1 Os portais de Jericó eram mantidos hermeticamente fechados, pois que o povo ali estava cheio de medo dos israelitas; não deixavam ninguém entrar nem sair.
2 Mas o Senhor disse a Josué: Jericó, o seu rei e todos os seus valentes guerreiros encontram-se praticamente derrotados, porque já os entreguei nas vossas mãos. O vosso exército, com todos os seus efectivos, deverá rodear a cidade uma vez por dia durante seis dias, seguidos por sete sacerdotes que levarão a arca, e cada um deles com uma trombeta feita de chifre de carneiro. No sétimo dia darão a volta à cidade sete vezes, com os sacerdotes tocando as trombetas. E então, quando eles soprarem um longo e alto toque, todo o povo deverá gritar com muita força. Nessa altura as muralhas da cidade cairão e poderão lá entrar por todos os lados.
6 Assim Josué convocou os sacerdotes e deu-lhes instruções: os homens armados conduziriam o cortejo, seguidos de sete sacerdotes soprando continuamente as trombetas. Atrás deles deveriam vir os sacerdotes transportando a arca; fechando o cortejo, à retaguarda, seguia um contingente.
10 Ninguém falará, nem dirá nada; só se ouvirão as trombetas a tocar, mandou Josué. Não dirão sequer uma palavra até que vos diga para gritarem; então gritem!
11 A arca rodeou a cidade uma vez nesse dia, depois do que toda a gente regressou ao acampamento para passarem a noite. Ao amanhecer do dia seguinte foram de novo rodear a cidade e voltaram para o acampamento. Fizeram isso durante seis dias.
15 Na manhã do sétimo dia fizeram o mesmo, para começar; mas desta vez rodearam a cidade não uma, mas sete vezes. À sétima vez, quando os sacerdotes tocaram um som alto e muito longo com as trombetas, Josué bradou para o povo, Gritem! O Senhor deu-nos a cidade!
17 (Anteriormente ele tinha-lhes dito: Matem toda a gente, com excepção de Raabe, a meretriz, e de todos os que estiverem na sua casa, pois que protegeu os nossos espias. Não fiquem com coisa nenhuma do saque - tudo deverá ser destruído. Se assim não fizerem, cairá a desgraça sobre a nação de Israel. No entanto, a prata e ouro, os utensílios de bronze e de ferro, tudo isso será consagrado ao Senhor e deverá ser levado para o tesouro do santuário.)
20 Assim, quando o povo ouviu o toque das trombetas, gritaram tão alto quanto podiam. E repentinamente as muralhas de Jericó ruíram, cairam na sua frente; o povo de Israel irrompeu sobre elas, penetrando na cidade por todos os lados e conquistou-a. Destruíram tudo -homens e mulheres, novos e velhos; bois, cordeiros, jumentos- tudo.
22 Josué disse aos dois espias, Mantenham a vossa palavra, quanto à promessa que fizeram. Recolham a meretriz e os que estão com ela.
23 Os homens foram e trouxeram-na, a ela e ao pai, à mãe, aos irmãos e outros parentes que lá se encontravam. E deixaram-nos ficar a viver fora do acampamento de Israel. Os israelitas queimaram a cidade e tudo o que lá havia, com excepção da prata, do ouro, dos utensílios de bronze e de ferro que foram levados para o tesouro do Senhor.
25 Josué salvou pois Raabe, a meretriz, mais os seus parentes que estavam com ela dentro de casa, e vivem ainda hoje entre os israelitas, pois que ela escondeu os espias que Josué mandara a Jericó.
26 Então Josué declarou uma maldição sobre quem viesse a reconstruir Jericó, advertindo de que quando os seus fundamentos fossem repostos, o filho mais velho do construtor haveria de morrer, e quando as suas portas fossem montadas, seria o filho mais novo desse alguém que morreria.
27 Desta forma o Senhor estava com Josué e o seu nome tornou-se famoso por toda a parte.
1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the sons of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
2 And Yahweh said to Joshua, See, I have given into your hand Jericho and its king, mighty men of valor.
3 And you{+} will circle the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus you will do six days.
4 And seven priests will bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark: and the seventh day you{+} will circle the city seven times, and the priests will blow the trumpets.
5 And it will be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you{+} hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people will shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight before him.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh.
7 And they said to the people, Pass on, and circle the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of Yahweh.
8 And it was so, that, when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before Yahweh passed on, and blew the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of Yahweh followed them.
9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rearward went after the ark, [the priests] blowing the trumpets as they went.
10 And Joshua commanded the people, saying, You{+} will not shout, nor let your{+} voice be heard, neither will any word proceed out of your{+} mouth, until the day I bid you{+} shout; then you{+} will shout.
11 So he caused the ark of Yahweh to circle the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Yahweh.
13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Yahweh went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; and the rearward came after the ark of Yahweh, [the priests] blowing the trumpets as they went.
14 And the second day they circled the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days.
15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early at the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.
16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for Yahweh has given you{+} the city.
17 And the city will be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to Yahweh: only Rahab the prostitute will live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
18 But as for you{+}, only keep yourselves from the devoted thing, or else you{+} will covet and take of the devoted thing; so you{+} would make the camp of Israel accursed, and trouble it.
19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are holy to Yahweh: they will come into the treasury of Yahweh.
20 So the people shouted, and [the priests] blew the trumpets; and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
21 And they completely destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, Go into the prostitute's house, and bring out from there the woman, and all who she has, as you{+} swore to her.
23 And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all who she had; all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them outside the camp of Israel.
24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was in it; only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of Yahweh.
25 But Rahab the prostitute, and her father's household, and all who she had, Joshua saved alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 And Joshua charged them with an oath at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before Yahweh, that rises up and builds this city Jericho: with the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up the gates of it.
27 So Yahweh was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.