1But the children of Israel broke faith in the matter of the accursed thing. Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the accursed thing. So the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.
2Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel. He said to them, "Go up and spy out the country." So the men went up and spied out Ai.
3They came back to Joshua and said to him, "Do not send all the people up. Let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make all the people work hard going there, for the men of Ai are only a few."
4So about three thousand men of the people went up there. But they ran away from the men of Ai.
5The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them. They chased them from the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the slope. So the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
6Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.
7Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord GOD, why did you ever bring this people over Jordan? Was it to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of Jordan."
8O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs and run from their enemies?
9"For the Canaanites and all who live in the land will hear of it. They will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?"
10The LORD said to Joshua, "Get up. Why are you lying on your face like this?"
11Israel has sinned. They have broken my covenant which I commanded them. They have taken some of the accursed thing. They have stolen, and lied about it, and they have put it among their own things.
12That is why the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. They turned their backs and ran from their enemies, because they have become accursed. I will not be with you any more, unless you destroy the accursed thing from among you.
13Get up, and set the people apart as holy. Say to them, 'Make yourselves holy for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD God of Israel says: There is an accursed thing among you, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take the accursed thing away from among you.'
14So in the morning you shall come forward tribe by tribe. The tribe which the LORD picks out shall come forward family by family. The family which the LORD picks out shall come forward household by household. And the household which the LORD picks out shall come forward man by man.
15"The one who is picked out with the accursed thing shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has. For he has broken the covenant of the LORD, and he has done a shameful thing in Israel."
16So Joshua got up early in the morning and brought Israel forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was picked out.
17He brought the families of Judah forward, and the family of the Zarhites was picked out. He brought the family of the Zarhites forward man by man, and Zabdi was picked out.
18He brought Zabdi's household forward man by man, and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was picked out.
19Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make your confession to him. Tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me."
20Achan answered Joshua, "It is true, I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel. This is what I did:"
21"I saw among the spoil a fine robe from Babylon, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, and I took them. Look, they are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."
22So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent. And there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.
23They took the things out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.
24Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the robe, and the bar of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his donkeys and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had. They brought them up to the valley of Achor.
25Joshua said, "Why have you brought trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones. After they had stoned them with stones, they burned them with fire.
26They piled a great heap of stones over him, which is there to this day. So the LORD turned away from his fierce anger. That is why the name of that place is called The valley of Achor to this day.