[1] But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things;
for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the LORD burned
against the people of Israel. [2] Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which
is near Beth-a'ven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out
the land." And the men went up and spied out Ai. [3] And they returned to
Joshua, and said to him, "Let not all the people go up, but let about two
or three thousand men go up and attack Ai; do not make the whole people
toil up there, for they are but few." [4] So about three thousand went up
there from the people; and they fled before the men of Ai, [5] and the men
of Ai killed about thirty-six men of them, and chased them before the gate
as far as Sheb'arim, and slew them at the descent. And the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water. [6] Then Joshua rent his clothes, and
fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the
evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.
[7] And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord GOD, why hast thou brought this people
over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to
destroy us? Would that we had been content to dwell beyond the Jordan! [8]
O Lord, what can I say, when Israel has turned their backs before their
enemies! [9] For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will
hear of it, and will surround us, and cut off our name from the earth; and
what wilt thou do for thy great name?" [10] The LORD said to Joshua,
"Arise, why have you thus fallen upon your face? [11] Israel has sinned;
they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; they have taken
some of the devoted things; they have stolen, and lied, and put them among
their own stuff. [12] Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before
their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they
have become a thing for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you
destroy the devoted things from among you. [13] Up, sanctify the people,
and say, `Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the LORD, God of
Israel, "There are devoted things in the midst of you, O Israel; you cannot
stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted things from
among you." [14] In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your
tribes; and the tribe which the LORD takes shall come near by families; and
the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households; and the
household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man. [15] And he who
is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that
he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because
he has done a shameful thing in Israel.'" [16] So Joshua rose early in the
morning, and brought Israel near tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was
taken; [17] and he brought near the families of Judah, and the family of
the Zer'ahites was taken; and he brought near the family of the Zer'ahites
man by man, and Zabdi was taken; [18] and he brought near his household man
by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the
tribe of Judah, was taken. [19] Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give
glory to the LORD God of Israel, and render praise to him; and tell me now
what you have done; do not hide it from me." [20] And Achan answered
Joshua, "Of a truth I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this
is what I did: [21] when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from
Shinar, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty
shekels, then I coveted them, and took them; and behold, they are hidden in
the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath." [22] So Joshua sent
messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent
with the silver underneath. [23] And they took them out of the tent and
brought them to Joshua and all the people of Israel; and they laid them
down before the LORD. [24] And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan
the son of Zerah, and the silver and the mantle and the bar of gold, and
his sons and daughters, and his oxen and asses and sheep, and his tent, and
all that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. [25] And
Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on
you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones; they burned them with
fire, and stoned them with stones. [26] And they raised over him a great
heap of stones that remains to this day; then the LORD turned from his
burning anger. Therefore to this day the name of that place is called the
Valley of Achor.