¶ But the children of Israel committed¹ a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan², the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took⁴ of the accursed thing: and the anger⁵ of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai⁶, which is beside Bethaven⁸, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up⁹ and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

¹⁰And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour¹¹ thither; for they are but few.

So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled¹² before the men of Ai.

And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they¹³ chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down¹⁴: wherefore¹⁵ the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

¶ And Joshua rent¹⁶ his clothes, and fell¹⁷ to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide¹⁸, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust¹⁹ upon their heads.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore²⁰ hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver²¹ us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to²² God we had been content, and dwelt²³ on the other side Jordan!

O Lord, what shall²⁴ I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear²⁶ of it, and shall environ²⁷ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou²⁸ do unto thy great name?

¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore²⁹ liest thou thus upon thy face?

Israel³¹ hath sinned, and they have also transgressed³² my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed³³ thing, and have also stolen³⁴, and dissembled³⁵ also, and they have put it even among³⁶ their own stuff.

Therefore the children³⁷ of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were³⁸ accursed: neither³⁹ will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

Up, sanctify⁴⁰ the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed⁴¹ thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away⁴² the accursed thing from among you.

In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe⁴³ which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man.

And it shall be, that he that is⁴⁴ taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:⁴⁵ because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought⁴⁶ folly⁴⁷ in Israel.

¶ So Joshua rose up⁴⁸ early in the morning, and brought⁴⁹ Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken:

⁵⁰And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken:

And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken⁵².

And Joshua said unto Achan, My son⁵³, give⁵⁴, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make⁵⁵ confession unto him; and tell me⁵⁶ now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

¶ And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed⁵⁷ I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:

When I saw⁵⁸ among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment⁵⁹, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted⁶¹ them, and took them;⁶² and, behold, they are hid⁶³ in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.

And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

And Joshua, and all Israel⁶⁹ with him, took Achan 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 they brought them unto the valley of Achor.

And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.