Yosua 7:2-13

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ¹  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ² ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, ³  “Don’t send the whole army. ⁴  About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. ⁵  Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” ⁶ 

7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures ⁷  and defeated them on the steep slope. ⁸  The people’s ⁹  courage melted away like water. ¹⁰ 

7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; ¹¹  he and the leaders ¹²  of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening ¹³  and threw dirt on their heads. ¹⁴  7:7 Joshua prayed, ¹⁵  “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated ¹⁶  before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us ¹⁷  from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” ¹⁸ 

7:10 The Lord responded ¹⁹  to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? ²⁰  7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ²¹  They have taken some of the riches; ²²  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ²³  7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. ²⁴  I will no longer be with you, ²⁵  unless you destroy what has contaminated you. ²⁶  7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, ²⁷  O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” ²⁸ 

[7:2]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[7:2]  ² map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[7:3]  ³ tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”

[7:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”

[7:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”

[7:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”

[7:5]  ⁷ tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).

[7:5]  ⁸ sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.

[7:5]  ⁹ tn Or “army’s.”

[7:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”

[7:6]  ¹¹ sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).

[7:6]  ¹² tn Or “elders.”

[7:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel.”

[7:6]  ¹⁴ sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).

[7:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “said.”

[7:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “turned [the] back.”

[7:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and cut off our name.”

[7:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”

[7:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “said.”

[7:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”

[7:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ²² tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ²³ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the Lord].”

[7:12]  ²⁵ tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.

[7:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”

[7:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the Lord] [is] in your midst.”

[7:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the Lord] from your midst.”