And the man answered, "I have come as the Captain of the hosts of the Eternal." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped, for he knew that it was God Himself who stood before him.

And Joshua asked, "What is your command for your servant?"

And the Captain of the LORD'S host said to Joshua, "Take your shoes off of your feet, for the ground you are standing on is holy." And Joshua did so. This is the same thing God said when He spoke to Moses, but this time He appeared as a warrior rather than speaking from a burning bush.

The LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho, its King and its mighty warriors, into your hand. All your men of war shall march around about the city once on each of six days with the ark going before and seven priests with seven trumpets of rams' horns marching ahead of the ark. The seventh day you will march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

After the seventh circuit, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, all the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and your soldiers shall advance into the city straight before him.

Joshua called the priests, and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD." And he said to the people, "March around the city before the ark of the LORD."

When Joshua had spoken unto the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns marched before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. The armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rest marched after the ark, the priests marching on and blowing with the trumpets.

Joshua had commanded the people, "You shall not shout nor make any noise whatsoever with your voices, no word shall proceed out of your mouth until I tell you to shout; then you shall shout with all your might."

So for six days they marched around Jericho once in silence except for the ram's horn trumpets.

On the seventh day they rose early about the dawning of the day and marched around the city the same way as before, only on that day they marched around the city seven times.

After the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout; for the LORD has given you the city. Jericho shall be accursed, and all the people that are in it. Only Rahab and all that are in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers that we sent.

"And when you conquer the city, keep away from the accursed things, or you will make yourselves accursed and will bring upon the whole camp of Israel a curse and great trouble.

"But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron are consecrated unto the LORD; you shall bring them into the treasury of the LORD."

When the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they shouted with a great shout, and the walls fell down flat. The people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. They utterly destroyed all living things in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.

But Joshua had said to the two men that had spied out the country, "Go into Rahab's house, and bring her out with all that she has, as you swore to her." And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brothers, and all that she had and left them outside the camp of Israel.

Rahab lived in Israel and became an ancestor of David and so an ancestor of Jesus.

And God spoke through Joshua, "Cursed before the LORD will be the man that rebuilds this city Jericho: his firstborn son will die when he lays the foundation and his youngest son will die when he sets up the gates."

Later in Ahab's days, Hiel, a man from Bethel rebuild Jericho: when he laid the foundation, Abiram his firstborn died, and when he set up the gates his youngest son Segub died, just as the LORD had said through the prophesy of Joshua the son of Nun.

So the LORD was with Joshua; and he became famous throughout all the country.

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