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The LORD's command to Israel not to take from Jericho anything that was to be destroyed was not obeyed. A man named Achan disobeyed that order, and so the LORD was furious with the Israelites. (Achan was the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, and belonged to the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah.)
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Joshua sent some men from Jericho to Ai, a city east of Bethel, near Bethaven, with orders to go and explore the land. When they had done so,
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they reported back to Joshua: "There is no need for everyone to attack Ai. Send only about two or three thousand men. Don't send the whole army up there to fight; it is not a large city."
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So about three thousand Israelites made the attack, but they were forced to retreat.
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The men of Ai chased them from the city gate as far as some quarries and killed about thirty-six of them on the way down the hill. Then the Israelites lost their courage and were afraid.
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Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief, threw themselves to the ground before the LORD's Covenant Box, and lay there till evening, with dust on their heads to show their sorrow.
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And Joshua said, "Sovereign LORD! Why did you bring us across the Jordan at all? To turn us over to the Amorites? To destroy us? Why didn't we just stay on the other side of the Jordan?
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What can I say, O Lord, now that Israel has retreated from the enemy?
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The Canaanites and everyone else in the country will hear about it. They will surround us and kill every one of us! And then what will you do to protect your honor?"
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The LORD said to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying on the ground like this?
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Israel has sinned! They have broken the agreement with me that I ordered them to keep. They have taken some of the things condemned to destruction. They stole them, lied about it, and put them with their own things.
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This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They retreat from them because they themselves have now been condemned to destruction! I will not stay with you any longer unless you destroy the things you were ordered not to take!
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Get up! Purify the people and get them ready to come before me. Tell them to be ready tomorrow, because I, the LORD God of Israel, have this to say: 'Israel, you have in your possession some things that I ordered you to destroy! You cannot stand against your enemies until you get rid of these things!'
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So tell them that in the morning they will be brought forward, tribe by tribe. The tribe that I pick out will then come forward, clan by clan. The clan that I pick out will come forward, family by family. The family that I pick out will come forward, one by one.
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The one who is then picked out and found with the condemned goods will be burned, along with his family and everything he owns, for he has brought terrible shame on Israel and has broken my covenant."
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Early the next morning Joshua brought Israel forward, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was picked out.
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He brought the tribe of Judah forward, clan by clan, and the clan of Zerah was picked out. Then he brought the clan of Zerah forward, family by family, and the family of Zabdi was picked out.
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He then brought Zabdi's family forward, one by one, and Achan, the son of Carmi and grandson of Zabdi, was picked out.
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Joshua said to him, "My son, tell the truth here before the LORD, the God of Israel, and confess. Tell me now what you have done. Don't try to hide it from me."
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"It's true," Achan answered. "I have sinned against the LORD, Israel's God, and this is what I did.
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Among the things we seized I saw a beautiful Babylonian cloak, about five pounds of silver, and a bar of gold weighing over one pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. You will find them buried inside my tent, with the silver at the bottom."
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So Joshua sent some men, who ran to the tent and found that the condemned things really were buried there, with the silver at the bottom.
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They brought them out of the tent, took them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and laid them down in the presence of the LORD.
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Joshua, along with all the people of Israel, seized Achan, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, together with Achan's sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned; and they took them to Trouble Valley.
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And Joshua said, "Why have you brought such trouble on us? The LORD will now bring trouble on you!" All the people then stoned Achan to death; they also stoned and burned his family and possessions.
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They put a huge pile of stones over him, which is there to this day. That is why that place is still called Trouble Valley. Then the LORD was no longer furious.
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The LORD said to Joshua, "Take all the soldiers with you and go on up to Ai. Don't be afraid or discouraged. I will give you victory over the king of Ai; his people, city, and land will be yours.
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You are to do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, but this time you may keep its goods and livestock for yourselves. Prepare to attack the city by surprise from the rear."
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So Joshua got ready to go to Ai with all his soldiers. He picked out thirty thousand of his best troops and sent them out at night
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with these orders: "Hide on the other side of the city, but not too far away from it; be ready to attack.
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My men and I will approach the city. When the men of Ai come out against us, we will turn and run, just as we did the first time.
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They will pursue us until we have led them away from the city. They will think that we are running from them, as we did before.
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Then you will come out of hiding and capture the city. The LORD your God will give it to you.
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After you have taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD has commanded. These are your orders."
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So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.
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Early in the morning Joshua got up and called the soldiers together. Then he and the leaders of Israel led them to Ai.
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The soldiers with him went toward the main entrance to the city and set up camp on the north side, with a valley between themselves and Ai.
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He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.
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The soldiers were arranged for battle with the main camp north of the city and the rest of the men to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley.
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When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear.
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Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country.
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All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city.
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Every man in Ai went after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open, with no one to defend it.
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Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Point your spear at Ai; I am giving it to you." Joshua did as he was told,
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and as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly, ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire.
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When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke rising to the sky. There was no way for them to escape, because the Israelites who had run toward the barren country now turned around to attack them.
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When Joshua and his men saw that the others had taken the city and that it was on fire, they turned around and began killing the men of Ai.
