Joshua 7

1 But the children of Israel did a great wrong and took for themselves in secret from the thing devoted; and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the thing devoted. And the Lord burned with anger against the children of Israel. [a] 2 And Joshua sent men to Ai, which is near Bethel, and said, “Spy out Ai.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they came back to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up. Let about two or three thousand men go up and take the city by siege. Do not lead the whole people up there — the men there are few.” 4 And about three thousand men went up, and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai killed thirty-six of their men, and pursued them from the gate and crushed them on the steep slope. And the heart of the people was terrified, and it became like water.

6 And Joshua tore his clothes, and Joshua fell to the ground on his face before the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they threw dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “I beg you, Lord — why did your servant bring this people over the Jordan, to hand them over to the Amorite, to destroy us? If only we had stayed and settled beside the Jordan. [b] 8 And what am I to say, now that Israel has turned his back before his enemy? 9 When the Canaanite and all who live in the land hear of it, they will surround us and wipe us off the land. And what will you do about your great name?”

10 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up. Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11 The people have sinned and broken the covenant I made with them. They have stolen from the thing devoted and put it in among their own baggage. 12 The children of Israel will not be able to stand up against their enemies; they will turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become a thing devoted. I will not be with you any longer, unless you remove the thing devoted from among yourselves. 13 Get up, make the people holy, and tell them to make themselves holy for tomorrow. This is what the Lord God of Israel says: The thing devoted is among you; you will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove the thing devoted from among you. 14 And in the morning you are all to be gathered by tribes. The tribe the Lord shows, you are to bring forward by clans; and the clan the Lord shows, you are to bring forward by household; and the household the Lord shows, you are to bring forward man by man. 15 And the one who is pointed out will be burned with fire, he and everything that is his, because he broke the covenant of the Lord and did a lawless thing in Israel.”

16 And Joshua got up early and brought the people forward by tribes, and the tribe of Judah was pointed out. 17 And it was brought forward by clans, and the clan of Zerah was pointed out; and it was brought forward man by man, 18 and Achan son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, was pointed out. 19 And Joshua said to Achan, “Give glory today to the Lord God of Israel, and speak out openly. Tell me what you have done, and do not hide it from me.”

20 And Achan answered Joshua. He said, “I have truly sinned before the Lord God of Israel. This is what I did: 21 I saw among the plunder a fine embroidered cloak, and two hundred pieces of silver — about five pounds — and one bar of gold weighing fifty pieces, about a pound and a quarter; and I set my mind on them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, and the silver is hidden underneath them.” [c] 22 And Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent in the camp; and the things were hidden in the tent, with the silver underneath them. 23 And they brought them out of the tent and carried them to Joshua and the elders of Israel, and they laid them down before the Lord.

24 And Joshua took Achan son of Zerah and brought him up to the valley of Achor — and his sons and his daughters, and his calves and his donkeys and all his sheep, and his tent and everything he had — and all the people were with him; and he brought them up to Emek-achor. [d] 25 And Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you destroyed us? May the Lord destroy you, as he does this day.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. [e] 26 And they set a great heap of stones over him; and the Lord's fierce anger came to an end. That is why he named the place Emek-achor, and it is called so to this day.