Joshua 2

Modern

Literal

Rahab Welcomes the Spies

¹Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim,^a saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

¹And Joshua son of Nun sent out from Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, “Go, see the land, and especially Jericho.” And they went, and came to the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they lay down there.

²And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.”

²And it was said to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel to search out the land.”

³So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”

³And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who are coming in to you, who have entered your house, for they have come in to search out all of the land.”

⁴But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from.

⁴And the woman took the two men and hid them, and she said, “Indeed, the men came to me; I did not know from where they were.

⁵At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!”

⁵And it came to pass, when the gate was about to be shut in the darkness, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.”

⁶(But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)

⁶(And she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the flax stalks, which she had arranged on the roof.)

⁷So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁷And the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan to the fords, and they shut the gate afterward, when those who pursued them had gone out.

The Promise to Rahab

⁸Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof

⁸And before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof.

⁹and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.

⁹And she said to the men, “I know that YHWH has given to you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, so that all those dwelling in the land have melted because of you.

¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea^a before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.^b

¹⁰For we have heard how YHWH dried up the waters of the Red Sea before your faces in your going out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorite who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, that you devoted them to destruction.

¹¹When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

¹¹And we heard, and our hearts melted, and there did not stand the spirit anymore in any man before your faces, for YHWH your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

¹²Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

¹²And now swear to me, please, by YHWH, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to the house of my father, and give to me a sign of truth,

¹³that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will deliver us from death.”

¹³and spare my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that is unto them, and deliver our lives from death.”

¹⁴“Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.”

¹⁴And the men answered her, “Our lives for yours to die. If you do not tell this matter of ours, then it shall come to pass, when YHWH has given us the land, that we will deal with you with kindness and faithfulness.”

¹⁵Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.

¹⁵And she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was in the side of the wall, and she was dwelling in the wall.

¹⁶“Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.”

¹⁶And she said to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned. And afterward you may go your way.”

¹⁷The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear

¹⁷And the men said to her, “We will be blameless of this oath of yours, which you have made us swear,

¹⁸unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother and brothers and all your family into your house.

¹⁸unless we come into the land and this line of scarlet cord you have tied in the window through which you let us down, and unless your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all the house of your father, you have gathered to your own house.

¹⁹If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads.

¹⁹And it shall come to pass that anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And anyone who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him.

²⁰And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

²⁰And if you tell this matter of ours, we will be free from your oath that you have made us swear.”

²¹“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²¹And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²²So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.

²²And they departed and went to the mountain and stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned. And the pursuers sought them all along the way, and did not find them.

²³Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them.

²³And the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and they came to Joshua son of Nun and told him all that had found them.

²⁴“The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”

²⁴And they said to Joshua, “Truly YHWH has delivered into our hands all the land. For indeed, all those dwelling in the land are fainthearted at our presence.”