Joshua Chapter 6
Showing all 27 verses for Joshua Chapter 6.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. "
"Jericho had shut itself up tightly because of the Israelites - no one went out and no one came in."
Jericho's gates were sealed shut and its defences seemed total, yet no barrier people build can keep out what God has decided to do. Whatever closed door or fear stands in your way, it is never beyond God's power to open.
"And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. "
"The LORD said to Joshua, 'Look - I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and its best fighting men.'"
God spoke of Jericho as already won before a single stone had fallen - faith means receiving His promises as settled fact, not waiting for visible proof first. Walk today in the confidence of what God has already declared true over your life.
"And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. "
"'March around the city, all you fighting men, going around it once. Do this for six days.'"
God's plan looked strange and required patient obedience with no visible progress for days on end. Keep faithfully doing what He asks even when nothing seems to be happening yet - the outcome is His to bring, not yours to force.
"And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. "
"'Seven priests are to carry seven trumpets made of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, and the priests are to blow the trumpets.'"
Seven priests, seven trumpets, seven days - God built worship right into the centre of this military plan, showing that victory here would come through consecrated obedience, not clever strategy. Let your own worship lead the way into whatever you're facing.
"And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. "
"'When they sound a long blast on the ram's horn and you hear that trumpet sound, all the people are to give a great shout. Then the city wall will collapse flat, and everyone can go straight in.'"
The walls fell not by battering ram but by a shout following patient obedience - proof that God's power works through surrendered hearts rather than human force. Trust that your quiet, obedient faithfulness can bring down obstacles that look immovable.
"And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD. "
"Joshua son of Nun called the priests and told them, 'Take up the ark of the covenant, and have seven priests carry seven rams' horn trumpets in front of the ark of the LORD.'"
Joshua passed on God's specific, unusual instructions clearly and without altering them to make more sense to himself. Faithful leadership means relaying exactly what God has said, even when it doesn't look like a conventional plan.
"And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. "
"He said to the people, 'Move forward and march around the city, with the armed men going ahead of the ark of the LORD.'"
Joshua directed even the armed men to march before the ark of the LORD, keeping God's presence at the very heart of the whole operation. Whatever you set out to do, let God's presence lead rather than trail behind your own plans.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. "
"After Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven rams' horn trumpets moved out before the LORD, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD following behind them."
The priests obeyed exactly as instructed, blowing the trumpets and letting the ark of the covenant lead the procession. Sometimes obedience is simply following through on the specific thing you were told, step by step, without adding your own variations.
"And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. "
"The armed men marched ahead of the trumpet-blowing priests, and the rear guard came behind the ark, with the priests continuing to march and blow their trumpets."
Every group - armed men, priests, rearguard - kept their assigned place in an orderly procession around the city. God calls His people to work together in unity, each person faithfully keeping the place He's given them rather than pushing for their own.
"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. "
"Joshua had commanded the people, 'Do not shout, do not make any noise, do not let a word come out of your mouths, until the day I tell you to shout - then you will shout.'"
Joshua commanded total silence until the appointed moment - real discipline meant holding back even natural impulses until God gave the word. Learning to wait quietly for God's timing, instead of rushing ahead, is itself an act of faith.
"So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. "
"So the ark of the LORD went around the city once, and then they returned to the camp and spent the night there."
After marching once around, the people simply returned to camp with nothing yet to show for it. Faithful obedience is often a daily discipline that keeps showing up before any breakthrough appears, not a single dramatic moment.
"And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. "
"Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took up the ark of the LORD."
Joshua rose early again the next morning to do it all over - diligence that keeps returning to the task God has given, without needing fresh excitement each time, is exactly the kind of devotion God honours.
"And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. "
"The seven priests carrying the seven rams' horn trumpets in front of the ark of the LORD kept marching, blowing the trumpets continually, with the armed men going ahead of them and the rear guard following the ark, the priests marching and blowing their trumpets the whole way."
The priests and army repeated the same ordered march, day after day, with the same trumpets and the same formation. There's real dignity in continuing faithfully through repetition, trusting that God is building towards something even when each day looks the same.
"And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. "
"On the second day they marched around the city once and then went back to camp. They did this for six days."
