Joshua 5

Modern

Literal

The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

¹Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast^a heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over,^b their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

¹And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorite who were on the west side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanite who were along the sea, heard that YHWH had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the face of the sons of Israel until they passed over, that their heart melted, and there was no longer a spirit in them, because of the face of the sons of Israel.

²At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel once again.”^a

²At that time said YHWH to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives, and turn back and circumcise the sons of Israel the second time.”

³So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.^a

³And Joshua made for himself flint knives, and he circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

⁴Now this is why Joshua circumcised them: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of war—had died on the journey in the wilderness after they had left Egypt.

⁴And this is the reason that Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt, males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt.

⁵Though all who had come out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness on the journey from Egypt had been circumcised.

⁵For all the people who came out were circumcised, and all the people born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

⁶For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁶For forty years the sons of Israel walked in the wilderness, until all the people of the men of war who came out of Egypt were consumed because they did not obey the voice of YHWH, whom YHWH swore to them that He would not show the land that YHWH had sworn to their fathers that He would give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

⁷And He raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. Until this time they were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way.

⁷And their sons, raised up in their place, Joshua circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

⁸And after all the nation had been circumcised, they stayed there in the camp until they were healed.

⁸And it came to pass, when they had finished circumcising all the nation, that they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.

⁹Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal^a to this day.

⁹And YHWH said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

¹⁰On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover.

¹⁰And the sons of Israel camped in Gilgal and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho.

¹¹The day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.

¹¹And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted grain, on this same day.

¹²And the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. There was no more manna for the Israelites, so that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan.

¹²And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten from the produce of the land, and the sons of Israel had no more manna, and they ate the food of the land of Canaan in that year.

The Commander of the LORD’s Army

¹³Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

¹³And it came to pass, in Joshua being by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand, and Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.”

Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence^a and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”

¹⁴And He said, “Neither, for I, Commander of the army of YHWH, have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”

¹⁵The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”

And Joshua did so.

¹⁵And the Commander of the army of YHWH said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place on which you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.