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And it cometh to pass after the death of Moses, servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah speaketh unto Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, saying,

`Moses my servant is dead, and now, rise, pass over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

`Every place on which the sole of your foot treadeth, to you I have given it, as I have spoken unto Moses.

From this wilderness and Lebanon, and unto the great river, the river Phrath, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great Sea -- the going in of the sun -- is your border.

`No man doth station himself before thee all days of thy life; as I have been with Moses, I am with thee, I do not fail thee, nor forsake thee;

be strong and courageous, for thou -- thou dost cause this people to inherit the land which I have sworn to their fathers to give to them.

`Only, be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded thee; thou dost not turn aside from it right or left, so that thou dost act wisely in every [place] whither thou goest;

the book of this law doth not depart out of thy mouth, and thou hast meditated in it by day and by night, so that thou dost observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then thou dost cause thy way to prosper, and then thou dost act wisely.

`Have not I commanded thee? be strong and courageous; be not terrified nor affrighted, for with thee [is] Jehovah thy God in every [place] whither thou goest.'

10 And Joshua commandeth the authorities of the people, saying,

11 `Pass over into the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare for yourselves provision, for within three days ye are passing over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you to possess it.'

12 And to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh, hath Joshua spoken, saying,

13 `Remember the word which Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God is giving rest to you, and He hath given to you this land;

14 your wives, your infants, and your substance, abide in the land which Moses hath given to you beyond the Jordan, and ye -- ye pass over by fifties, before your brethren, all the mighty ones of valour, and have helped them,

15 till that Jehovah giveth rest to your brethren as to yourselves, and they have possessed, even they, the land which Jehovah your God is giving to them; then ye have turned back to the land of your possession, and have possessed it, which Moses, servant of Jehovah, hath given to you beyond the Jordan, [at] the sun-rising.'

16 And they answer Joshua, saying, `All that thou hast commanded us we do; and unto every [place] whither thou dost send us, we go;

17 according to all that we hearkened unto Moses [in], so we hearken unto thee; surely Jehovah thy God is with thee as He hath been with Moses.

18 Any man who doth provoke thy mouth, and doth not hear thy words, in all that thou dost command him, is put to death; only, be strong and courageous.'

And Joshua son of Nun sendeth from Shittim, two men, spies, silently, saying, `Go, see the land -- and Jericho;' and they go and come into the house of a woman, a harlot, and her name [is] Rahab, and they lie down there.

And it is told to the king of Jericho, saying, `Lo, men have come in hither to-night, from the sons of Israel, to search the land.

And the king of Jericho sendeth unto Rahab, saying, `Bring out the men who are coming in unto thee, who have come into thy house, for to search the whole of the land they have come in.

And the woman taketh the two men, and hideth them, and saith thus: `The men came in unto me, and I have not known whence they [are];

and it cometh to pass -- the gate is to [be] shut -- in the dark, and the men have gone out; I have not known whither the men have gone; pursue ye, hasten after them, for ye overtake them;'

and she hath caused them to go up on the roof, and hideth them with the flax wood, which is arranged for her on the roof.

And the men have pursued after them the way of the Jordan, by the fords, and the gate they have shut afterwards, when the pursuers have gone out after them.

And -- before they lie down -- she hath gone up unto them on the roof,

and she saith unto the men, `I have known that Jehovah hath given to you the land, and that your terror hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted at your presence.

10 `For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea at your presence, in your going out of Egypt, and that which ye have done to the two kings of the Amorite who [are] beyond the Jordan; to Sihon and to Og whom ye devoted.

11 And we hear, and melt doth our heart, and there hath not stood any more spirit in [any] man, from your presence, for Jehovah your God, He [is] God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath.

12 `And now, swear ye, I pray you, to me by Jehovah -- because I have done with you kindness -- that ye have done, even ye, kindness with the house of my father, and have given to me a true token,

13 and have kept alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and have delivered our souls from death.'

14 And the men say to her, `Our soul for yours -- to die; if ye declare not this our matter, then it hath been, in Jehovah's giving to us this land, that we have done with thee kindness and truth.'

