Achan Is Punished for Stealing from the Lord
1 The Lord had said that everything in Jericho belonged to him. But Achan from the Judah tribe took some of the things from Jericho for himself. And so the Lord was angry with the Israelites, because one of them had disobeyed him.
2 While Israel was still camped near Jericho, Joshua sent some spies with these instructions: “Go to the town of Ai and find out whatever you can about the region around the town.”
The spies left and went to Ai, which is east of Bethel and near Beth-Aven. 3 They went back to Joshua and reported, “You don't need to send the whole army to attack Ai—2,000 or 3,000 troops will be enough. Why bother the whole army for a town that small?”
4-5 Joshua sent about 3,000 soldiers to attack Ai. But the men of Ai fought back and chased the Israelite soldiers away from the town gate and down the hill to the stone quarries. Thirty-six Israelite soldiers were killed, and the Israelite army felt discouraged.
6 Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes and put dirt on their heads to show their sorrow. They lay facedown on the ground in front of the sacred chest until sunset. 7 Then Joshua said:
Our Lord, did you bring us across the Jordan River just so the Amorites could destroy us? This wouldn't have happened if we had agreed to stay on the other side of the Jordan. 8 I don't even know what to say to you, since Israel's army has turned and run from the enemy. 9 Everyone will think you weren't strong enough to protect your people. Now the Canaanites and everyone else who lives in the land will surround us and wipe us out.
10 The Lord answered:
Stop lying there on the ground! Get up! 11 I said everything in Jericho belonged to me and had to be destroyed. But the Israelites have kept some of the things for themselves. They stole from me and hid what they took. Then they lied about it. 12 What they stole was supposed to be destroyed, and now Israel itself must be destroyed. I cannot help you anymore until you do exactly what I have said. That's why Israel turns and runs from its enemies instead of standing up to them.
13 Tell the people of Israel, “Tomorrow you will meet with the Lord your God, so make yourselves acceptable to worship him. The Lord says that you have taken things that should have been destroyed. You won't be able to stand up to your enemies until you get rid of those things.
14 “Tomorrow morning everyone must gather near the place of worship. You will come forward tribe by tribe, and the Lord will show which tribe is guilty. Next, the clans in that tribe must come forward, and the Lord will show which clan is guilty. The families in that clan must come, and the Lord will point out the guilty family. Finally, the men in that family must come, 15 and the Lord will show who stole what should have been destroyed. That man must be put to death, his body burned, and his possessions thrown into the fire. He has done a terrible thing by breaking the sacred agreement that the Lord made with Israel.”
16 Joshua got up early the next morning and brought each tribe to the place of worship, where the Lord showed that the Judah tribe was guilty. 17 Then Joshua brought the clans of Judah to the Lord, and the Lord showed that the Zerah clan was guilty. One by one he brought the leader of each family in the Zerah clan to the Lord, and the Lord showed that Zabdi's family was guilty. 18 Finally, Joshua brought each man in Zabdi's family to the Lord, and the Lord showed that Achan was the guilty one.
19 “Achan,” Joshua said, “the Lord God of Israel has decided that you are guilty. So tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything.”
20 “It's true,” Achan answered. “I sinned and disobeyed the Lord God of Israel. 21-22 While we were in Jericho, I saw a beautiful Babylonian robe, 200 pieces of silver, and a gold bar that weighed the same as 50 pieces of gold. I wanted them for myself, so I took them. I dug a hole under my tent and hid the silver, the gold, and the robe.”
Joshua told some people to run to Achan's tent, where they found the silver, the gold, and the robe. 23 They brought them back and put them in front of the sacred chest, so Joshua and the rest of the Israelites could see them. 24 Then everyone took Achan and the things he had stolen to Trouble Valley. They also took along his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent, and everything else that belonged to him.
25 Joshua said, “Achan, you caused us a lot of trouble. Now the Lord is paying you back with the same kind of trouble.”
The people of Israel then stoned to death Achan and his family. They made a fire and burned the bodies, together with what Achan had stolen, and all his possessions. 26 They covered the remains with a big pile of rocks, which is still there. Then the Lord stopped being angry with Israel.
That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley.
1 Bet Israēla bērni pieskārās pie tā, kas ar lāstu bija nolemts iznīcībai, jo Achans Karmija dēls, bet tas Zabdija dēls, un tas Zeracha dēls no Jūdas cilts, bija paņēmis no aizliegtā. Tad tā Kunga dusmas iedegās pret Israēla bērniem.
2 Un Jozua izsūtīja vīrus no Jērikas uz Aju, kas ir Bet-Avenas tuvumā austrumos no Bēteles, un uz tiem runāja, teikdams: „Ejiet augšup un izlūkojiet zemi!“
3 Tad vīri nogāja un izlūkoja Aju, un tie atgriezās pie Jozuas un viņam sacīja: „Lai visa tauta nedodas uz turieni, bet lai noiet kādi divi vai trīs tūkstoši vīru,! kuru pietiktu, lai Aju ieņemtu, bet visa tauta lai netiek apgrūtināta ar došanos turpu, jo Ajā ļaužu nav daudz.“
4 Tad turpu arī devās tikai kādi trīs tūkstoši vīru no visas tautas, bet tie metās bēgt Ajas vīru priekšā.
5 Un Ajas vīri nogalināja no šiem vīriem kādus trīsdesmit sešus virus un vajāja pārējos no vārtiem līdz akmeņu lauztuvēm, un vēl daļu tie nokāva pie pakalnes. Tad tautas sirds izkusa un kļuva kā ūdens.
