THE WALLS OF JERICHO FALL Joshua 6:1-27 Joshua 6 "Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in Then the LORD said t0 Joshua, “See, Ihave delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. ‘March around the city once with all the armed men, Do this fr six days. ‘Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams” horns in front ofthe atk, On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets, “When you hear them sound along blast on the umpets, have all the people give aloud shout; then the wall ofthe city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in, So Joshua soa of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark ofthe covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of i.” And he ordered the people, "Advance! Mare axound the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark ofthe LORD.” “When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, andthe ark of the LORD'S covenant followed them. "The armed quard marched ahead of the priests who blew the ttumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. "But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war ery, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day Ite. you to shout. Then shout!” 'So he had the ark ofthe LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people retumed to camp and spent the night there, "Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. "The seven. priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, ‘marching before the ark ofthe 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. "So on the second day they ‘marched around the city once and retumed to the camp. They did this for six days. "On 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. "The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the peop, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! "The city and al that isin it are o be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab th prostitute and all who are ‘with he inher house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we Sent. "But keep away fiom the devoted things, so that you will ot bring about your own destruction by taking any’of them. Otherwise you will ‘make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble omit. "All the silver and gold and the articles, ‘ofbonze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must 0 into his treasury.” “hen the trumpets sounded, the people shouted and at the sound of the trumpet, when th people ave 4 Tou shout, the wall eollapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took th ety. "They devoted the city tothe LORD and destroyed withthe sword every living thing inst—men and women, young and od, cat, shosp and donkeys. shua said to the two mon who had spied out te land, "Go into the prostates house and bring her ‘outand all who belong to her, n accordance with your father" "So the young men who had done the spying went and brought out Rahab her father and ‘mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They ‘rowsht out her enite family and put them in place outside the camp of Israel *Then they bumed the whole city and everyting init but they put the silver and gold andthe atiles of ‘bronze and ton ito the weasury ofthe LORD'S hous. "But Joshua spared Rabab the prostits, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid he men Joshua had sent as spies to Jerieho—and she lives among the Isasites this day At tha time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath “Cursed before the LORD isthe man who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “atthe cost of his firstborn son will ely it foundations; atthe cost of his youngest ‘will he set up its ates.” $0 the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread ‘throughout the land,