Day 59: Joshua 4-6

The Twelve Stones, Circumcision at Gilgal, and the Fall of Jericho

Joshua 4

Twelve Stones from the Jordan

1 When all the nation had completely crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 5 Joshua said to them, “Cross over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do you mean by these stones?’ 7 then you shall tell them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of Yahweh’s covenant. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.’”

8 The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, as Yahweh spoke to Joshua. They carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. 9 Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

10 For the priests who bore the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished that Yahweh commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. The people hurried and passed over. 11 When all the people had completely crossed over, Yahweh’s ark crossed over, with the priests, in the presence of the people.

12 The children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them. 13 About forty thousand men, ready for war, passed over before Yahweh to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel. They feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 16 “Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.” 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 When the priests who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks as before.

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho. 20 Those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. 21 He spoke to the children of Israel, saying, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land.’ 23 For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until you had crossed over, as Yahweh your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had crossed over; 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh’s hand is mighty, and that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.”

Joshua 5

Circumcision at Gilgal

1 When all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted. There was no more spirit in them because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make flint knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.” 3 Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the Hill of the Foreskins. 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, even the men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice. Yahweh swore to them that he would not let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 Their children he raised up in their place, them Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised by the way.

8 When they were done circumcising the whole nation, they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.

9 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal to this day.

10 The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. 11 They ate unleavened cakes and roasted grain of the produce of the land on the next day after the Passover, in that same day. 12 The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land; neither did the children of Israel have manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

The Commander of Yahweh’s Army

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him, and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”

14 He said, “No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh’s army.”

Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”

15 The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your shoes from off your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.

Joshua 6

The Fall of Jericho

1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war, going around the city once. You shall do this six days.

4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout. Then the city wall shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight before him.”

6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark.” 7 He said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before Yahweh’s ark.”

8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh advanced, and blew the trumpets; and Yahweh’s ark of the covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark. The priests sounded the trumpets as they went. 10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout, nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.”

11 So he caused Yahweh’s ark to go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp.

12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up Yahweh’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before Yahweh’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went before them. The rear guard came after Yahweh’s ark. The priests sounded the trumpets as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.

15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. Only on that day they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For Yahweh has given you the city!

17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of bronze and of iron are holy to Yahweh. They shall come into Yahweh’s treasury.”

20 So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring out from there the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside the camp of Israel.

24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron into Yahweh’s treasury. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, and her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lived in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh who rises up and builds this city Jericho! With the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates!”

27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.

Scripture: World English Bible (WEB), public domain.