Daily Text and Bible Reading: Monday, March 9 [Press play below]

5.1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of the Jordan and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart, and they lost all courage because of the Israelites.
5.2 At that time Jehovah said to Joshua: “Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise the men of Israel again, a second time.”
5.3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the men of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
5.4 This is why Joshua circumcised them: All the males of the people who left Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the journey after they left Egypt.
5.5 All the people who left Egypt were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the journey after they left Egypt were not circumcised.
5.6 The Israelites had walked for 40 years in the wilderness until the entire nation had died off, that is, the men of war who left Egypt who did not obey the voice of Jehovah. Jehovah swore to them that he would never let them see the land that Jehovah had sworn to their forefathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
5.7 So he raised up their sons instead of them. These Joshua circumcised; they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them during the journey.
5.8 When they finished circumcising the entire nation, they remained where they were in the camp until they recovered.
5.9 Then Jehovah said to Joshua: “Today I have rolled away from you the reproach of Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal until this day.
5.10 The Israelites continued to camp at Gilgal, and they observed the Passover on the 14th day of the month, in the evening, on the desert plains of Jericho.
5.11 And they began to eat the produce of the land the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted grains, on this same day.
5.12 Then the manna stopped on the day following when they had eaten some of the produce of the land; there was no longer manna for the Israelites, but they began to eat the produce of the land of Canaan in that year.
5.13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua walked up to him and asked: “Are you on our side or on the side of our adversaries?”
5.14 To this he said: “No, but I have come as prince of Jehovah’s army.” With that Joshua fell with his face to the ground and prostrated himself and said to him: “What does my lord have to say to his servant?”
5.15 The prince of Jehovah’s army replied to Joshua: “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy.” At once Joshua did so.
6.1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites; no one was leaving and no one was entering.
6.2 Jehovah then said to Joshua: “See, I have handed over to you Jericho and its king and its mighty warriors.
6.3 All you fighting men should march around the city, going around the city once. That is what you should do for six days.
6.4 Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horns before the Ark. But on the seventh day, you should march around the city seven times and the priests should blow the horns.
6.5 When the ram’s horn is sounded—as soon as you hear the sound of the horn—all the people should shout a great war cry. Then the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people must go up, each one straight ahead.”
6.6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests together and told them: “Take up the ark of the covenant, and seven priests should carry seven ram’s horns before the Ark of Jehovah.”
6.7 Then he told the people: “Move on and march around the city, and the armed troops should go ahead of the Ark of Jehovah.”
6.8 And just as Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns before Jehovah went forward and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah was following them.
6.9 And the armed troops went ahead of the priests who were blowing the horns, and the rear guard followed the Ark as the horns were blown continuously.
6.10 Now Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not shout nor let your voices be heard. Not a word should come out of your mouths until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then shout.”
6.11 He had the Ark of Jehovah go around the city, going around it once, after which they returned to the camp and spent the night there.
6.12 The next morning Joshua got up early, and the priests took up the Ark of Jehovah,
6.13 and seven priests carrying seven ram’s horns walked before the Ark of Jehovah, continuously blowing the horns. The armed troops were walking ahead of them while the rear guard was following the Ark of Jehovah as the horns were blown continuously.
6.14 They marched around the city on the second day once, after which they returned to the camp. That was what they did for six days.
6.15 On the seventh day they got up early, as soon as the dawn broke, and they marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times.
6.16 And on the seventh time, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua told the people: “Shout, for Jehovah has given you the city!
6.17 The city and everything in it is to be devoted to destruction; it all belongs to Jehovah. Only Rahab the prostitute may keep living, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers we sent out.
6.18 But keep away from what is devoted to destruction, so that you do not desire something devoted to destruction and take it, making the camp of Israel something devoted to destruction by bringing disaster on it.
6.19 But all the silver and the gold and the articles of copper and iron are holy to Jehovah. They should go into the treasury of Jehovah.”
6.20 Then the people shouted when the horns were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the horn and shouted a great war cry, the wall fell down flat. After that the people went up into the city, each one straight ahead, and they captured the city.
6.21 They devoted all that was in the city to destruction by the sword, man and woman, young and old, bull, sheep, and donkey.
