Old Testament · Joshua 1:9Joshua 2:1–21Joshua 6:1–25
Joshua and Jericho — Bible Story for Kids
God told Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day the people shouted, and the walls fell down.
This is a retelling for children, written by BibleKenya from the Bible passages shown on each picture. It is not a Bible translation.
After Moses died, became the leader. God told him, "Be strong and brave! I am with you wherever you go."
After the death of Moses, the LORD spoke to : "Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
sent two spies to Jericho. A woman named hid them on her roof and helped them escape.
sent two spies to Jericho. hid them on her roof under stalks of flax. She said, "I know that the LORD has given you the land." She let them down by a rope through her window, and they to keep her family safe if she tied a scarlet cord in the window.
Bible explorer Hebrews 11:31 names Rahab among people of faith.
Jericho's gates were shut tight. God told , "March around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day march around seven times, blow the trumpets, and shout."
Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. The LORD told that all the soldiers should march around the city once a day for six days, with seven carrying trumpets of rams' horns before the . On the seventh day they were to march around seven times, and when the priests made a long blast, all the people were to shout.
The people obeyed. They marched around the city, day after day, with the blowing trumpets.
and the people did as God said. Each day they marched once around the city and returned to the camp. On the seventh day they rose early and marched around the city seven times. Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the LORD has given you the city!"
The trumpets blew, the people shouted, and the walls fell down flat!
The people shouted and the blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, they shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city.
Bible explorer Joshua 6:21 also records that the people of the city were killed. This is one of the hard parts of the Bible to talk about with an adult.
and her family were kept safe, just as the spies had .
told the two spies to bring out and all her family, as they had her. They brought them out safely, and Rahab lived among the people of Israel.
Bible explorer Rahab is listed in the family line of Jesus (Matthew 1:5).
The end of the story
Read it in the Bible
This is the Bible text itself, from the version shown. Scripture in WEBWorld English Bible — Protestant Edition
Joshua 1:9 WEB
9Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 2:1–21 WEB
1Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there. 2The king of Jericho was told, “Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.” 3Jericho’s king sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land.” 4The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from. 5About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7The men pursued them along the way to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate. 8Before they had lain down, she came up to them on the roof. 9She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath. 12Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true sign; 13and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.” 14The men said to her, “Our life for yours, if you don’t talk about this business of ours; and it shall be, when the LORD gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.” 15Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall. 16She said to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way.” 17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear. 18Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him. 20But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you’ve made us to swear.” 21She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.
Joshua 6:1–25 WEB
1Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel. No one went out, and no one came in. 2The LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the mighty men of valor. 3All of your men of war shall march around the city, going around the city once. You shall do this six days. 4Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the city wall will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, every man straight in front of him.” 6Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD’s ark.” 7They said to the people, “Advance! March around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the LORD’s ark.” 8It was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. 9The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark went after them. The trumpets sounded as they went. 10Joshua commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11So he caused the LORD’s ark to go around the city, circling it once. Then they came into the camp, and stayed in the camp. 12Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the LORD’s ark. 13The seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the LORD’s ark went on continually, and blew the trumpets. The armed men went in front of them. The rear guard came after the LORD’s ark. The trumpets sounded as they went. 14The second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. They did this six days. 15On the seventh day, they rose early at the dawning of the day, and marched around the city in the same way seven times. On this day only they marched around the city seven times. 16At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! 17The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is in it, to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 18But as for you, only keep yourselves from what is devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted it, you take of the devoted thing; so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it. 19But all the silver, gold, and vessels of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD. They shall come into the LORD’s treasury.” 20So the people shouted and the priests blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight in front of him, and they took the city. 21They utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword. 22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman and all that she has out from there, as you swore to her.” 23The young men who were spies went in, and brought out Rahab with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. They also brought out all of her relatives, and they set them outside of the camp of Israel. 24They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only they put the silver, the gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. 25But Rahab the prostitute, her father’s household, and all that she had, Joshua saved alive. She lives in the middle of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Who is in the story?
Words to learn
- Ark of the covenant
- The ark of the covenant was a special golden box. Inside were the stone tablets with God's commandments.
- Faith
- Faith means trusting God. Abraham trusted God and left his home to go where God would show him.
- Priest
- A priest served God for the people, at the tabernacle and later the temple. Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, was a priest.
- Promise
- A promise is when someone says they will do something and then does it. God promised Abraham and Sarah a son, and Isaac was born.
What can we learn from this passage?
The city looked impossible to take, but God told Joshua exactly what to do, and the people obeyed. Rahab trusted the God of Israel and was saved, as the spies had promised. Joshua 6:2Joshua 6:25Hebrews 11:30–31