< Iosue 2 >

1 Misit igitur Josue filius Nun de Setim duos viros exploratores in abscondito: et dixit eis: Ite, et considerate terram, urbemque Jericho. Qui pergentes ingressi sunt domum mulieris meretricis, nomine Rahab, et quieverunt apud eam.
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].
2 Nuntiatumque est regi Jericho, et dictum: Ecce viri ingressi sunt huc per noctem de filiis Israël, ut explorarent terram.
But someone [saw them and] told the king of Jericho, “Some Israeli men have come here tonight to spy out the land!”
3 Misitque rex Jericho ad Rahab, dicens: Educ viros, qui venerunt ad te, et ingressi sunt domum tuam: exploratores quippe sunt, et omnem terram considerare venerunt.
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!”
4 Tollensque mulier viros, abscondit, et ait: Fateor, venerunt ad me, sed nesciebam unde essent:
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.
5 cumque porta clauderetur in tenebris, et illi pariter exierunt; nescio quo abierunt: persequimini cito, et comprehendetis eos.
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!”
6 Ipsa autem fecit ascendere viros in solarium domus suæ, operuitque eos stipula lini, quæ ibi erat.
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.
7 Hi autem, qui missi fuerant, secuti sunt eos per viam, quæ ducit ad vadum Jordanis: illisque egressis statim porta clausa est.
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].
8 Necdum obdormierant qui latebant, et ecce mulier ascendit ad eos, et ait:
Before the two men lay down [to sleep] that night, Rahab went up to the roof
9 Novi quod Dominus tradiderit vobis terram: etenim irruit in nos terror vester, et elanguerunt omnes habitatores terræ.
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.
10 Audivimus quod siccaverit Dominus aquas maris Rubri ad vestrum introitum, quando egressi estis ex Ægypto: et quæ feceritis duobus Amorrhæorum regibus, qui erant trans Jordanem, Sehon et Og, quos interfecistis.
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].
11 Et hæc audientes pertimuimus, et elanguit cor nostrum, nec remansit in nobis spiritus ad introitum vestrum: Dominus enim Deus vester ipse est Deus in cælo sursum et in terra deorsum.
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.
12 Nunc ergo jurate mihi per Dominum, ut quomodo ego misericordiam feci vobiscum, ita et vos faciatis cum domo patris mei: detisque mihi verum signum,
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.
13 ut salvetis patrem meum et matrem, et fratres ac sorores meas, et omnia quæ illorum sunt, et eruatis animas nostras a morte.
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].”
14 Qui responderunt ei: Anima nostra sit pro vobis in mortem, si tamen non prodideris nos: cumque tradiderit nobis Dominus terram, faciemus in te misericordiam et veritatem.
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.”
15 Demisit ergo eos per funem de fenestra: domus enim ejus hærebat muro.
[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.
16 Dixitque ad eos: Ad montana conscendite, ne forte occurrant vobis revertentes: ibique latitate tribus diebus, donec redeant, et sic ibitis per viam vestram.
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.”
17 Qui dixerunt ad eam: Innoxii erimus a juramento hoc, quo adjurasti nos:
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.
18 si ingredientibus nobis terram, signum fuerit funiculus iste coccineus, et ligaveris eum in fenestra, per quam demisisti nos: et patrem tuum ac matrem, fratresque et omnem cognationem tuam congregaveris in domum tuam.
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.
19 Qui ostium domus tuæ egressus fuerit, sanguis ipsius erit in caput ejus, et nos erimus alieni. Cunctorum autem sanguis, qui tecum in domo fuerint, redundabit in caput nostrum, si eos aliquis tetigerit.
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.
20 Quod si nos prodere volueris, et sermonem istum proferre in medium, erimus mundi ab hoc juramento, quo adjurasti nos.
But if you tell anyone what we [are planning to] do, we are not required to do what we have vowed to do.”
21 Et illa respondit: Sicut locuti estis, ita fiat: dimittensque eos ut pergerent, appendit funiculum coccineum in fenestra.
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.
22 Illi vero ambulantes pervenerunt ad montana, et manserunt ibi tres dies, donec reverterentur qui fuerant persecuti: quærentes enim per omnem viam, non repererunt eos.
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.
23 Quibus urbem ingressis, reversi sunt, et descenderunt exploratores de monte: et, transmisso Jordane, venerunt ad Josue filium Nun, narraveruntque ei omnia quæ acciderant sibi,
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.
24 atque dixerunt: Tradidit Dominus omnem terram hanc in manus nostras, et timore prostrati sunt cuncti habitatores ejus.
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.”

< Iosue 2 >