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Rahab helps two men of Israel

2 Then Joshua sent two men to go out from Shittim. He sent them in secret to see what the land was like. He told them, ‘Go! Look at all the land. Look very carefully at Jericho city.’

When they came to Jericho city, they arrived at the house of a prostitute. Her name was Rahab. They stayed there. ^{[ a ]}

² Some people told the king of Jericho, ‘Look! Some Israelite men have come here tonight to see what our land is like.’ ³ So the king of Jericho sent a message to Rahab. He said, ‘Bring out the men who are staying in your house. They have come secretly to see what all our land is like!’

⁴ But Rahab had hidden the two men. She replied, ‘Yes, some men did come to me. I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ When it was nearly time to close the gate of the city for the night, they left. I do not know where they went. If you chase after them quickly, you may catch them.’ ⁶ But she had taken the men up to the roof. She had hidden them under some straw that she had put there.

⁷ So the king's officers went out of the city to try to find the two Israelite men. They went along the road to the Jordan River, to the place where the road crosses the river. As soon as they had left, people shut the city gate.

⁸ Rahab went up to the roof of her house. She spoke to the men as they prepared to sleep. ⁹ She said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you. Everyone here is afraid of you Israelites. Everyone who lives in this land is very frightened. ¹⁰ We heard how the Lord caused the water of the Red Sea to become dry. In that way he brought you out of Egypt. We heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites. We heard how you destroyed them completely on the east side of the Jordan River. ¹¹ When we heard what you had done, we were very frightened. We know that we are not strong enough to fight against you because the Lord , your God, is God. He rules everything in heaven and on earth.

¹² Now, please use the Lord 's name to make a strong promise. I have been kind to you. So promise me that you will be kind to my family. Show me that you will certainly do what you have promised. ¹³ When you attack this city, do not kill my family. Save the lives of my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.’

¹⁴ The men replied, ‘We promise to do that. If anyone kills you or your family, may we die too! Do not tell anyone about us. When the Lord gives us this land, we will be kind to you. We will save your lives.’

¹⁵ So Rahab put a rope out through the window of her house. (The house that she lived in was part of the city wall.) The men climbed down the rope. ¹⁶ Rahab told them, ‘Go to the hills. The men who are chasing you will not find you there. Hide there for three days until they return to this city. Then you can go back to your people.’

¹⁷ The men said to her, ‘If you do what we say, we will do what we have promised. ¹⁸ We will soon attack this land. So tie this red string in the window that we came through. ^{[ b ]} Bring your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them leaves your house, they may die. If that happens, we will not be guilty. We will only be guilty if our soldiers hurt anyone who is in your house. ²⁰ But if you tell anyone about us, we do not have to do what we have promised to you.’

²¹ Rahab said, ‘I agree with what you have said.’ She sent the men away. When they had gone, she tied the red string in her window.

²² The two Israelite men went into the hills and they hid there. The king's officers looked along the road for them for three days. They did not find them, so they returned to Jericho. ²³ Then the two men came down from the hills and they crossed the Jordan River. They went back to Joshua. They told him everything that had happened. ²⁴ They said to him, ‘We are sure that the Lord has given us the whole land. All the people there are very frightened of us.’

Footnotes

2:1 Rahab probably had rooms in her home where visitors could sleep.
2:18 The men told Rahab to tie a red string in her window. This was the sign that the Israelites would not kill her or her family.

Spies in Jericho

2 Joshua son of Nun and all the people were camped at Acacia. ^{[ a ]} Joshua sent out two spies. No one knew that Joshua sent out these men. Joshua said to them, “Go and look at the land, especially the city of Jericho.”

So the men went to the city of Jericho and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.

² But someone told the king of Jericho, “Last night some men from Israel came to look for weaknesses in our country.”

³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Do not hide the men who came and stayed in your house. Bring them out. They have come to spy on our country.”

⁴ Rahab had hidden the two men, but she said, “They did come here, but I didn’t know where they came from. ⁵ In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don’t know where they went. But if you go quickly, maybe you can catch them.” ⁶ (Rahab said this, but really she had taken the men up to the roof and had hidden them in the flax ^{[ b ]} that she had piled up there.)

⁷ So the king’s men went out of the city, and the people closed the city gates. The king’s men went to look for the two men from Israel. They went to the Jordan River and looked at all the places where people cross the river.

⁸ The two men were ready to sleep for the night, but Rahab went to the roof to talk to them. ⁹ She said, “I know that the Lord has given this land to your people. You frighten us. Everyone living in this country is afraid of you. ¹⁰ We are afraid because we have heard about the ways that the Lord helped you. We heard that he dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt. We also heard what you did to the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og. We heard how you destroyed those kings living east of the Jordan River. ¹¹ When we heard about this, we were very afraid. And now, not one of our men is brave enough to fight you, because the Lord your God rules the heavens above and the earth below! ¹² So now, I want you to make a promise to me. I was kind to you and helped you. So promise me before the Lord that you will be kind to my family. Please tell me that you will do this. ¹³ Tell me that you will allow my family to live—my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all their families. Promise me that you will save us from death.”

