Joshua 2

1 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.

And Joshua the son of Nun sent from Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go, view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into the house of a harlot, named Rahab, and lodged there.

2 It was told to the king of Jericho, “Look, men of Israel have come here to spy on the land.”

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

3 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.”

And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that have come to thee, who have entered into thy house: for they have come to search out all the country.

4 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.

And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men to me, but I knew not whence they [were]:

5 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.”

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

6 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.

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

7 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.

And the men pursued them the way to Jordan to the fords: and as soon as they who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 The men had not yet lain down for the night, when she came up to them on the roof.

And before they had lain down, she came up to them upon the roof;

9 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.

And she said to the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 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.

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 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.

And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

12 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

Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token:

13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all their families, and that you will save us from death.”

And [that] ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.

14 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.”

And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

15 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.

Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house [was] upon the town-wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

16 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.”

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

17 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.

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

18 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.

Behold, [when] we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window by which thou didst let us down: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household home to thee.

19 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.

And it shall be, [that] whoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood [shall be] upon his head, and we [will be] guiltless: and whoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood [shall be] on our head, if [any] hand be upon him.

20 But if you speak about our business, we will be free from the oath you made us swear.”

And if thou shalt utter this our business, then we will be quit of thy oath which thou hast made us to swear.

21 Rahab replied, “May what you say be done.” She sent them away and they left. Then she tied the scarlet rope in the window.

And she said, According to your words, so [be] it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22 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.

And they went, and came to the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers had returned: and the pursuers sought [them] throughout all the way, but found [them] not.

23 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.

So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all [things] that befell them:

24 They said to Joshua, “Truly Yahweh has given this land to us. All the inhabitants of the land are melting away because of us.”

And they said to Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.