The Battle of Jericho

Title ideas:Israelites capture Jericho [Town].The Lord gives Joshua and the Israelite people victory over Jericho [city].The Lord destroys Jericho [city] but saves Rahab and her family.

The king and people of Jericho city were so afraid of the Israelites, that they shut their city gates. No one was allowed to go in or to go out [the wall city].

The Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “I will give to you Jericho city, its king and its soldiers!

“Order your soldiers to march [walk] around Jericho [outside the walls], once a day for six days!

“Order seven priests [religious leaders] to carry and blow [rams’] horn trumpets, as they walk around the city!

“Order other priests to carry the Lord’s Covenant Box behind those seven priests!

“On the seventh day, order all of those priests and soldiers to march around Jericho city seven times!

“On that day, the seven priests must blow [sound] their horns as they march around.

“The seven priests will blow one long, final sound [blast] with their horns.

“At that moment, order all of the Israelite people to shout! Then I shall make Jericho city’s high wall to fall down!”

So the Israelite soldiers and priests marched around Jericho, without talking, once a day for six days, then returned to their camp for the night.

On the seventh day, the priests and soldiers rose early, went and marched round Jericho city seven times.

Seventh time marching round the town, the seven priests blew [sounded] their horns continuously.

Then Joshua ordered all the Israelite people, “Shout now! because the Lord has given Jericho city to you!”So they all shouted.

Suddenly, the high wall that was around Jericho [crumbled and] fell down to the ground.

The Israelite soldiers ran [charged] into Jericho city and captured everything. The soldiers killed everyone [who had not left the city earlier].

Joshua had commanded the soldiers, “You must also kill all the animals [livestock] [that are left inside the city]!” So they did.

The soldiers did not kill [spared] Rahab and her family [relatives], because she had protected the two men whom Joshua had sent into Jericho [some weeks] earlier.

Joshua had warned the soldiers and people, “Do not take anything from the city for yourselves [as loot], or the Lord will destroy you!”

“You must set apart for the Lord every metal thing! if anyone takes something for himself, then the Lord will punish us all!”

Finally, the Israelites set fire to Jericho and everything in it, and they let it burn to the ground completely].

Afterwards, Joshua warned all the people: “If anyone shall try to rebuild Jericho city, then the Lord will curse [punish] him [by causing his sons to die]!”

Lastly, Joshua put all the metal things [gold, silver, iron] into a safe place [treasury] for the Lord.

The Lord showed that he was with Joshua, such that his fame spread throughout Canaan land.