7:1 以色列人在當滅的物上犯了罪；因為猶大支派中，謝拉的曾孫，撒底的孫子，迦米的兒子亞干取了當滅的物；耶和華的怒氣就向以色列人發作。
7:2 當下，約書亞從耶利哥打發人往伯特利東邊、靠近伯‧亞文的艾城去，吩咐他們說：「你們上去窺探那地。」他們就上去窺探艾城。
7:3 他們回到約書亞那裡，對他說：「眾民不必都上去，只要二三千人上去就能攻取艾城；不必勞累眾民都去，因為那裡的人少。」
7:4 於是民中約有三千人上那裡去，竟在艾城人面前逃跑了。
7:5 艾城的人擊殺了他們三十六人，從城門前追趕他們，直到示巴琳，在下坡殺敗他們；眾民的心就消化如水。
7:6 約書亞便撕裂衣服；他和以色列的長老把灰撒在頭上，在耶和華的約櫃前俯伏在地，直到晚上。
7:7 約書亞說：「哀哉！主耶和華啊，你為甚麼竟領這百姓過約旦河，將我們交在亞摩利人的手中，使我們滅亡呢？我們不如住在約旦河那邊倒好。
7:8 主啊，以色列人既在仇敵面前轉背逃跑，我還有甚麼可說的呢？
7:9 迦南人和這地一切的居民聽見了就必圍困我們，將我們的名從地上除滅。那時你為你的大名要怎樣行呢？」
7:10 耶和華吩咐約書亞說：「起來！你為何這樣俯伏在地呢？
7:11 以色列人犯了罪，違背了我所吩咐他們的約，取了當滅的物；又偷竊，又行詭詐，又把那當滅的放在他們的家具裡。
7:12 因此，以色列人在仇敵面前站立不住。他們在仇敵面前轉背逃跑，是因成了被咒詛的；你們若不把當滅的物從你們中間除掉，我就不再與你們同在了。
7:13 你起來，叫百姓自潔，對他們說：『你們要自潔，預備明天，因為耶和華─以色列的上帝這樣說：以色列啊，你們中間有當滅的物，你們若不除掉，在仇敵面前必站立不住！』
7:14 到了早晨，你們要按著支派近前來；耶和華所取的支派，要按著宗族近前來；耶和華所取的宗族，要按著家室近前來；耶和華所取的家室，要按著人丁，一個一個地近前來。
7:15 被取的人有當滅的物在他那裡，他和他所有的必被火焚燒；因他違背了耶和華的約，又因他在以色列中行了愚妄的事。」
7:16 於是，約書亞清早起來，使以色列人按著支派近前來，取出來的是猶大支派；
7:17 使猶大支派（原文是宗族）近前來，就取了謝拉的宗族；使謝拉的宗族，按著家室人丁，一個一個地近前來，取出來的是撒底；
7:18 使撒底的家室，按著人丁，一個一個地近前來，就取出猶大支派的人謝拉的曾孫，撒底的孫子，迦米的兒子亞干。
7:19 約書亞對亞干說：「我兒，我勸你將榮耀歸給耶和華─以色列的上帝，在他面前認罪，將你所做的事告訴我，不要向我隱瞞。」
7:20 亞干回答約書亞說：「我實在得罪了耶和華─以色列的上帝。我所做的事如此如此：
7:21 我在所奪的財物中看見一件美好的示拿衣服，二百舍客勒銀子，一條金子重五十舍客勒，我就貪愛這些物件，便拿去了。現今藏在我帳棚內的地裡，銀子在衣服底下。」
7:22 約書亞就打發人跑到亞干的帳棚裡。那件衣服果然藏在他帳棚內，銀子在底下。
7:23 他們就從帳棚裡取出來，拿到約書亞和以色列眾人那裡，放在耶和華面前。
7:24 約書亞和以色列眾人把謝拉的曾孫亞干和那銀子、那件衣服、那條金子，並亞干的兒女、牛、驢、羊、帳棚，以及他所有的，都帶到亞割谷去。
7:25 約書亞說：「你為甚麼連累我們呢？今日耶和華必叫你受連累。」於是以色列眾人用石頭打死他，將石頭扔在其上，又用火焚燒他所有的（原文是他們）。
7:26 眾人在亞干身上堆成一大堆石頭，直存到今日。於是耶和華轉意，不發他的烈怒。因此那地方名叫亞割谷（就是連累的意思），直到今日。
But the Israelites were unfaithful in
regard to the devoted things[a]; Achan son
of Karmi, the son of Zimri,[b] the son of
Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.
2 Now
Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of
Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and
spied out Ai.
3 When
they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up
against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the
whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three
thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who
killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate
as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the
hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.
6 Then
Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The
elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And
Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord,
why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the
hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the
other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, Lord. What can
I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The
Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they
will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do
for your own great name?”
10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are
you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have
violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of
the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with
their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot
stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have
been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you
destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
13 “Go,
consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for
tomorrow; for this is what the Lord,
the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot
stand against your enemies until you remove them.
14 “‘In
the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by
clan; the clan the Lord chooses
shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. 15 Whoever
is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all
that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in
Israel!’”
16 Early
the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was
chosen. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites
were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and
Zimri was chosen. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by
man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe
of Judah, was chosen.
19 Then
Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you
have done; do not hide it from me.”
20 Achan
replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord,
the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in
the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia,[c] two hundred
shekels[d] of silver
and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels,[e] I coveted
them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the
silver underneath.”
22 So
Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in
his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things
from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them
out before the Lord.
24 Then
Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the
robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his
tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua
said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”
Then
all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over
Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the
Lord turned from his fierce anger.
Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor[f] ever since.
**********
亞干犯罪導致以色列人在艾城的失利，讓人覺的罪的影響力實在很大。也因為如此，信仰團體的聖潔是很重要的，因為上帝是聖潔的上帝，信靠與跟隨祂的人也必須是聖潔的！
然而說到聖潔在人身上卻有一個張力，因為人本身是受到罪性的汙染，是完全敗壞的，怎麼能夠達到上帝所立聖潔的標準呢？就像亞干因為貪心而犯罪，以致得罪上帝，讓以色列人失去上帝的同在！
或許你會問難道只有亞干犯罪，別人沒有犯罪嗎？就實際狀況來說好像不太可能只有亞干犯罪，應該還有別人。但是，上帝看重以色列人對罪的處理態度，就是他們感勇敢將有罪的人處死，並且銷毀贓物，讓人看見罪的嚴重性！
也因為這樣，所以聖經說：「於是耶和華轉意，不發他的烈怒」。表示人若體貼上帝的心，恨惡罪惡，就必能止息上帝的怒氣！不要忘記，罪惡所造成的代價就是耶穌基督死在十字架上，這可是極大的代價！
因此，我們要靠上帝的恩典來對付罪，時時刻刻想念耶穌的犧牲，我們才可以在上帝面前有聖潔的地位！也因為如此，我們要像戰士一般和「世界―魔鬼―肉體」三合一敵人爭戰一生一世，相信主耶穌在十字架上已經得勝了，到上帝國完全實現時，我們必得永恆的勝利，高唱凱歌讚美主！
