CHAPTER 7
1 Forsooth the sons of Israel brake the commandment, and mis-took of the cursed thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, [the] son of Zerah, of the lineage of Judah, took something of the cursed thing; and the Lord was wroth against the sons of Israel.
2 And when Joshua sent men from Jericho against Ai, which is beside Bethaven, at the east coast of the city of Bethel, he said to them, Go ye up, and espy the land. Which [ful] filled the commandments, and espied Ai;
3 and they turned again, and said to him, All the people go not up thither, but two either three thousand of men go, and do away the city; why shall all the people be travailed in vain against full few enemies?
4 Therefore three thousand of fighters ascended or went up, which turned the backs anon, and were smitten of the men of Ai;
5 and six and thirty men of them were slain; and the adversaries pursued them from the gate unto Shebarim; and they felled down fleeing by low places. And the heart of the people dreaded much, and it was made unsteadfast at the likeness of water.
6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and he fell down low to the earth before the ark of the Lord, unto the eventide, as well he, as all the elder men of Israel; and they casted powder on their heads.
7 And Joshua said, Alas! alas! Lord God, what wouldest thou lead this people over the flood Jordan, that thou shouldest betake us in the hand of Amorites, and should lose us? I would, that as we began, we had dwelled beyond Jordan.
8 My Lord God, what shall I say, seeing Israel turning the backs to his enemies?
9 Canaanites, and all the dwellers of the land shall hear this, and they shall be gathered together, and shall compass us, and they shall do away our name from [the] earth; and what shalt thou do to thy great name?
10 And the Lord said to Joshua, Rise thou up; why liest thou low in the earth?
11 Israel hath sinned, and hath broken my covenant; they have taken of the cursed thing, and they have stolen of it, and lied, and hid among their vessels.
12 And therefore Israel may not stand before his enemies, and he shall flee them, for it is defouled with cursing; I shall no more be with you, till that ye destroy him that is guilty of this trespass.
13 Rise thou, hallow the people, and say thou to them, Be ye hallowed against tomorrow; for the Lord God of Israel saith these things, O thou Israel! cursing is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not be able to stand before thine enemies, till he that is defouled by this trespass, be done away from thee.
14 And ye shall come early, all men by your lineages; and whatever lineage the lot shall find, it shall come by his meines; and the meine shall come by houses, and the house shall come by men.
15 And whoever shall be taken with this trespass, he shall be burnt with fire with all his chattel [or substance], for he brake the covenant of the Lord, and did unleaveful thing in Israel.
16 Therefore Joshua rose early, and setted in order Israel by his lineages; and the lineage of Judah was found;
17 and when that lineage was brought forth by his meines, the meine of Zerah was found. And Joshua brought forth it by men, either houses, and found Zabdi;
18 whose house he parted into all men by themselves; and he found Achan, the son of Carmi, [the] son of Zabdi, [the] son of Zerah, of the lineage of Judah.
19 And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give thou glory to the Lord God of Israel, and acknowledge thou, and show to me what thou hast done; hide thou it not.
20 And Achan answered to Joshua, and said to him, Verily, I have sinned before the Lord God of Israel, and I have done thus and thus;
21 for among the spoils I saw a red mantle full good, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a golden rule of fifty shekels; and I coveted those, and took away, and I hid those in the earth, against the midst of my tabernacle; and I covered the silver with the earth delved.
22 Then Joshua sent servants, the which ran to his tabernacle, and found all these things hid in the same place, and the silver together;
23 and they took these things away from the tent, and they brought them to Joshua, and to all the sons of Israel; and they casted them forth before the Lord.
24 Then Joshua took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the mantle, and the golden rule, and his sons, and daughters, his oxen, asses, and sheep, and the tabernacle itself, and all the appurtenance of his house-hold; and all Israel with Joshua; and they led them to the valley of Achor;
25 where Joshua said, For thou hast troubled us, the Lord shall full out trouble thee in this day. And all Israel stoned him; and all things that were his, were wasted by fire.
26 And they gathered upon him a great heap of stones, the which abide there still into this day. And the strong vengeance of the Lord was turned away from Israel; and the name of that place is called the valley of Achor unto this day.