< Joshua 2 >

1 And Joshua the son of Naue sent out of Sattin two young men to spy [the land], saying, Go up and view the land and Jericho: and the two young men went and entered into Jericho; and they entered into the house of a harlot, whose name [was] Raab, and lodged there.
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men out from Shittim as spies. He said, “Go, look over the land, especially Jericho.” They went away and came to the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and they lodged there.
2 An it was reported to the king of Jericho, saying, Men of the sons of Israel have come in hither to spy the land.
It was told to the king of Jericho, “Look, men of Israel have come here to spy on the land.”
3 And the king of Jericho sent and spoke to Raab, saying, Bring out the men that entered into your house this night; for they are come to spy out the land.
The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who have come to you who entered your house, for they have come to spy on the whole land.”
4 And the woman took the two men and hid them; and she spoke to the messengers, saying, The men came in to me,
But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She replied, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 but when the gate was shut in the evening, the men went out; I know not whither they are gone: follow after them, if you may overtake them.
They left when it was dusk, when it was time for the city gate to shut. I do not know where they went. You will probably catch them if you hurry after them.”
6 But she [had] brought them up upon the house, and hid them in the flax-stalks that were spread by her on the house.
But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof.
7 And the men followed after them in the way to Jordan to the fords; and the gate was shut.
So the men pursued them on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan. The gate was shut as soon as the pursuers went out.
8 And it came to pass when the men who pursued after them were gone forth, and before the spies had lain down to sleep, that she came up to them on the top of the house;
The men had not yet lain down for the night, when she came up to them on the roof.
9 and she said to them, I know that the Lord has given you the land; for the fear of you has fallen upon us.
She said, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land and that the fear of you has come upon us. All those who live in the land will melt away before you.
10 For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, when you came out of the land of Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
We have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites on other side of the Jordan—Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed.
11 And when we heard it we were amazed in our heart, and there was no longer any spirit in any of us because of you, for the Lord your god [is] God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.
As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted and there was no courage left in anyone—for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
12 And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I deal mercifully with you, so do you also deal mercifully with the house of my father:
Now then, please swear to me by Yahweh that, just as I have been kind to you, you will also deal kindly with my father's house. Give me a sure sign
13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and you shall rescue my soul from death.
that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all their families, and that you will save us from death.”
14 And the men said to her, Our life for yours [even] to death: and she said, When the Lord shall have delivered the city to you, you shall deal mercifully and truly with me.
The men said to her, “Our life for yours, even to death! If you do not speak about our business, then, when Yahweh gives us this land we will be merciful and faithful to you.”
15 And she let them down by the window;
So she let them down out through the window using a rope. The house in which she lived was built into the wall of the city.
16 and she said to them, Depart into the hill-country, lest the pursuers meet you, and you shall be hidden there three days until your pursuers return from after you, and afterwards you shall depart on your way.
She said to them, “Go in the hills and hide or the pursuers will find you. Hide there for three days until the pursuers have returned. Then go on your way.”
17 And the men said to her, We are clear of this your oath.
The men said to her, “We will be not be bound to the promises of the oath you made us swear to, if you do not do this.
18 Behold, we shall enter into a part of the city, and you shall set a sign; you shall bind this scarlet cord in the window, by which you have let us down, and you shall bring in to yourself, into your house, your father, and your mother, and your brethren, and all the family of your father.
When we come into the land, you must tie this scarlet rope in the window through which you let us down, and you will gather into the house your father and mother, your brothers and all your father's household.
19 And it shall come to pass that whoever shall go outside the door of your house, his guilt shall be upon him, and we shall be quit of this your oath; and we will be responsible for all that shall be found with you in your house.
Whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, their blood will be upon their own heads and we will be guiltless. But if a hand is laid upon any who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head.
20 But if any one should injure us, or betray these our matters, we shall be quit of this your oath.
But if you speak about our business, we will be free from the oath you made us swear.”
21 And she said to them, Let it be according to your word; and she sent them out, and they departed.
Rahab replied, “May what you say be done.” She sent them away and they left. Then she tied the scarlet rope in the window.
22 And they came to the hill-country, and remained there three days; and the pursuers searched all the roads, and found them not.
They left and went up into the hills and they stayed there three days until their pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the road and found nothing.
23 And the two young men returned, and came down out of the mountain; and they went over to Joshua the son of Naue, and told him all things that had happened to them.
The two men returned and crossed over and came back to Joshua son of Nun, and they told him everything that had happened to them.
24 And they said to Joshua, The Lord has delivered all the land into our power, and all the inhabitants of that land tremble because of us.
They said to Joshua, “Truly Yahweh has given this land to us. All the inhabitants of the land are melting away because of us.”

< Joshua 2 >