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Entering the Promised Land
139
The Taking of Jericho
“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. 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. And it came to
pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests
bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord,
and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant followed
them.
“And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the
trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on,
and blowing with the trumpets. 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. So the ark of the Lord
compassed the city, going about it once: and they came into the
camp, and lodged in the camp.”
The Hebrew host marched in perfect order. First went a select
body of armed men, clad in their warlike dress, not now to exercise
their skill in arms, but only to believe and obey the directions given
them. Next followed seven priests with trumpets. Then came the ark
of God, glittering with gold, a halo of glory hovering over it, borne
by priests in their rich and peculiar dress denoting their sacred office.
The vast army of Israel followed in perfect order, each tribe under
its respective standard. Thus they compassed the city with the ark of
God. No sound was heard but the tread of that mighty host, and the
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solemn voice of the trumpets, echoed by the hills, and resounding
through the city of Jericho.
With wonder and alarm the watchmen of that doomed city mark
every move, and report to those in authority. They cannot tell what
all this display means. Some ridicule the idea of that city’s being
taken in this manner, while others are awed, as they behold the
splendor of the ark and the solemn and dignified appearance of the
priests and the host of Israel following, with Joshua at their head.
They remember that the Red Sea, forty years before, parted before
them, and that a passage had just been prepared for them through the