2. And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which was beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke unto them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. And the men went up and spied out Ai.
3. And 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; do not make all the people to labour there; for they are but few.
4. So about three thousand men of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai.
5. And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty-six men; for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down; therefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.
6. Then Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, putting dust upon their heads.
7. And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, why hast thou caused this people to pass the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? We should have been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!
8. O Lord, what shall I say now that Israel has turned their backs before their enemies!
9. For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it and shall compass us around and cut off our name from upon the earth; then what wilt thou do unto thy great name?
10. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get up; why dost thou lie thus upon thy face?
11. Israel has sinned and has even transgressed my covenant which I commanded them; for they have even taken of the anathema and have also stolen and lied also, and they have even put it in their own vessels.
12. Therefore, the sons of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but shall turn their backs before their enemies because they have been in the anathema; neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the anathema from among you.
13. Get up, sanctify the people and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow; for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is anathema in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thy enemies until ye take away the anathema from among you.
14. In the morning, therefore, ye shall come near according to your tribes, and it shall be that the tribe which the Lord takes 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.
15. And it shall be that he that is taken in the anathema shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has because he has broken the covenant of the Lord and because he has wrought folly in Israel.
16. So Joshua rose up early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken;
17. and bringing near the tribe of Judah, the family of the Zarhites was taken; and bringing near the family of the Zarhites man by man, Zabdi was taken;
18. and he caused his household to come near, man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.
19. Then Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory now to the Lord God of Israel and give him praise; and tell me now what thou hast done; do not hide it from me.
20. And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done.