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The Israelites in the city now came down to join the battle. So the men of Ai found themselves completely surrounded by Israelites, and they were all killed. No one got away, and no one lived through it
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except the king of Ai. He was captured and taken to Joshua.
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The Israelites killed every one of the enemy in the barren country where they had chased them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there.
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Joshua kept his spear pointed at Ai and did not put it down until every person there had been killed. The whole population of Ai was killed that day---twelve thousand men and women.
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The Israelites kept for themselves the livestock and goods captured in the city, as the LORD had told Joshua.
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Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today.
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He hanged the king of Ai from a tree and left his body there until evening. At sundown Joshua gave orders for the body to be removed, and it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. They covered it with a huge pile of stones, which is still there today.
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Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel.
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He made it according to the instructions that Moses, the LORD's servant, had given the Israelites, as it says in the Law of Moses: "an altar made of stones which have not been cut with iron tools." On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the LORD, and they also presented their fellowship offerings.
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There, with the Israelites looking on, Joshua made on the stones a copy of the Law which Moses had written.
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The Israelites, with their leaders, officers, and judges, as well as the foreigners among them, stood on two sides of the LORD's Covenant Box, facing the levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and the other half with their backs to Mount Ebal. The LORD's servant Moses had commanded them to do this when the time came for them to receive the blessing.
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Joshua then read aloud the whole Law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the book of the Law.
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Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua to the whole gathering, which included women and children, as well as the foreigners living among them.
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Save me, O God! The water is up to my neck;
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I am sinking in deep mud, and there is no solid ground; I am out in deep water, and the waves are about to drown me.
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I am worn out from calling for help, and my throat is aching. I have strained my eyes, looking for your help.
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Those who hate me for no reason are more numerous than the hairs of my head. My enemies tell lies against me; they are strong and want to kill me. They made me give back things I did not steal.
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My sins, O God, are not hidden from you; you know how foolish I have been.
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Don't let me bring shame on those who trust in you, Sovereign LORD Almighty! Don't let me bring disgrace to those who worship you, O God of Israel!
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It is for your sake that I have been insulted and that I am covered with shame.
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I am like a stranger to my relatives, like a foreigner to my family.
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My devotion to your Temple burns in me like a fire; the insults which are hurled at you fall on me.
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I humble myself by fasting, and people insult me;
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I dress myself in clothes of mourning, and they laugh at me.
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They talk about me in the streets, and drunkards make up songs about me.
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But as for me, I will pray to you, LORD; answer me, God, at a time you choose. Answer me because of your great love, because you keep your promise to save.
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Save me from sinking in the mud; keep me safe from my enemies, safe from the deep water.
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Don't let the flood come over me; don't let me drown in the depths or sink into the grave.
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Answer me, LORD, in the goodness of your constant love; in your great compassion turn to me!
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Don't hide yourself from your servant; I am in great trouble---answer me now!
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Come to me and save me; rescue me from my enemies.
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You know how I am insulted, how I am disgraced and dishonored; you see all my enemies.
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Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I had hoped for sympathy, but there was none; for comfort, but I found none.
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When I was hungry, they gave me poison; when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar.
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May their banquets cause their ruin; may their sacred feasts cause their downfall.
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Strike them with blindness! Make their backs always weak!
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Pour out your anger on them; let your indignation overtake them.
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May their camps be left deserted; may no one be left alive in their tents.
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They persecute those whom you have punished; they talk about the sufferings of those you have wounded.
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Keep a record of all their sins; don't let them have any part in your salvation.
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May their names be erased from the book of the living; may they not be included in the list of your people.
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But I am in pain and despair; lift me up, O God, and save me!
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I will praise God with a song; I will proclaim his greatness by giving him thanks.
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This will please the LORD more than offering him cattle, more than sacrificing a full-grown bull.
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When the oppressed see this, they will be glad; those who worship God will be encouraged.
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The LORD listens to those in need and does not forget his people in prison.
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Praise God, O heaven and earth, seas and all creatures in them.
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He will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and possess the land;
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the descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who love him will live there.
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Now, it is actually being said that there is sexual immorality among you so terrible that not even the heathen would be guilty of it. I am told that a man is sleeping with his stepmother!
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How, then, can you be proud? On the contrary, you should be filled with sadness, and the man who has done such a thing should be expelled from your fellowship.
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And even though I am far away from you in body, still I am there with you in spirit; and as though I were there with you, I have in the name of our Lord Jesus already passed judgment on the man who has done this terrible thing. As you meet together, and I meet with you in my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus present with us,
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you are to hand this man over to Satan for his body to be destroyed, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.
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It is not right for you to be proud! You know the saying, "A little bit of yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise."
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You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
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Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth.
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In the letter that I wrote you I told you not to associate with immoral people.
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Now I did not mean pagans who are immoral or greedy or are thieves, or who worship idols. To avoid them you would have to get out of the world completely.
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What I meant was that you should not associate with a person who calls himself a believer but is immoral or greedy or worships idols or is a slanderer or a drunkard or a thief. Don't even sit down to eat with such a person.
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After all, it is none of my business to judge outsiders. God will judge them. But should you not judge the members of your own fellowship? As the scripture says, "Remove the evil person from your group."