6.22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land: “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who belong to her, just as you swore to her.”
6.23 So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her; yes, they brought out her whole family, and they brought them safely to a place outside the camp of Israel.
6.24 Then they burned the city and everything in it with fire. But the silver, the gold, and the articles of copper and iron, they gave to the treasury of Jehovah’s house.
6.25 Only Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her were spared by Joshua; and she lives in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent out to spy on Jericho.
6.26 At that time Joshua pronounced this oath: “Cursed be the man before Jehovah who undertakes to rebuild this city of Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest he will put up its doors.”
6.27 So Jehovah was with Joshua, and his fame spread through all the earth.
7.1 But the Israelites were unfaithful with regard to what had been devoted to destruction, for Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was devoted to destruction. At this Jehovah’s anger blazed against the Israelites.
7.2 Then Joshua sent men out from Jericho to Ai, which is close by Beth-aven and east of Bethel, telling them: “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.
7.3 When they returned to Joshua, they told him: “Not all the people need to go up. About two or three thousand men are enough to defeat Ai. Do not tire out all the people by making them go, for there are only a few of them.”
7.4 So about 3,000 men went up there, but they had to flee from the men of Ai.
7.5 The men of Ai struck down 36 men, and they pursued them from outside the city gate as far as Shebarim, and they continued striking them down on the descent. So the courage of the people melted and flowed away like water.
7.6 At this Joshua ripped his garments and fell with his face to the ground before the Ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they kept throwing dust on their heads.
7.7 Joshua said: “Alas, Sovereign Lord Jehovah, why did you bring this people all the way across the Jordan just to hand us over to the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been satisfied to remain on the other side of the Jordan!
7.8 Pardon me, O Jehovah, what can I say now that Israel has retreated before his enemies?
7.9 When the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe out our very name from the earth, and what will you do about your great name?”
7.10 Jehovah replied to Joshua: “Get up! Why are you lying on your face?
7.11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I commanded them to keep. They took some of what was devoted to destruction, stealing it and secretly putting it among their own possessions.
7.12 Therefore, the Israelites will not be able to stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and flee from their enemies, because they have become something devoted to destruction. I will not be with you again unless you annihilate from your midst what was devoted to destruction.
7.13 Get up and sanctify the people! Tell them, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: “What is devoted to destruction is among you, O Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove from your midst the thing devoted to destruction.
7.14 You are to present yourselves in the morning, tribe by tribe, and the tribe that Jehovah selects will come near, family by family, and the family that Jehovah selects will come near, household by household, and the household that Jehovah selects will come near, man by man.
7.15 And the one who is caught with the thing devoted to destruction will be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has violated the covenant of Jehovah and because he has committed a disgraceful act in Israel.”’”
7.16 So Joshua rose early the next morning and had Israel come near, tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.
7.17 He had the families of Judah come near and the family of the Zerahites was selected, after which he had the family of the Zerahites come near, man by man, and Zabdi was selected.
7.18 Finally he had the household of Zabdi come near, man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
7.19 Then Joshua said to Achan: “My son, please, honor Jehovah the God of Israel and make confession to him. Tell me, please, what you have done. Do not hide it from me.”
7.20 Achan answered Joshua: “For a fact I am the one who sinned against Jehovah the God of Israel, and this is what I have done.
7.21 When I saw among the spoil a good-looking official garment from Shinar and 200 shekels of silver and one gold bar weighing 50 shekels, I desired them, so I took them. They are now hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the money underneath.”
7.22 At once Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there the garment was hidden in his tent, with the money underneath it.
7.23 So they took the things out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and placed them before Jehovah.
7.24 Joshua and all Israel with him then took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the official garment, and the bar of gold, along with his sons, his daughters, his bull, his donkey, his flock, his tent, and everything that was his, and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor.
7.25 Joshua said: “Why have you brought disaster upon us? Jehovah will bring disaster upon you on this day.” With that all Israel stoned him, after which they burned them with fire. Thus they stoned all of them.
7.26 And they raised a huge pile of stones over him that remains to this day. At this Jehovah’s hot anger subsided. That is why the name of that place is Valley of Achor to this day.