^16 (A)But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord, your God, is giving you as a heritage, you shall not leave a single soul alive. ¹⁷ You must put them all under the ban—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—just as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, ¹⁸ so that they do not teach you to do all the abominations that they do for their gods, and you thus sin against the Lord, your God.

^17 (A)The city and everything in it is under the ban. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are in the house with her are to live, because she hid the messengers we sent.

²⁴ The city itself they burned with all that was in it;^(A) but the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron they placed in the treasury of the house of the Lord.

²⁵ Joshua said, “What misery have you caused us? May the Lord bring misery upon you today!”^(A) And all Israel stoned him to death. They burnt them with fire and they stoned them. ²⁶ Over Achan they piled a great heap of stones, which remains to the present day.^(B) Then the Lord turned from his anger. That is why the place is called the Valley of Achor^[a] to this day.

²⁸ Then Joshua destroyed Ai by fire, reducing it to an everlasting mound of ruins, as it remains today.^(A)