¹⁴ The men agreed and said, “We will trade our lives for yours. Don’t tell anyone what we are doing. Then, when the Lord gives us the land, we will be kind to you. You can trust us.”

¹⁵ Rahab’s house was built into the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window. ¹⁶ Then she said to them, “Go into the hills so that the king’s men will not accidentally find you. Hide there for three days. After the king’s men come back, you can go on your way.”

¹⁷ The men said to her, “We made a promise to you. But you must do one thing, or we will not be responsible for our promise. ¹⁸ When we come back to this land, you must tie in your window this red rope you are using to help us escape. You must bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your family into your house with you. ¹⁹ We will protect everyone who stays in this house. If anyone in your house is hurt, we will be responsible. But if they go out of your house and are killed, we will not be responsible. It will be their own fault. ²⁰ We are making this agreement with you. But if you tell anyone about what we are doing, we will be free from this agreement.”

²¹ Rahab answered, “I will do just what you said.” She said goodbye, and the men left her house. Then she tied the red rope in the window.

²² The men left her house and went into the hills. They stayed there for three days. The king’s men looked all along the road. After three days, they stopped looking and went back to the city. ²³ Then the two men went back to Joshua. They left the hills and crossed the river. They went to Joshua and told him everything that they had learned. ²⁴ They said to him, “The Lord really has given us all the land. All the people in that country are afraid of us.”

Footnotes

Joshua 2:1 Acacia Or “Shittim,” a town east of the Jordan River. Also in 3:1.
Joshua 2:6 flax A plant used to make linen.

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

² 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 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

⁴ And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:

⁵ And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

⁶ 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 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸ And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

⁹ And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

¹⁰ 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 unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

¹¹ 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 therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord , since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

¹³ 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 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 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 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

¹⁷ And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.

¹⁹ And it shall be, that whosoever 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 whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

²⁰ And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

²¹ And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

²² And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

²³ 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 And they said unto 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.

Rahab Shelters Spies

2 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from ^{( A )} Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of ^{( B )} a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and rested there. ² But it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to spy out all the land.” ⁴ But the ^{( C )} woman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ It came about, when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But ^{( D )} she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan, to the crossing places; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸ Now before ^{[ a ]} the spies lay down, she came up to them on the roof, ⁹ and said to the men, “ ^{( E )} I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the ^{( F )} terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of you. ¹⁰ ^{( G )} For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the ^{[ b ]} Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^{( H )} what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you ^{[ c ]} utterly destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard these reports , ^{( I )} our hearts melted and no ^{[ d ]} courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for the ^{( J )} Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord , since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a ^{( K )} pledge of ^{[ e ]} truth, ¹³ and ^{[ f ]} spare my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our ^{[ g ]} lives from death.” ¹⁴ So the men said to her, “Our ^{[ h ]} life ^{[ i ]} for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will ^{( L )} deal kindly and ^{[ j ]} faithfully with you.”

The Promise to Rahab

¹⁵ Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. ¹⁶ And she said to them, “ ^{( M )} Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not encounter you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” ¹⁷ And the men said to her, “ ^{( N )} We shall be exempt from this oath ^{[ k ]} to you which you have made us swear, ¹⁸ ^{[ l ]} unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and ^{( O )} gather into your house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. ¹⁹ And it shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house outside will have ^{[ m ]} his blood on his own head, and we will be innocent; but anyone who is with you in the house, ^{( P )} his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. ²⁰ But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be exempt from the oath which you have made us swear.” ²¹ She then said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² So they departed and came to the hill country, and remained there for three days, until the pursuers returned. Now the pursuers had searched for them ^{[ n ]} all along the road, but had not found them . ²³ Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country, and they crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun. Then they reported to him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “The Lord has indeed handed over to us all the land; furthermore, ^{( Q )} all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of us.”

Footnotes

Joshua 2:8 Lit they lay
Joshua 2:10 Lit Sea of Reeds
Joshua 2:10 Or put under the ban
Joshua 2:11 Lit spirit arose
Joshua 2:12 Or faithfulness
Joshua 2:13 Lit let live
Joshua 2:13 Lit souls
Joshua 2:14 Lit soul
Joshua 2:14 Lit instead of you to die
Joshua 2:14 Or truly
Joshua 2:17 Lit of yours
Joshua 2:18 Lit behold
Joshua 2:19 I.e., responsibility for his death
Joshua 2:22 Lit through all the road

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Rahab helps two men of Israel

Footnotes

Spies in Jericho

Footnotes

Rahab Shelters Spies

The Promise to Rahab

Footnotes

Cross references

Rahab and the Spies

Footnotes

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Rahab helps two men of Israel

Footnotes

Spies in Jericho

Footnotes

Rahab Shelters Spies

The Promise to Rahab

Footnotes

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Rahab and the Spies

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