Six days passed with nothing but the same march repeated. Don't despise the ordinary days that look just like yesterday - faithful, unglamorous repetition is often exactly what God asks before He brings the breakthrough.
"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. "
"On the seventh day they got up at dawn and marched around the city the same way, but seven times - that day alone they went around it seven times."
On the seventh day - the number of completeness - the waiting finally ended. Trust God's timing even when it asks more patience of you than you expected; completion comes at the appointed moment, not a second before.
"And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. "
"When the priests blew the trumpets the seventh time, Joshua said to the people, 'Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.'"
Joshua declared the city already given even before the wall had fallen, because the victory was God's gift, not the people's achievement. Act in faith, but remember every real victory in your life ultimately comes from Him, not your own effort.
"And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. "
"'The city and everything in it is to be devoted to the LORD for destruction - only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in her house are to live, because she hid the messengers we sent.'"
In the middle of serious judgement on Jericho, God still made a way of mercy for Rahab because of her faith, however unlikely her past. God specialises in rescuing exactly the person others have written off, the moment they reach out to Him.
"And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. "
"'But keep well away from anything under the ban, so that you don't bring it into the ban yourselves by taking it, making the camp of Israel a thing under the ban and bringing trouble on it.'"
The warning is blunt: hidden sin doesn't stay contained to the person who commits it - it can trouble the whole community around them. Full honesty and surrender matter because secret compromise never really stays private.
"But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the treasury of the LORD. "
"'But all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are set apart for the LORD - they are to go into the LORD's treasury.'"
The valuables of the city were set apart for God's treasury rather than kept for personal gain - a reminder that whatever we hold that's valuable ultimately belongs to Him first. True stewardship holds resources with open, generous hands towards God's purposes.
"So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. "
"So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. As soon as they heard the trumpet and gave a great shout, the wall collapsed flat, and the people went straight up into the city and captured it."
After days of patient obedience with nothing to show, the wall fell suddenly and completely the moment the people obeyed fully. Don't lose heart in a slow build-up - when God's answer comes, it can be immediate and total.
"And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. "
"They completely destroyed everything in the city - men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep and donkeys - with the sword."
This hard verse belongs to a specific, unrepeated moment of judgement in Israel's unique conquest history rather than a pattern for how people should treat each other today. Jesus later reveals God reaching out even to Canaan's own descendants with mercy, and calls His followers now to love rather than destroy those who seem to be the enemy.
"But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. "
"Joshua had told the two men who had spied out the land, 'Go into the prostitute's house and bring the woman out, along with everyone belonging to her, just as you swore to her.'"
Joshua made sure the sworn promise to Rahab was kept precisely, even in the chaos of national victory. Keeping your word to someone vulnerable matters to God, especially when it would have been easy to forget in the excitement of the moment.
"And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. "
"So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and everyone who belonged to her - they brought out her whole family and placed them outside the camp of Israel."
Rahab's own faith opened the door of rescue for her whole family, not just for herself. God's salvation often ripples outward to bless an entire household through the trust of just one person.
"And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. "
"They burned the city and everything in it, except the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron, which they put into the treasury of the LORD's house."
Even in judgement, Israel kept to precisely what God had specified, taking only what He said to take and no more. True obedience is exact, not stretched to include whatever we decide we're allowed to keep for ourselves.
"And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. "
"Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father's family, and everyone who belonged to her, and she has lived among the Israelites ever since, because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."
God didn't just rescue Rahab from danger - He gave her a lasting place of belonging among His own people. Whatever your past, God offers a permanent home in His family to anyone who trusts Him, not just a narrow escape.
"And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. "
"At that time Joshua made the people swear an oath: 'Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city of Jericho - he will lay its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest.'"
Joshua's curse carried real weight because it was spoken under God's authority, and it was fulfilled precisely, centuries later, exactly as spoken. What is spoken under God's authority always comes to pass in its appointed time, even when we can't see how yet.
"So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country. "
"So the LORD was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the whole land."
Joshua's growing fame mattered because it made God's presence known throughout the land, not because it built up his own name. Let any reputation you build point back to God rather than to your own glory.