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JOSHUA 6
page 197
Israel Reestablishes Covenant Ceremonies
2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint
knives and circumcise this second generation
of Israelites.*” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and
circumcised the entire male population of Israel
at Gibeath-haaraloth.*
4 Joshua had to circumcise them because all
the men who were old enough to fight in battle
when they left Egypt had died in the wilderness.
5 Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised,
but none of those born after the Exodus, during
the years in the wilderness, had been circumcised. 6 The Israelites had traveled in the wilderness for forty years until all the men who were
old enough to fight in battle when they left Egypt
had died. For they had disobeyed the Lord, and
the Lord vowed he would not let them enter the
land he had sworn to give us—a land flowing
with milk and honey. 7 So Joshua circumcised
their sons—those who had grown up to take
their fathers’ places—for they had not been
circumcised on the way to the Promised Land.
8 After all the males had been circumcised, they
rested in the camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have
rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.”
So that place has been called Gilgal* to this day.
10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal
on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the
first month.* 11 The very next day they began to
eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on
the day they first ate from the crops of the land,
and it was never seen again. So from that time
on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
The LORD’s Commander Confronts Joshua
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he
looked up and saw a man standing in front of
him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him
and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”
14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground
in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua
said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied,
“Take off your sandals, for the place where you
are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he
was told.
The Fall of Jericho
Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut
because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But
the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You
6
5:2 Or circumcise the Israelites a second time. 5:3 Gibeathhaaraloth means “hill of foreskins.” 5:9 Gilgal sounds like
the Hebrew word galal, meaning “to roll.” 5:10 This day in
the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in late March,
April, or early May.
and your fighting men should march around the
town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will
walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s
horn. On the seventh day you are to march
around the town seven times, with the priests
blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests
give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all
the people shout as loud as they can. Then the
walls of the town will collapse, and the people
can charge straight into the town.”
6 So Joshua called together the priests and
said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant,
and assign seven priests to walk in front of it,
each carrying a ram’s horn.” 7 Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town,
and the armed men will lead the way in front of
the Ark of the Lord.”
8 After Joshua spoke to the people, the seven
priests with the rams’ horns started marching
in the presence of the Lord, blowing the horns
as they marched. And the Ark of the Lord’s
Covenant followed behind them. 9 Some of the
armed men marched in front of the priests with
the horns and some behind the Ark, with the
priests continually blowing the horns. 10 “Do not
shout; do not even talk,” Joshua commanded.
“Not a single word from any of you until I tell
you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So the Ark of the
Lord was carried around the town once that
day, and then everyone returned to spend the
night in the camp.
12 Joshua got up early the next morning,
and the priests again carried the Ark of the
Lord. 13 The seven priests with the rams’ horns
marched in front of the Ark of the Lord, blowing
their horns. Again the armed men marched both
in front of the priests with the horns and behind
the Ark of the Lord. All this time the priests
were blowing their horns. 14 On the second day
• Quitting
JOS HU A 6:1-20
Imagine being a member of Joshua’s
army. How would you have felt if, on
the eve of a military confrontation, your
leader announced a bizarre battle plan
to not attack the fortified walls of Jericho
but to march around the city blowing
horns? Would you have felt like quitting—
or at least questioning the leadership—if
after six full days, nothing had happened?
Perseverance is continuing to obey God
even when his command doesn’t make
sense or seem to be productive from our
human perspective. How many times do
we give up on God because he doesn’t
do his work according to our plan?