25Yoshua akaamka mapema asubuhi iliyofuata nao makuhani wakalichukua Sanduku la Bwana. 136:13 1Nya 15:26; Gal 6:9Wale Makuhani saba wakizibeba zile baragumu saba wakatangulia mbele ya Sanduku la Bwana wakizipiga. Watu wenye silaha wakatangulia mbele yao na walinzi wa nyuma wakalifuata Sanduku la Bwana, huku baragumu hizo zikiendelea kulia. 14Siku ya pili wakauzunguka mji mara moja na kurudi kambini. Wakafanya hivi kwa siku sita.
156:15 1Fal 18:44; 2Fal 4:35; 5:14Siku ya saba, wakaamka asubuhi na mapema wakauzunguka mji kama walivyokuwa wakifanya, isipokuwa siku ile waliuzunguka mji mara saba. 166:16 Amu 7:20; 2Nya 14:14Walipouzunguka mara ya saba, makuhani walipopiga baragumu kwa sauti kubwa, Yoshua akawaamuru watu akisema, “Pigeni kelele! Kwa maana Bwana amewapa mji huu! 176:17 Law 27:28; Kum 20:17; Isa 13:5; 24:1; 34:2-5; Mal 4:6; Yos 2:14; Mwa 13:3; 1Sam 15:6; Mt 10:41; 25:40; Ebr 6:10; 11:31; Yak 2:25Mji huu pamoja na vyote vilivyomo ndani yake utawekwa wakfu kwa Bwana. Ila Rahabu tu, yule kahaba na wote ambao wako pamoja naye nyumbani mwake ndio watakaosalimishwa, kwa sababu aliwaficha wale wapelelezi tuliowatuma. 186:18 Yos 7:1, 12, 25, 26; 1Nya 2:7; Kum 7:26; 13:17; Isa 52:11; Rum 12:9; 2Kor 6:17; Efe 5:11; 1The 5:2; 1Fal 18:17, 18Lakini mjiepushe na vitu vilivyowekwa wakfu, msije mkachukua chochote katika hivyo, msije mkajiletea maangamizi katika maskani ya Israeli na kuiletea taabu. 196:19 Hes 31:22Fedha yote na dhahabu, vyombo vya shaba na chuma ni vitakatifu kwa Bwana, lazima viletwe katika hazina yake.”
206:20 Law 25:9; Amu 6:34; 7:22; 1Fal 1:41; Isa 18:3; Yer 4:21; 42:14; Amo 2:2; Ebr 11:30Wakati baragumu zilipopigwa, watu walipiga kelele, na katika sauti ya baragumu, na watu kupaza sauti, ukuta ukaanguka; hivyo kila mtu akapanda akiendelea mbele na kuuteka mji. 216:21 Kum 20:16; 1Sam 15:3, 8; 1Fal 20:42; Yer 48:18; Ufu 18:21Wakauweka mji wakfu kwa Bwana, na kila chenye uhai ndani yake walikiangamiza kwa upanga, wanaume kwa wanawake, vijana kwa wazee, ngʼombe, kondoo na punda.
226:22 Mwa 42:9; Yos 2:4; Hes 21:32; Yos 2:14; Ebr 11:30-31Yoshua akawaambia wale watu wawili waliokuwa wameipeleleza nchi, “Nendeni nyumbani kwa yule kahaba, mleteni pamoja na wote waliomo nyumbani mwake, kulingana na kiapo chenu kwake.” 236:23 Yos 2:13Basi wale vijana waliofanya upelelezi wakaenda kumleta Rahabu, baba yake na mama yake, na ndugu zake na watu wote waliokuwa pamoja naye. Wakaleta jamaa yake yote na kuwaweka mahali nje ya kambi ya Israeli.
246:24 Hes 31:10; Kum 13:16Kisha wakauchoma mji wote na kila kitu kilichokuwamo ndani yake. Lakini fedha, dhahabu, vyombo vya shaba na vya chuma wakaviweka katika hazina ya nyumba ya Bwana. 256:25 Amu 1:25; Yos 2:1; 2:1, 6; Ebr 11:31Lakini Yoshua akamhifadhi Rahabu yule kahaba, jamaa yake yote na wote waliokuwa wa kwake, kwa sababu aliwaficha watu waliotumwa na Yoshua kuipeleleza Yeriko, naye anaishi miongoni mwa Waisraeli hata leo.
266:26 1Sam 14:24; Hes 5:21; 1Fal 16:34Wakati ule Yoshua akatamka kiapo hiki akasema, “Aliyelaaniwa mbele za Bwana ni mtu atakayeinuka kuujenga tena mji huu wa Yeriko:
“Kwa gharama ya mzaliwa wake wa kwanza wa kiume
ataiweka misingi yake;
kwa gharama ya mtoto wake wa mwisho
atayaweka malango yake.”
276:27 Mwa 39:2; Hes 14:43; Yos 9:1; 1Nya 14:17; Amu 1:9; 2Sam 7:9; Rum 8:31; 1Sam 2:30Hivyo Bwana alikuwa pamoja na Yoshua, na sifa zake zikaenea katika nchi yote.