15 And she causeth them to go down by a rope through the window, for her house [is] in the side of the wall, and in the wall she [is] dwelling;

16 and she saith to them, `To the mountain go, lest the pursuers come upon you; and ye have been hidden there three days till the turning back of the pursuers, and afterwards ye go on your way.'

17 And the men say unto her, `We are acquitted of this thine oath which thou hast caused us to swear:

18 lo, we are coming into the land, this line of scarlet thread thou dost bind to the window by which thou hast caused us to go down, and thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all the house of thy father thou dost gather unto thee, to the house;

19 and it hath been, any one who goeth out from the doors of thy house without, his blood [is] on his head, and we are innocent; and any one who is with thee in the house, his blood [is] on our head, if a hand is on him;

20 and if thou declare this our matter, then we have been acquitted from thine oath which thou hast caused us to swear.'

21 And she saith, `According unto your words, so it [is];' and she sendeth them away, and they go; and she bindeth the scarlet line to the window.

22 And they go, and come in to the mountain, and abide there three days until the pursuers have turned back; and the pursuers seek in all the way, and have not found.

23 And the two men turn back, and come down from the hill, and pass over, and come in unto Joshua son of Nun, and recount to him all that hath come upon them;

24 and they say unto Joshua, `Surely Jehovah hath given into our hand all the land; and also, all the inhabitants of the land have melted at our presence.'

Joshua Installed as Leader

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,(A) the Lord said to Joshua(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River(C) into the land(D) I am about to give to them(E)—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot,(F) as I promised Moses.(G) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,(H) and from the great river, the Euphrates(I)—all the Hittite(J) country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.(K) No one will be able to stand against you(L) all the days of your life. As I was with(M) Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake(N) you. Be strong(O) and courageous,(P) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors(Q) to give them.

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey(R) all the law(S) my servant Moses(T) gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,(U) that you may be successful wherever you go.(V) Keep this Book of the Law(W) always on your lips;(X) meditate(Y) on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.(Z) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;(AA) do not be discouraged,(AB) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”(AC)

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:(AD) 11 “Go through the camp(AE) and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions(AF) ready. Three days(AG) from now you will cross the Jordan(AH) here to go in and take possession(AI) of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”

12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh,(AJ) Joshua said, 13 “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest(AK) by giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives,(AL) your children and your livestock may stay in the land(AM) that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle,(AN) must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites.(AO) You are to help them 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”(AP)

16 Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.(AQ) 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you.(AR) Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey(AS) it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!(AT)

Rahab and the Spies

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies(AU) from Shittim.(AV) “Go, look over(AW) the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.(AX)” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab(AY) and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:(AZ) “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

But the woman had taken the two men(BA) and hidden them.(BB) She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,(BC) they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”(BD) (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax(BE) she had laid out on the roof.)(BF) So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan,(BG) and as soon as the pursuers(BH) had gone out, the gate was shut.

Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof(BI) and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear(BJ) of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up(BK) the water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came out of Egypt,(BL) and what you did to Sihon and Og,(BM) the two kings of the Amorites(BN) east of the Jordan,(BO) whom you completely destroyed.[b](BP) 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear(BQ) and everyone’s courage failed(BR) because of you,(BS) for the Lord your God(BT) is God in heaven above and on the earth(BU) below.

12 “Now then, please swear to me(BV) by the Lord that you will show kindness(BW) to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign(BX) 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them(BY)—and that you will save us from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives!”(BZ) the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully(CA) when the Lord gives us the land.”

15 So she let them down by a rope(CB) through the window,(CC) for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hills(CD) so the pursuers(CE) will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days(CF) until they return, and then go on your way.”(CG)

17 Now the men had said to her, “This oath(CH) you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord(CI) in the window(CJ) through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family(CK) into your house. 19 If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads;(CL) we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head(CM) if a hand is laid on them. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.(CN)

21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord(CO) in the window.(CP)

22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days,(CQ) until the pursuers(CR) had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands;(CS) all the people are melting in fear(CT) because of us.”

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 2:10 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Joshua 2:10 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.