Joshua 2

1 Then Joshua [chose] two men from [their camp at] Acacia. He told them, “Go [across the Jordan River] and secretly find out all that you can about the land on that side of the river, especially about Jericho [city].” So the two men crossed [the river and entered Jericho]. They entered the house of a prostitute, whose name was Rahab. They stayed in her house [that night].

Then did Joshua son of Nun, send out from The Acacias, two men to spy out silently, saying, Go view the land, and Jericho. So they came, and entered the house of a harlot, whose name was Rahab, and lay there.

2 But someone [saw them and] told the king of Jericho, “Some Israeli men have come here tonight to spy out the land!”

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, —Lo! men, have come in hither to-night of the sons of Israel to search out the land.

3 So the king sent some messengers to tell Rahab, “Bring out the men who came and entered your house, [so that we can kill them], because they have come [here] to (spy out/find out all they can about) this land!”

So the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, —Bring forth the men that are come in unto thee who have entered thy house, for, to search out all the land, have they come.

4 She told them that the two men had gone to her house. But she had hidden the two men there. So when the messengers came to her house, she told them, “Two men came here, but I did not know where they had come from.

And the woman took the two men and hid them, —and said: Even so, the men did come in unto me, but I knew not from whence they were;

5 At dusk, just before (guards closed the city gate/the city gates were closed), the two men left. I do not know where they went. So, go quickly and search for them! Perhaps you may catch them!”

and it came to pass, as the gate was about to be shut in the darkness, that, the men, went out, I know not whither the men went, —pursue them quickly for ye shall overtake them.

6 But [she was lying, ] she had taken the two men up to the [flat] roof of her house and had hidden them under the piles of flax that she had laid on the roof.

But, she, had taken them up to the roof, —and concealed them with the stalks of flax which she had laid in order for herself upon the roof.

7 The messengers went out of the city to search for the two men. Immediately, the guards shut the city gate. The messengers went along the road that leads down to the place where people can walk across the Jordan [River], [but they did not find the two men].

So, the men, pursued them by way of the Jordan unto the fords, —the gate being shut as soon as they who pursued them had gone forth.

8 Before the two men lay down [to sleep] that night, Rahab went up to the roof

And, ere yet they slept, she, went up unto them, upon the roof;

9 and said to them, “We know that Yahweh [is about to] give this land to you Israelis, and as a result all the people living in this land are terrified because of you.

and said unto the men, I know that Yahweh hath given unto you the land, —and that the terror of you hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land, have melted away, from before you.

10 We have heard about how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea for you to cross it when you left Egypt. And we have heard how you killed Sihon and Og, the two kings of the tribe of Amor who lived east of the Jordan [River]. You [Israelis] totally destroyed everyone [and everything in their kingdom].

For we have heard how Yahweh, dried up, the waters of the Red Sea from before you, when ye came forth out of Egypt, —and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites who were over the Jordan unto Sihon and unto Og, whom ye devoted to destruction;

11 When we heard about those things, we were very dismayed. We no longer have enough courage to fight against you, because we know that Yahweh, the God whom you [worship], is helping you. [And we know that] he rules everything in heaven and here on earth.

and, when we heard, then did our heart melt, and there rose up no longer any spirit in any man because of you, —for, as for Yahweh your God, he, is God—in the heavens above, and upon the earth beneath.

12 So now [I want you to] solemnly promise me, and ask Yahweh to punish you if you do not do what you promise. Solemnly promise me that you will act kindly to me and my family, because I have acted kindly to you.

Now, therefore I pray you, swear unto me by Yahweh, since I have dealt with you in lovingkindness, that, ye also, will deal with the house of my father in lovingkindness, and will give me a token of faithfulness,

13 Do something to prove that you will (spare the lives of/not kill) my father and my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all of their families. Promise me that you [Israelis] will not kill us [when you destroy this city].”

and will save alive my father and my mother, and my brethren and my sisters, and all that they have, —and will deliver our souls from death.

14 The two men replied, “We desire that God will cause us to die if we do not do as we say! If you do not tell others what we [are planning to] do, we will act kindly toward you all when Yahweh enables us to possess the land.”

And the men said unto her, Our souls in your stead unto death, if ye utter not this our business, —so shall it be, when Yahweh shall give us the land, that we will deal with thee in lovingkindness and in faithfulness.

15 [One of] the outside walls of the house where Rahab lived was part of the wall [that was around] the city. So she fastened a rope outside the window [that was in that wall], by which the men could climb down the wall.

And she let them down with a cord through the window, —for, her house, was within the wall of the rampart, and, within the rampart, she was dwelling.

16 Then she said to them, “When you leave the city, go up into the hills so that the men who are searching for you will not find you. Hide in caves in the hills for three days, until the men who are searching for you return to the city. Then you can return safely to your camp.”

And she said unto them—To the mountain, get you, lest the pursuers, fall in, with you, —and hide yourselves there, three days until the pursuers return, and, afterwards, shall ye go your way.

17 The two men [gave her a red cord, and] said to her, “This is what you must do; if you do not do this, we will not be required to do what we have vowed to do.

And the men said unto her, —Free, will we be from this thine oath which thou hast made us swear:

18 You must tie this red cord in the window that has the rope by which we will climb down. You must let the cord hang there. And you must bring your father and your mother and your brothers and all the others in your family inside the house. Then, when our army enters your land, we will see the cord, and we will not kill the people in your house.

Lo! when we are coming into the land, this cord of crimson thread, must thou bind in the window by which thou didst let us down, and, thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all the household of thy father, must thou gather together unto thee unto the house.

19 If anyone in your family goes outside this house into the street, [our soldiers] will kill them, and we will not be guilty [MTY] for doing that. But if anyone who is in this house with you is injured, we will be guilty for causing that.

And it shall be, whosoever shall go forth out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood, shall be on his own head and, we, shall be free, —but, whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood, shall be on our heads, if a, hand, be upon him.

20 But if you tell anyone what we [are planning to] do, we are not required to do what we have vowed to do.”

Or, if thou utter this our business, then shall we be free from this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

21 Rahab said, “I agree to do what you say.” So they climbed down the rope and left. And she left the red cord tied in the window.

And she said—According to your words, so, shall it be. Thus sent she them away and they departed, —and she bound the crimson cord in the window.

22 When the two men left the city, they went up into the hills. They stayed there for three days, while the men [who had been sent by the king] continued to search for them. They searched all along the road, but they did not find the two men. So they returned to the city.

And they went and came into the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers had returned, —so the pursuers, made search, throughout all the way, but found them not.

23 Then the two men started back toward their camp. They went down from the hills, went down to the river, crossed it at the place where people can walk across it, and returned to their camp. They told Joshua everything that had happened to them.

And the two men returned and came down out of the mountain, and crossed over and came unto Joshua, son of Nun, —and recounted to him all that had befallen them;

24 They said to Joshua, “We are sure that Yahweh is going to enable us to possess everything that is in that land. The people there are terrified [IDM] because of us.”

and they said unto Joshua, Yahweh, hath delivered, into our hand all the land, —moreover also all the inhabitants of the land, have melted away, from before us.