Joshua 6 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The city of Jericho was closed. The people in the city were afraid because the people of Israel were near. No one went in the city and no one came out of the city.

² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I will let you defeat the city of Jericho. You will defeat the king and all the fighting men in the city.

³ March around the city with your army one time every day. Do this for six days.

⁴ {Tell the priests to carry the Holy Box. [23] } Tell seven of the priests to carry trumpets made from the horns of male sheep and march in front of the Holy Box. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times. On the seventh day, tell the priests to blow the trumpets when they march.

⁵ The priests will make one loud noise from the trumpets. When you hear that noise, tell all the people to begin shouting. When you do this, the walls of the city will fall down and your people will be able to go straight into the city.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun called the priests together. Joshua said to them, “Carry the Holy Box [24] of the Lord. And tell seven priests to carry the trumpets and march in front of the Box.”

⁷ Then Joshua ordered the people, “Now go! March around the city. The soldiers with weapons will march in front of the Holy Box [25] of the Lord.”

⁸ After Joshua finished speaking to the people, the seven priests began marching before the Lord. They carried the seven trumpets and blew them while they marched. The priests carrying the Lord’s Holy Box [26] followed them.

⁹ The soldiers with weapons marched in front of the priests who were blowing the horns. And the rest of the men walked behind the Holy Box. {So they went around the city,} marching and blowing the trumpets.

¹⁰ Joshua had told the people not to give a war cry. He said, “Don’t shout. Don’t say a word until the day I tell you. Then you can shout!”

¹¹ So Joshua made the priests carry the Holy Box [27] of the Lord around the city one time. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.

¹² Early the next morning, Joshua got up. The priests carried the Lord’s Holy Box [28] again.

¹³ And the seven priests carried the seven trumpets. They walked in front of the Lord’s Holy Box, marching and blowing their trumpets. The soldiers with weapons marched in front of them. The rest of the people marched behind the Lord’s Holy Box. {They went around the city,} marching and blowing the trumpets.

¹⁴ So on the second day, they all marched around the city one time. And then they went back to the camp. They continued to do this every day for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day they got up at dawn. And they marched around the city seven times. They marched in the same way they had marched on the days before, but on that day they marched around the city seven times.

¹⁶ The seventh time they marched around the city, the priests blew their trumpets. At that time, Joshua gave the command: “Now, shout! The Lord is giving you this city!

¹⁷ The city and everything in it belongs to the Lord. [29] Only Rahab the prostitute and all the people in her house will remain alive. These people must not be killed because Rahab helped the two spies.

¹⁸ Also remember that we must destroy everything else. Don’t take those things. If you take those things and bring them into our camp then you yourselves will be destroyed. And you will also bring trouble to all the people of Israel.

¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the things made from bronze and iron belong to the Lord. Those things must be put in the Lord’s treasury.”

²⁰ The priests blew the trumpets. The people heard trumpets and began shouting. The walls fell down and the people ran straight into the city. So the people of Israel defeated that city.

²¹ The people destroyed everything in the city. They destroyed everything that was living there. They killed the young men and old men, young women and old women, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

²² Joshua talked to the two spies. Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house. Bring her out. And bring all the people who are with her. Do this because of the promise you made to her.”

²³ So the two men went into the house and brought out Rahab. They also brought out her father, mother, brothers, all her family, and all the other people that were with her. They put all the people in a safe place outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ Then the people of Israel burned the whole city. They burned everything in the city except the things made from silver, gold, bronze, and iron. They put those things in the Lord’s treasury.

²⁵ Joshua saved Rahab the prostitute, her family, and all the other people that were with her. Joshua let them live because Rahab helped the spies that Joshua had sent out to Jericho. Rahab still lives among the people of Israel today.

²⁶ At that time, Joshua made this important promise. He said:

²⁷ So the Lord was with Joshua. And Joshua became famous all throughout the whole country.