6 Un Jozua saplēsa savas drēbes un metās zemē uz sava vaiga priekš tā Kunga šķirsta lidz pat vakaram, ir viņš, ir Israēla vecaji, un tie kaisīja pīšļus uz savām galvām.
7 Un Jozua sacīja: „Ak Kungs, mans Dievs! Kāpēc Tu esi licis šai tautai pārcelties pār Jardānu? Vai ar nodomu, lai mūs nodotu amoriešu rokās? Lai tie mūs iznicinātu? Ak, kaut mēs labāk būtu palikuši dzīvot viņpus Jardānas!
8 Ko gan varu vēl teikt, ak Kungs, kad Israēla tauta sava ienaidnieka priekšā ir pagriezusi muguru?
9 Kad kānaānieši un visi šīs zemes iedzīvotāji to dzirdēs, tad tie mūs ielenks no visām pusēm un pieliks visas pūles, lai mūsu vārds tiktu izdeldēts no šīs zemes. Ko tad Tu darīsi sava lielā vārda labā?“
10 Tad tas Kungs sacīja Jozuam: „Celies! Kāpēc tu guli uz sava vaiga?
11 Israēls ir grēkojis un pārkāpis manu derību, ko Es esmu tiem pavēlējis; viņi ir arī ņēmuši no tā, kas bija ar lāstu iznīcībai nolemts, viņi ir zaguši un ir melojuši un ir ielikuši paņemto starp saviem rīkiem.
12 Tādēļ arī Israēla bērni nespēj vairs savu ienaidnieku priekšā pastāvēt, bet tie saviem ienaidniekiem pagrieza muguru, jo tie paši ir kļuvuši nolādēti. Es turpmāk vairs nevarēšu būt ar jums, ja jūs neiznīcināsit no sava vidus ar lāstu apkrauto.
13 Celies augšā! Šķīsti tautu un saki: Dariet sevi svētus rītdienai, jo tā saka tas Kungs, Israēla Dievs: Kaut kāds lāsts ir tavā vidū pār tevi, Israēl; tu neesi spējīgs pastāvēt savu ienaidnieku priekšā, kamēr tu neiznīcināsi šo lāstu no sava vidus.
14 Tāpēc ierodieties rītu agri savu cilšu secībā; un tā cilts, uz kufu tas Kungs norādīs, tā lai tuvojas savu ģinšu secībā, bet tā ģints, uz ko tas Kungs norādīs, lai ierodas savu ģimeņu secībā, bet tās ģimenes, kas vienā namā, uz ko tas Kungs norādīs, lai nāk priekšā pa atsevišķam vīram.
15 Un kufš tiks atrasts, ka tam iet līdzi iznīcības lāsts, tas un viss, kas vien tam pieder, ir jāsadedzina ugunī, tādēļ, ka viņš ir lauzis tā Kunga derību un darījis negodīgas lietas Israēlā.“
16 Tad Jozua cēlās agri no rīta un lika Israēlam nostāties pēc viņa ciltīm; un norādījums krita uz Jūdas cilti.
17 Un kad viņš pieaicināja Jūdas cilti, tad ar norādījumu tika apzīmēta Zeracha ģints, un kad viņš lika tuvoties Zeracha ģintij, ģimenei pēc ģimenes, tad norādīta tika Zabdija ģimene.
18 Un kad viņš lika tuvoties šī nama atsevišķiem vīriem, tad tika ar norādījumu apzīmēts Achans, Karmija dēls, kas bija Zabdija dēls, un tas Zeracha dēls, no Jūdas cilts.
19 Tad Jozua sacīja Achanam: „Mans dēls, dodi godu tam Kungam, Israēla Dievam, un dodi Viņam slavu un pateic, lūdzu, man, ko tu esi izdarījis, bet neslēp manā priekšā itin neko!“
20 Tad Achans Jozuam atbildēja un sacīja: „Patiešām, es esmu grēkojis tā Kunga, Israēla Dieva priekšā! Un lūk, kādu pārkāpumu es esmu izdarījis.
21 Kad es laupījuma vidū ieraudzīju kādu ļoti labu babiloniešu mēteli un divi simti sudraba seķeļu un zelta kausējuma stieni, kas svēra piecdesmit seķeļus, tad es iekāroju šīs lietas un tās paņēmu; un, redzi, tās ir paslēptas manas telts vidū, ieraktas zemē, bet sudrabs apakšā zem tām.“
22 Tad Jozua sūtīja sūtņus, un tie skrēja uz telti, un, redzi, tiešām, viņa teltī bija apslēpti šie priekšmeti, bet sudrabs tiem apakšā.
23 Un tie tos paņēma no telts vidus, un atnesa Jozuam un visiem Israēla bērniem, un tos nolika tā Kunga priekšā.
24 Tad Jozua un viss Israēls līdz ar viņu ņēma Achanu, Zeracha dēlu, un ir to sudrabu, ir mēteli, ir zelta kausējuma stieni, un ir viņa dēlus, ir viņa meitas, ir viņa vēršus, ir viņa ēzeļus, ir viņa sīklopus, ir viņa telti, itin visu, kas tam piederēja, un tos visus noveda Achoras ielejā.
25 Un Jozua tad sacīja: „Kā tu mūs esi ievedis nelaimē, tā tas Kungs tagad tevi ieved nelaimē!“ Un viss Israēls to nomētāja ar akmeņiem, un viņi tos sadedzināja ar uguni un uzkrāva tiem virsū akmeņus.
26 Un tie uzcēla pār tiem lielu akmeņu kaudzi, kas ir palikusi līdz šai dienai. Tad tas Kungs mitējās savā dusmu karstumā. Tādēļ šo vietu līdz pat šai dienai vēl sauc par Achoras ieleju.
