The Bible Story about Joshua and the Walls of Jericho

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The Bible Story about Joshua and the Walls of Jericho

Joshua 3:14-4:24

Joshua ordered the priests to carry theark across the river. When the priests'toes touched the water, the wavesreared back. The water formed a hugewall. A dry path stretched before thepriests.

They walked to the middle of theriver. Not a drop touched them. Theywere perfectly dry! Then Joshua calledfor the people to follow. Family byfamily, camel by camel, all the peopleand donkeys and cattle crossed theRiver Jordan that day. They walkedaround the priests who held the ark.It took all day for the people ofIsrael to pass by the priests. On theother side was their new land. Wheneveryone had crossed the river, Joshualooked down from the hill where hehad been watching everything. Heremembered the promise of God to hisforefather Abraham.

God had said, "I will make you intoa great nation. You will number morethan all the stars in the sky. This landof Canaan will belong to you."

Joshua told the priests to come onshore. As soon as they were safe, Godcaused the waves to come crashingdown again. After nearly five hundredyears, Abraham's children had comehome to the promised land.

Joshua knew he must attack Jerichosoon. He prayed for the Lord's help.Then God gave Joshua a very strangeplan.

Joshua told his captains, "We willhave a parade."

None of Joshua's soldiers had everfought like that before. A parade wasnot a battle! But they listened to theplan from God as Joshua told them."Yes," they said, "we will try that.We will do what God says."

The next day all the soldiers linedup. It did look like a parade. First thepriests carried the ark. Then cameJoshua. He led all the soldiers.

The people in the city of Jerichosaw the soldiers of Israel coming. Theyshook with fear. "Oh," they cried,

"this will be a terrible battle. We willall die because God is on their side."But the Israelites surprised them.They did not attack. Instead, theylined up and walked around the city.They marched around the walls whichsurrounded the city. And as theymarched, the soldiers were very quiet.Joshua had told them not to make asound. There were no battle cries, noyells or shouts, just hundreds andhundreds of quiet soldiers. The onlysound was that of seven priests,playing on their trumpets.

The army of Israel marched aroundJericho. Then they went back to theircamp and rested.

The next day they did the samething. For six days, they paradedaround Jericho. All the while, theymade no sound except for thetrumpets

Then, on the seventh day, Joshuaordered his army to walk aroundJericho seven times. After the seventhtime, when the trumpets blew, thesoldiers let out a great whoop. Theyyelled as loud as they could.

"Boom! Crash!" No sooner had thesoldiers yelled when the very walls ofJericho fell in! God had workedanother miracle. The people of Israelpoured into the city. Only one familyin Jericho lived through that day.That was the woman named Rahaband her family.

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