Joshua 7
The full text of Joshua 7 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.
2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there."
4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai,
5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.
7 And Joshua said, "Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!
8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?
9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"
10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?
11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.
12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.'
14 "In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man.
15 Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to them. They have violated the covenant of the LORD and have done an outrageous thing in Israel!"
16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen.
17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he chose the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen.
18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.
19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."
20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done:
21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.
23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.
24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.
25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them.
26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Translation notes (11)
- Joshua 7:1a The phrase 'the devoted things' refers to herem, which means items under God's exclusive claim (see Joshua 6:18). The story attributes one man's act to all Israel, stating 'the Israelites were unfaithful,' which introduces the idea of shared responsibility for a group's actions that this chapter explores; this translation presents the text as it is and does not offer a judgment on its theological meaning.
- Joshua 7:7a The phrase 'Sovereign LORD' translates the Hebrew pairing Adonai YHWH, which means 'the Lord' plus the divine name. Joshua's lament echoes the complaints of Israel in the wilderness (for example, Exodus 14:11-12; Numbers 14:2-3); the narrator records this protest without agreeing with it.
- Joshua 7:8a The word 'Lord' here translates Adonai, which is a title used for addressing someone (not the divine name). The Hebrew text is a respectful exclamation, 'O Lord.'
- Joshua 7:11a The LORD describes one man's act as 'Israel has sinned,' which is part of the idea of shared group responsibility that this chapter develops. The text repeatedly uses 'they have' five times to emphasize the breaking of the covenant (covenant, taking, stealing, lying, hiding); the theology of collective guilt and the punishment that follows are debated aspects of this story and are not judged by this translation.
- Joshua 7:12a The phrase 'made liable to destruction' translates the herem language, which refers to things set apart for God, often for destruction. Taking these devoted goods transferred this state of being 'devoted-to-destruction' onto Israel itself, causing the army to lose the LORD's presence until the herem was removed. The reasoning behind this shared group responsibility and its consequences are debated and are not judged by this translation.
- Joshua 7:15a The phrase 'an outrageous thing' translates nebalah, which means a grave moral and social violation that breaks apart the community. The pronounced sentence—death by burning, along with 'all that belongs to them' (which Joshua 7:24-25 shows includes household and family)—is among the most serious ethical and theological difficulties in the book and is not judged by this translation.
- Joshua 7:19a 'Give glory to the LORD' is an idiom, meaning to tell the truth under a solemn obligation—a call to confess honestly before God (compare John 9:24). Joshua addresses the condemned man as 'my son.'
- Joshua 7:21a 'A beautiful robe from Babylonia' is literally 'a fine robe of Shinar.' Two hundred shekels of silver is roughly 2.3 kilograms (about 5 pounds); a bar of gold of fifty shekels is roughly 575 grams (about 1.25 pounds). Achan's words—'I saw... I coveted... I took... I hid'—deliberately mirror the pattern of the first transgression (Genesis 3:6).
- Joshua 7:24a The text lists Achan's sons and daughters among those taken to the place of execution. The killing of Achan's children for their father's act conflicts with the principle of individual responsibility stated elsewhere (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:20). This is one of the gravest moral and theological difficulties in the book; this translation presents the Hebrew text as it stands and does not resolve, soften, or condemn it.
- Joshua 7:25a There is wordplay between 'trouble' (the verb akar) and the place name Achor (verse 26). The Hebrew text shifts from singular ('stoned him') to plural ('stoned... them... burned them'), indicating that those listed in verse 24, including Achan's children, were also put to death. The execution of the family is presented as the text gives it and is not judged by this translation. The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and some traditions limit the death to Achan alone; this is noted without resolving the textual and ethical questions.
- Joshua 7:26a 'Achor' means 'trouble,' serving as a memorial to the event. The prophets later turn this name of judgment into a place of hope (Hosea 2:15; Isaiah 65:10).
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is a new translation of the Bible prepared by Trinity Bible AI — rendered from the original Hebrew and faithful to the earliest and most reliable manuscripts. Finished in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation you can read today, and it is available only through Trinity Bible. All 66 books, including Joshua, are free to read on this site.
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