But the children of Israelcommitted a trespass in the accursedthing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursedthing: and the anger of the LORD was kindledagainst the children of Israel.
And Joshuasent men fromJericho to Ai, which is besideBethaven, on the eastside of Bethel, and spakeuntothem, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
And theyreturned to Joshua, and saidunto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or threethousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labourthither; for they are but few.
And the men of Ai smote of themaboutthirty and six men: for theychasedthemfrombefore the gateevenuntoShebarim, and smotethem in the goingdown: wherefore the hearts of the peoplemelted, and became as water.
And Joshuarent his clothes, and fell to the earthupon his facebefore the ark of the LORDuntil the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dustupontheirheads.
And Joshuasaid, Alas, O Lord GOD, whereforehastthou at all broughtthispeopleoverJordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had beencontent, and dwelt on the othersideJordan!
For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the landshallhear of it, and shallenviron us round, and cut off our namefrom the earth: and whatwiltthou do unto thy greatname?
Israelhathsinned, and theyhavealsotransgressed my covenantwhich I commandedthem: for theyhaveeventaken of the accursedthing, and havealsostolen, and dissembledalso, and theyhave put it evenamongtheir own stuff.
Therefore the children of Israelcould not standbeforetheirenemies, but turnedtheirbacksbeforetheirenemies, becausetheywereaccursed: neitherwill I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursedfromamong you.
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctifyyourselvesagainst to morrow: for thussaith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursedthing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thoucanst not standbeforethineenemies, until ye takeaway the accursedthingfromamong you.
In the morningtherefore ye shall be broughtaccording to yourtribes: and it shall be, that the tribewhich the LORDtakethshallcomeaccording to the familiesthereof; and the familywhich the LORDshalltakeshallcome by households; and the householdwhich the LORDshalltakeshallcome man by man.
And it shall be, that he that is takenwith the accursedthingshall be burntwithfire, he and all that he hath: because he hathtransgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hathwroughtfolly in Israel.
And JoshuasaiduntoAchan, My son, give, I praythee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and makeconfessionunto him; and tell me now whatthouhastdone; hide it not from me.
When I saw among the spoils a goodlyBabylonishgarment, and two hundredshekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fiftyshekelsweight, then I covetedthem, and tookthem; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silverunder it.
And Joshua, and all Israelwith him, tookAchan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and theybroughtthemunto the valley of Achor.
And Joshuasaid, Why hastthoutroubled us? the LORDshalltroubletheethis day. And all Israelstoned him withstones, and burnedthemwithfire, afterthey had stonedthemwithstones.
And theyraisedover him a greatheap of stonesuntothis day. So the LORDturnedfrom the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of thatplace was called, The valley of Achor, untothis day.