1 Jericho had closed its gates and was barred against the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in.
2 The LORD said to Joshua, "Look, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and its valiant warriors.
3 All your fighting men are to march around the city, circling it once. Do this for six days.
4 Have seven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5 When they sound a long blast on the ram's horn and you hear the trumpet sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse where it stands, and the people are to go up, each man straight in."
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and told them, "Lift up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark of the LORD."
7 He told the people, "Move forward and march around the city, with the armed men going ahead of the ark of the LORD."
8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven ram's-horn trumpets before the LORD moved forward, blowing the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed behind them.
9 The armed men marched in front of the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark, with the trumpets sounding as they went.
10 But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not shout or make any sound with your voices; do not let a single word come out of your mouths until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!"
11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once, and then they returned to the camp and spent the night there.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests lifted the ark of the LORD.
13 The seven priests carrying the seven ram's-horn trumpets in front of the ark of the LORD marched on, blowing the trumpets continually. The armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept on sounding.
14 On the second day they again marched around the city once and went back to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.
16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua told the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.
17 The city and everything in it is to be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house are to be spared, because she hid the messengers we sent.
18 But you, stay away from what is devoted, so that you do not devote them to destruction and then take some of the devoted things, and so make the camp of Israel devoted to destruction and bring disaster on it.
19 All the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD and must go into the LORD's treasury."
20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the trumpet sound, they gave a mighty shout, and the wall collapsed where it stood. Then the people went up into the city, each man straight in, and captured it.
21 With the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city, men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22 Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring the woman out from there with everyone who belongs to her, as you swore to her."
23 So the young men who had served as spies went in and brought out Rahab with her father and mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.
24 Then they burned the city and everything in it with fire, except for the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron, which they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.
25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, together with her father's household and all who belonged to her, and she has lived among Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho.
26 At that time Joshua put them under this oath: "Cursed before the LORD is the man who undertakes to rebuild this city of Jericho. He will lay its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest."
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.