2 Israelite Men Sent to Spy Out Jericho |
Joshua 2:1-24 The Book of Joshua [in Smaller Chunks] |
Joshua, [Nun’s] son, sent 2 men out of Shittim to secretly [spy,] saying, Go view the land of Jericho. They went & came to [the house of a prostitute,] named Rahab & lodged there. |
The king of Jericho was told, saying, [Look,] men [from] the children [people] of Israel came [here] tonight to [spy] out the country. The king of Jericho sent to Rahab [& said,] Bring [out] the men [who have] entered your house & [have] come to stay with you to search out all the country. |
The woman took the 2 [Israelite] men & hid them & said, Men came to me, but I [didn’t know where] they were [from.] It [happened] when it was dark [around] the time [they shut] the gate, that the men went out. |
[Where they] went, I don’t know. [Go] after them quickly; for you shall overtake them. But she had brought them up to the roof of [her] house & hid them with the stalks of flax, [that] she had laid in [bundles] on the roof. |
The men [went] after the [2 Israelite men] to [the] Jordan [River all the way to] the fords. [Shortly after the men went] out [to pursue the 2 Israelite men,] they shut the gate. |
Before they lay down, [Rahab] came up to the roof to them & she said, I know the Lord has given you the land & your terror has fallen on us & all the inhabitants of the land [are faint-hearted] because of you. |
For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when you came out of Egypt & what you did to the 2 kings of the Amorites, Sihon & Og, whom you [totally] destroyed on the other side [of] Jordan. |
As soon as we heard these things, our hearts [melted] & neither did there remain any more courage in any [of the men,] because of you. For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above & earth beneath. |
I pray that you therefore swear to me now before the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you will also show kindness to my father’s house & give me a token [to show I can trust you:] that you will save my father, mother, my [brothers] & sisters & all that they have & deliver our lives from death. |
[The 2 Israelite] men answered her, Our [lives] for yours, [only] if you [don’t betray us &] utter [any] of our business. It shall [happen] when the Lord has given us the land, that we will deal kindly & [faithfully] with you. |
Then, she let them down by a cord through the window. For her house was on the town wall. She said to them, [Go] down to the mountain, lest the pursuers [find] you. Hide yourselves there for 3 days, until the pursuers [have] returned. Afterward, you may go [on] your way. |
The [2 Israelite] men said to her, [Look,] when we come into [your] land, [if you don’t] bind this line of scarlet thread in window [that you used to let us down] & you bring your father, mother, [brothers] & sisters & all your father’s household to [your] home, we will be blameless of this oath [that] you have made us swear. |
[Also,] it shall [happen] if [anyone goes] out of the door of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his head & we will be guiltless. [But whoever is] with you in the house, his blood shall be on our [heads,] if any hand [is] upon him. |
If you [betray us &] utter our business, then we will be [released from] the oath you made us swear. [Rahab] said, [It shall be] according to [what you said.] She sent them away & they departed and [Rahab] bound the scarlet thread in the window. |
[The 2 Israelite men] came to the mountain & [stayed] there 3 days, until the pursuers returned [to Jericho.] The pursuers [had looked for] them [all along] the [road,] but [never] found them. |
So, the 2 [Israelite] men returned & [climbed down] from the mountain & passed over [Jordan] & came to Joshua, [Nun’s] son & told him [what had happened.] |
They said to Joshua, Truly, the Lord has delivered all this land [of Jericho] into our hands. For even the inhabitants of the country [are faint-hearted] because of us. |