Joshua 2

1 And Joshua son of Nun silently sends two men, spies, from Shittim, 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 Joshua, the son of Nun, had sent out from Shittim two men as spies, secretly, saying, Go ye, view the land and especially Jericho; and they went, and came unto the house of a woman, a harlot, whose name was Rachab, and they lodged there.

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

And it was told unto the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men came in hither this night, of the children of Israel, to search out the country.

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

And the king of Jericho sent to Rachab, saying, Bring forth the men who are come to thee, who came to thy house; for, to search out all the country are they come.

4 And the woman takes the two men, and hides them, and says thus: “The men came to me, and I have not known where they [are] from;

But the woman had taken the two men, and hidden them; and she said, It is true, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were.

5 and it comes to pass—the gate is to [be] shut—in the dark, and the men have gone out; I have not known to where the men have gone; pursue, hurry after them, for you overtake them”;

And it came to pass, about the time of shutting the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; I know not whither the men are gone: pursue quickly after them, for ye can overtake them.

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

But she had brought them up to the roof, and had hidden them among the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

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

And the men pursued after them, by the way to the Jordan unto the fords; and the gate was closed, as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out.

8 And before they lie down, she has gone up to them on the roof,

But they had not yet laid themselves down, when she came up unto them upon the roof.

9 and she says to the men, “I have known that YHWH has given the land to you, and that your terror has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted at your presence.

And she said unto them, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that the terror of you hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are become faint-hearted, because of you.

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

For we have heard, how that the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you, when ye went forth out of Egypt; and what ye have done unto the two kings of the Emorites, who were on the other side of the Jordan, unto Sichon and 'Og, whom ye have utterly destroyed.

11 And we hear, and our heart melts, and there has not stood anymore spirit in [any] man from your presence, for He, your God YHWH, [is] God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

And when we heard this, our heart melted, and there remained not any more courage in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God is alone God in the heavens above, and upon the earth beneath.

12 And now, please swear to me by YHWH—because I have done kindness with you—that you have done, even you, kindness with the house of my father, and have given a true token to me,

And now swear, I pray you, unto me by the Lord, because I have shown you kindness, that ye will also, for your part, show kindness, unto my father's house; and give me a sure 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.”

That ye will preserve the life of my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

14 And the men say to her, “Our soul to die for yours; if you do not declare this—our matter, then it has been, in YHWH’s giving this land to us, that we have done kindness and truth with you.”

And the men said unto her, Our life shall be [doomed] to death instead of yours, if ye tell not this our business; and it shall be, when the Lord giveth us the land, that we will show thee kindness and truth.

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

Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was within the town wall, and within the wall she dwelt.

16 and she says to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers come on you; and you have been hidden there three days until the turning back of the pursuers, and afterward you go on your way.”

And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet with you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned; and afterward ye may go your way.

17 And the men say to her, “We are acquitted of this, your oath, which you have caused us to swear:

And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thy oath which thou hast caused us to swear.

18 behold, we are coming into the land, bind this line of scarlet thread to the window by which you have caused us to go down, and gather your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all the house of your father to you, to the house;

Behold, when we come into the land, this line of scarlet thread shalt thou bind in the window by which thou hast let us down; and thy father, and thy mother, and thy brothers, and all thy father's household, thou must bring together unto thee into the house.

19 and it has been, anyone who goes out from the doors of your house outside, his blood [is] on his head, and we are innocent; and anyone who is with you in the house, his blood [is] on our head, if a hand is on him;

And it shall be, that whosoever will go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; and whosoever will remain with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if a hand be laid upon him.

20 and if you declare this—our matter, then we have been acquitted from your oath which you have caused us to swear.”

And if thou tell this our business, then will we be free of thy oath which thou hast caused us to swear.

21 And she says, “According to your words, so it [is]”; and she sends them away, and they go; and she binds the scarlet line to the window.

And she said, According unto your words, so be it; and she dismissed them, and they departed; and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22 And they go, and come 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.

And they went, and came unto the mountain, and they remained there three days, until the pursuers were returned; and the pursuers sought throughout all the way, but found nothing.

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

And the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and related to him all the things that had befallen them.

24 and they say to Joshua, “Surely YHWH has given all the land into our hand; and also, all the inhabitants of the land have melted at our presence.”

And they said unto Joshua, Truly the Lord hath given up into our hand all the country; for all the inhabitants of the country are already become faint-hearted because of us.