1 Os portais de Jericó eram mantidos hermeticamente fechados, pois que o povo ali estava cheio de medo dos israelitas; não deixavam ninguém entrar nem sair.

2 Mas o Senhor disse a Josué: Jericó, o seu rei e todos os seus valentes guerreiros encontram-se praticamente derrotados, porque já os entreguei nas vossas mãos. O vosso exército, com todos os seus efectivos, deverá rodear a cidade uma vez por dia durante seis dias, seguidos por sete sacerdotes que levarão a arca, e cada um deles com uma trombeta feita de chifre de carneiro. No sétimo dia darão a volta à cidade sete vezes, com os sacerdotes tocando as trombetas. E então, quando eles soprarem um longo e alto toque, todo o povo deverá gritar com muita força. Nessa altura as muralhas da cidade cairão e poderão lá entrar por todos os lados.

6 Assim Josué convocou os sacerdotes e deu-lhes instruções: os homens armados conduziriam o cortejo, seguidos de sete sacerdotes soprando continuamente as trombetas. Atrás deles deveriam vir os sacerdotes transportando a arca; fechando o cortejo, à retaguarda, seguia um contingente.

10 Ninguém falará, nem dirá nada; só se ouvirão as trombetas a tocar, mandou Josué. Não dirão sequer uma palavra até que vos diga para gritarem; então gritem!

11 A arca rodeou a cidade uma vez nesse dia, depois do que toda a gente regressou ao acampamento para passarem a noite. Ao amanhecer do dia seguinte foram de novo rodear a cidade e voltaram para o acampamento. Fizeram isso durante seis dias.

15 Na manhã do sétimo dia fizeram o mesmo, para começar; mas desta vez rodearam a cidade não uma, mas sete vezes. À sétima vez, quando os sacerdotes tocaram um som alto e muito longo com as trombetas, Josué bradou para o povo, Gritem! O Senhor deu-nos a cidade!

17 (Anteriormente ele tinha-lhes dito: Matem toda a gente, com excepção de Raabe, a meretriz, e de todos os que estiverem na sua casa, pois que protegeu os nossos espias. Não fiquem com coisa nenhuma do saque - tudo deverá ser destruído. Se assim não fizerem, cairá a desgraça sobre a nação de Israel. No entanto, a prata e ouro, os utensílios de bronze e de ferro, tudo isso será consagrado ao Senhor e deverá ser levado para o tesouro do santuário.)

20 Assim, quando o povo ouviu o toque das trombetas, gritaram tão alto quanto podiam. E repentinamente as muralhas de Jericó ruíram, cairam na sua frente; o povo de Israel irrompeu sobre elas, penetrando na cidade por todos os lados e conquistou-a. Destruíram tudo -homens e mulheres, novos e velhos; bois, cordeiros, jumentos- tudo.

22 Josué disse aos dois espias, Mantenham a vossa palavra, quanto à promessa que fizeram. Recolham a meretriz e os que estão com ela.

23 Os homens foram e trouxeram-na, a ela e ao pai, à mãe, aos irmãos e outros parentes que lá se encontravam. E deixaram-nos ficar a viver fora do acampamento de Israel. Os israelitas queimaram a cidade e tudo o que lá havia, com excepção da prata, do ouro, dos utensílios de bronze e de ferro que foram levados para o tesouro do Senhor.

25 Josué salvou pois Raabe, a meretriz, mais os seus parentes que estavam com ela dentro de casa, e vivem ainda hoje entre os israelitas, pois que ela escondeu os espias que Josué mandara a Jericó.

26 Então Josué declarou uma maldição sobre quem viesse a reconstruir Jericó, advertindo de que quando os seus fundamentos fossem repostos, o filho mais velho do construtor haveria de morrer, e quando as suas portas fossem montadas, seria o filho mais novo desse alguém que morreria.

27 Desta forma o Senhor estava com Josué e o seu nome tornou-se famoso por toda a parte.

1 Now, Jericho, was shut up and barred because of the sons of Israel,none came out and none went in.

2 Then said Yahweh unto Joshua, See, I have delivered, into thy hand, Jericho and her king,the mighty men of valour.

3 So then ye shall compass the city all ye men of war, going round the city, once,thus, shall thou do six days.

4 And, seven priests, shall bear the seven rams horns before the ark, and, on the seventh day, shall ye compass the city seven times,and, the priests, shall blow with the horns.

5 And it shall come to pass, when the rams horn soundeth, when ye hear the sound of the horn, that all the people shall shout with a great shout,and then shall the wall of the city fall down under it, and the people shall go up, every man straight before him.

6 Then called Joshua son of Nun unto the priests, and said unto them, Bear ye the ark of the covenant,and let, seven priest, bear seven rams horns, before the ark of Yahweh.

7 Then said he unto the people, Pass on and compass the city,and let, the armed host, pass on before the ark of Yahweh.

8 And it was so, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that, the seven priests who were bearing the seven rams horns before Yahweh, passed on and blew with the horns,the ark of the covenant of Yahweh also coming after them.

9 And, the armed host, went on before the priests who blew with the horns,and, the rear-guard, came after the ark, going on and blowing with the horns.

10 Now, unto the people, had Joshua given command, sayingYe shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall there go out of your mouth, a word,until the day when I say unto you Shout! then shall ye shout.

11 So he caused the ark of Yahweh to compass the city, going round once,and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning,and the priests bare the ark of Yahweh;

13 and, the seven priests who bare the seven rams horns before the ark of Yahweh, went on and on, and blew with the horns,with, the armed host going on before them, and, the rear-guard, coming after the ark of Yahweh, going on and blowing with the horns.

14 So they compassed the city on the second day once, and returned into the camp,thus, did they, six days.

15 And it came to pass, on the seventh day, that they rose early at the uprisings of the dawn, and compassed the city after this manner, seven times,only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

16 And it came to pass, at the seventh timewhen the priests blew with the horns, then did Joshua say unto the peopleShout, for Yahweh hath delivered unto you the city.

17 And it shall be, that, as for the city, devoted, shall it be and all that is therein unto Yahweh,nevertheless, Rahab the harlot, shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

18 But, in any wise, do, ye, beware of what is devoted, lest ye should covet, and then take of what is devoted,and so cause the camp of Israel to be devoted, and bring trouble upon it.

19 But, as for all silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron, hallowed, it is to Yahweh,unto the treasury of Yahweh, shall it come.

20 So the people shouted, when the horns were blown,yea it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the horn, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down under it, and the people went up into the city every man straight before him, and so they captured the city.

21 And they devoted all that were in the city, both man and woman, both young and old,and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the sword.

22 But, unto the two men who spied out the land, Joshua said, Go into the house of the woman, the harlot,and bring out thence the woman and all that she hath, as ye aware unto her.

23 So the young men the spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brethren and all that she had, yea, all her kindred, brought they out,and set them outside the camp of Israel.

24 But, the city, burned they with fire, and all that was therein,save only, the silver and the gold and the vessels of bronze and of iron, put they into the treasury of the house of Yahweh.

25 And, Rahab the harlot and the household of her father and all that she had, did Joshua save alive, so she hath dwelt in the midst of Israel until this day,because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 And Joshua imposed an oath at that time, saying,Cursed be the man before Yahweh who shall raise up and build this cityJericho, At the price of his firstborn, shall he lay its foundation, and, at the price of his youngest, shall he set up its doors.

27 And so it was that Yahweh was with Joshua,and his fame was in all the land.