Joshua 7:2-26

Joshua sent spies from Jericho to Ai (a small city near Beth Aven, southeast of Bethel), with orders to spy out the land. So the spies left for Ai. When they returned to Joshua, they reported to him, “There is no need to trouble the whole army to conquer Ai. The people are so few that two or three thousand men could attack it and take the city.” So Joshua sent three thousand troops to attack the city, but they were routed by the men of Ai. The men of Ai chased them from the city gates, down the hill as far as the quarries, cutting them down as they fled. They killed thirty-six of Joshua’s men, and when Israel heard of their defeat, their hearts melted away with fear! Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes and threw dust over their heads to show their sorrow. They threw themselves facedown to the ground in front of the ark of YAHWEH until the evening sacrifice. Joshua cried out, “O Lord YAHWEH, why did you lead these people across the Jordan? To be defeated? To be killed by the Amorites? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated from its enemies? When the Canaanites and everyone else in the land hear about our defeat, they will gang up on us and wipe us off the face of the earth. And what then will you do about your great name?” YAHWEH spoke to Joshua: “Stand up! Why are you groveling before me? Israel has sinned! They have broken the covenant which I had commanded them to keep. They have taken forbidden plunder. They have stolen from me, taken what is mine, hidden it among their belongings, and lied about it. Cursed things are among you! That is why Israel is powerless, has retreated from their enemies, and is in danger of annihilation. If you do not get rid of these cursed things from among you, I will not go with you any longer. Get up and purify the people in preparation for tomorrow. Tell them, ‘This is what YAHWEH, the God of Israel says: “O Israel, you have in your midst what must be devoted entirely to me! You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove the devoted things from your midst!” Tomorrow morning, you shall present yourselves by tribes. YAHWEH will indicate which tribe must come forward by clans. YAHWEH will indicate which clan must come forward by families. And YAHWEH will indicate which family must come forward one by one. Then finally, YAHWEH will expose the man caught with the devoted things, which must be destroyed by fire. Everything that man owns you must likewise destroy by fire, for he has violated the covenant of YAHWEH and committed an outrageous act in Israel!’ ” Joshua was up at the crack of dawn and had Israel come forward by tribes, and YAHWEH indicated the tribe of Judah. Joshua then had the clans of Judah come forward, and YAHWEH picked out the clan of Zerah. Joshua then had the clan of Zerah come forward and YAHWEH indicated the family of Zimri. Joshua then had Zimri’s family come forward one by one, and YAHWEH picked out Achan, the son of Carmi, son of Zimri, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah. Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to YAHWEH, the God of Israel, and confess. Tell me the truth and do not hide anything from him. What have you done?” “It’s true,” Achan said. “I’ve sinned against YAHWEH, the God of Israel. This is what I did: I saw among the plunder an exquisite robe from Babylon, two hundred pieces of silver, and a fifty-shekel bar of gold. I wanted them badly, so I took them and buried them in my tent with the silver underneath.” Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it was! They found it buried in the middle of the tent with the silver underneath. They took the stolen objects from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and displayed them in the presence of YAHWEH. Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan son of Zerah along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, and all that belonged to him—his sons, daughters, donkeys, oxen, sheep, tent—everything. Joshua led them all to the Valley of Trouble and said, “Why have you brought all this trouble on us? YAHWEH will bring trouble on you today!” Then all the people stoned Achan and his family to death. They burned up the bodies and all Achan’s possessions. They raised over him a huge mound of stones that remains to this day. That is why the place was called the Valley of Trouble ever since. Afterward, YAHWEH’s anger subsided against Israel.