Joshua 5

1 All the kings of the people-groups to the west of the Jordan River and all the kings of the groups who were descendants of Canaan and who lived close to the [Mediterranean] Sea heard about how Yahweh had dried up the water of the Jordan [River] until all we Israeli people had crossed over. So they became very dismayed. They no longer were courageous enough to fight us.

And it came to pass when the kings of the Amorites who were beyond Jordan heard, and the kings of Phoenicia by the sea, that the Lord God had dried up the river Jordan from before the children of Israel when they passed over, that their hearts failed, and they were terror-stricken, and there was no sense in them because of the children of Israel.

2 While [they were camped at Gilgal], Yahweh said to Joshua, “[The Israeli males who lived in Egypt were circumcised before they left there. Now] make knives from flint stones and circumcise all the Israeli males [who have been born since then].”

And about this time the Lord said to Joshua, Make you stone knives of sharp stone, and sit down and circumcise the children of Israel the second time.

3 So Joshua [made knives and] circumcised the Israeli males at a place that is now called ‘Circumcision Hill’.

And Joshua made sharp knives of stone, and circumcised the children of Israel at the place called the “Hill of Foreskins.”

4 [The reason they did that is that all the men who left Egypt], those who were old enough to be soldiers, died in the desert after they left Egypt.

And [this is] the way in which Joshua purified the children of Israel; as many as were born in the way, and as many as were uncircumcised of them that came out of Egypt,

5 They had been circumcised in Egypt, but the baby boys who had been born while their parents were camping in the desert after they left Egypt had not been circumcised.

all these Joshua circumcised; for forty and two years Israel wondered in the wilderness of Mabdaris—

6 Our Israeli ancestors traveled around in the desert for 40 years, and all the men who were old enough to be soldiers had died. [The women had also died]. They had not obeyed Yahweh, so Yahweh said that they would not arrive at the land that he had promised to our ancestors that he would give to us, a land that was very fertile [MTY].

Therefore most of the fighting men that came out of the land of Egypt, were uncircumcised, who disobeyed the commands of God; concerning whom also he determined that they should not see the land, which the Lord sware to give to their fathers, [even] a land flowing with milk and honey.

7 The sons of those who had disobeyed Yahweh were the ones whom Joshua circumcised at Gilgal. They were circumcised because they had not been circumcised [while they were traveling in the desert].

And in their place he raised up their sons, whom Joshua circumcised, because they were uncircumcised, having been born by the way.

8 After all the Israeli males had been circumcised, they remained in the camp and rested until their wounds were healed.

And when they had been circumcised they rested continuing there in the camp till they were healed.

9 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “[Because your forefathers were slaves in Egypt], the Egyptians felt a revulsion toward you. But today I have removed the revulsion the Egyptians have had toward you.” Because of that, the people called the place ‘Gilgal’, [which sounds like the Hebrew word ‘removed’, ] and it still has that name.

And the Lord said to Joshua the son of Naue, On this day have I removed the reproach of Egypt from you: and he called the name of that place Galgala.

10 In the evening of the fourteenth day of that month, while the Israeli people were camped at Gilgal, on the plain near Jericho [city], they celebrated the Passover [Festival].

And the children of Israel kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, to the westward of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain.

11 The next day, they found some barley grain in the fields in that area. So they took that and roasted it and ate it with bread that was made without yeast.

And they ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new [corn].

12 The next day, [God] stopped [sending] manna for the Israeli people to eat. After that, they ate food that was grown in Canaan.

In this day the manna failed, after they had eaten of the corn of the land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna: and they took the fruits of the land of the Phoenicians in that year.

13 One day when Joshua came near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man was holding a sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you [going to fight] for us or against us?”

And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a man standing before him, and [there was] a drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua drew near and said to him, Are you for us or on the side of our enemies?

14 The man replied, “I am not [planning to fight with you] or [against you]. Instead, I am the commander of Yahweh’s army [in heaven], and I have come [down from there to assure you that Yahweh will help you].” Then Joshua bowed down with his face on the ground (to show his respect for/to worship) the man, and said to him, “Tell me what [you want me to do].”

And he said to him, I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord. And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to him, Lord, what command you your servant?

15 The commander of Yahweh’s army replied, “Take off your sandals! [I am Yahweh, and] the ground on which you are standing is holy because I am here.” So Joshua took off his sandals.

And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, Loose your shoe off your feet, for the place whereon you now stand is holy.