1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2 The LORD said to Joshua, "Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3 All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven shofars of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the shofars. 5 It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the shofar, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him."

6 Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven shofars of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark."

7 They said to the people, "Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the LORD’s ark."

8 It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the shofars, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the shofars, and the ark went after them. The shofars sounded as they went.

10 Joshua commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout." 11 So he caused the LORD’s ark to go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp. 12 Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the LORD’s ark. 13 The seven priests bearing the seven shofars of rams’ horns in front of the LORD’s ark went on continually, and blew the shofars. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after the LORD’s ark. The shofars sounded as they went. 14 The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days.

15 On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. On this day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 At the seventh time, when the priests blew the shofars, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18 But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it. 19 But all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD. They shall come into the LORD’s treasury."

20 So the people shouted and the priests blew the shofars. When the people heard the sound of the shofar, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city. 21 They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her." 23 The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24 They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. 25 But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, "Cursed is the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates." 27 So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the land.

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.