Achan’s Sin
7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass
in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son
of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of
the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled
against the children of Israel.
7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside
Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them,
saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and
viewed Ai.
7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not
all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand
men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labor
thither; for they are but few.
7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three
thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.
7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six
men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto
Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the
hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon
his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he
and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O LORD God, wherefore hast thou
at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into
the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had
been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
7:8 O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their
backs before their enemies!
7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land
shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off
our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy
great name?
7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore
liest thou thus upon thy face?
7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my
covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of
the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled
also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.
7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies, but turned their backs before their
enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with
you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.
7:13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves
against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel:
thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take
away the accursed thing from among you.
7:14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according
to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the
LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof;
and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by
households; and the household which the LORD shall take
shall come man by man.
7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the
accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he
hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD,
and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
7:16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought
Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:
7:17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the
family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the
Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:
7:18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan,
the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, was taken.
7:19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee,
glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto
him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from
me.
7:20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have
sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus
have I done:
7:21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish
garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of
gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took
them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of
my tent, and the silver under it.
7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent;
and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under
it.
7:23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and
brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of
Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the
son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge
of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and
his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had:
and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD
shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with
stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned
them with stones.
7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto
this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his
anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The
valley of Achor, unto this day. |