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Joshua 5

5 Many people heard how the Lord had caused the Jordan River to become dry. This included all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan River, and all the Canaanite kings who lived near the sea. They heard how the Lord had made the river become dry until all the Israelites had crossed to the other side. So the kings became very afraid of the Israelite people. They felt too weak to fight against them. [ a ]

Circumcision at Gilgal

2 The Lord said to Joshua at that time, ‘Make knives of stone and circumcise the Israelite men.’ [ b ] 3 So Joshua made the knives and he circumcised the men at Gibeath Haaraloth.

4 This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men who were old enough to fight when they came out of Egypt had now died. They died in the desert as they travelled to Canaan. 5 All those men who came out of Egypt had already been circumcised. But all the sons who were born on the journey through the desert had not been circumcised. 6 The Israelites had travelled in the desert for 40 years. But all the men who were old enough to fight when they left Egypt had now died. This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord . The Lord had promised to give to them the land of Canaan, a land where there is plenty of food and drink. But he made a strong promise that those men would not see that land, because they had turned against him. 7 Now Joshua circumcised their sons, who had taken their place. Their fathers had not circumcised them while they travelled in the desert.

8 All of the Israelite men were circumcised. Then they stayed there in Gilgal until they were strong again. 9 The Lord said to Joshua, ‘This shows that you are no longer ashamed to be slaves, as you were in Egypt. Today I have taken away your shame.’

So they called that place Gilgal, and it still has that name. [ c ]

10 The Israelite people ate the Passover meal on the evening of the 14th day of that month. [ d ] They did this while they were at Gilgal, near Jericho city. 11 The next day they ate food that had grown in Canaan. For the first time, they ate flat bread and grain that they cooked on a fire. 12 The manna that they had been eating no longer appeared. The Israelite people never ate manna again. [ e ] Now they could eat the food that was grown in Canaan.

The captain of the Lord 's army

13 While Joshua was near Jericho, a man appeared to him. Joshua looked up and there he was! He stood in front of Joshua with a sword in his hand. Joshua went towards him. He asked the man, ‘Are you here to help us, or to help our enemies?’

14 The man answered, ‘Neither. I am the captain of the Lord 's army. Now I am here!’

Joshua fell on the ground to worship the man and he said, ‘Sir, I am your servant. Tell me what I should do.’

15 The captain of the Lord 's army said, ‘Remove your shoes from your feet. You are standing on holy ground.’ Joshua did that.

Footnotes

  1. 5:1 These Amorite and Canaanite kings ruled people on the west side of the Jordan River. When they saw that the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River to their side, they became very afraid.
  2. 5:2 God told Abraham that he and his sons must circumcise all male children. They must do this when the children were eight days old. This showed that God had made a promise to them as his special people. See Genesis 17:9-16 . But they had not circumcised any children who were born while they travelled in the desert.
  3. 5:9 Gilgal means ‘taken away’.
  4. 5:10 The Passover Festival was an important time when the Israelites ate a special meal. It helped them to remember how God had saved them. They had been slaves in Egypt. They remembered, too, how God had dried up the Red Sea. Then they could walk out of Egypt.
  5. 5:12 Manna was food that God sent to the Israelites from the sky. It fed them all the time that they travelled through the desert. See Exodus 16:4 .

5 So the Lord dried up the Jordan River until the Israelites finished crossing it. The kings of the Amorites living west of the Jordan River and the Canaanites living by the Mediterranean Sea heard about this and became very frightened. After that they were not brave enough to stand and fight against the Israelites.

The Israelites Are Circumcised

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make knives from flint rocks and circumcise the men of Israel.”

3 So Joshua made knives from flint rocks and circumcised the men of Israel at Gibeath Haaraloth. [ a ]

4-7 This is why Joshua circumcised the men: After the Israelites left Egypt, all the men who were able to serve in the army were circumcised. While in the desert, many of the fighting men did not listen to the Lord . So the Lord promised that they would not see the “land where much food grows.” He promised our ancestors to give us that land, but because of those men, he forced the people to wander in the desert for 40 years. That way all those fighting men would die. So all the fighting men died, and their sons took their place. But none of the boys who were born in the desert on the trip from Egypt had been circumcised. So Joshua circumcised them.

8 Joshua finished circumcising all the men. The people camped at that place until all the men were healed.

First Passover in Canaan

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “You were slaves in Egypt, and this made you ashamed. But today I have taken away that shame.” So Joshua named that place Gilgal. [ b ] And that place is still named Gilgal today.

10 The Israelites celebrated Passover while they were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho. This was on the evening of the 14th day of the month. 11 The day after Passover, the people ate food that grew in that land. They ate bread made without yeast and roasted grain. 12 The next morning, the manna from heaven stopped coming. This happened the first day after the people ate the food that grew in the land of Canaan. From that time on, the Israelites did not get the manna from heaven.

The Commander of the Lord’s Army

13 When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the man and asked, “Are you a friend to our people or are you one of our enemies?”

14 The man answered, “I am not an enemy. I am the commander of the Lord ’s army. I have just now come to you.”

Then Joshua bowed his face to the ground to show respect and said, “I am your servant. Does my master have a command for me?”

15 The commander of the Lord ’s army answered, “Take off your sandals. The place where you are standing is holy.” So Joshua obeyed him.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:3 Gibeath Haaraloth This name means “Circumcision Hill.”
  2. Joshua 5:9 Gilgal This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “to roll away.”

5 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord : unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.

8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

9 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

11 And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

15 And the captain of the Lord 's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Israel Is Circumcised

5 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the ( A ) Canaanites who were by the sea, ( B ) heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until [ a ] they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make for yourself ( C ) flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at [ b ] Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: ( D ) all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel walked ( E ) forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is , the men of war who came out of Egypt, [ c ] perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord , ( F ) to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshua [ d ] circumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.

8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away ( G ) the shame of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called [ e ] Gilgal to this day.

10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal ( H ) they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the ( I ) fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 Then on the day after the Passover, on [ f ] that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain . 12 And ( J ) the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.

13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, ( K ) a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” 14 He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord .” And Joshua ( L ) fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 And the captain of the Lord ’ s army said to Joshua, “ ( M ) Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Other mss we
  2. Joshua 5:3 I.e., the hill of the foreskins
  3. Joshua 5:6 Lit were finished
  4. Joshua 5:7 Lit circumcised them
  5. Joshua 5:9 I.e., wheel, or stone circle
  6. Joshua 5:11 Lit this

5 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast ( A ) heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they [ a ] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear ( B ) and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives ( C ) and circumcise ( D ) the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. [ b ]

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age ( E ) —died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. ( F ) 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness ( G ) forty years ( H ) until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord . For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, ( I ) a land flowing with milk and honey. ( J ) 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. ( K )

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal [ c ] ( L ) to this day.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, ( M ) while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. ( N ) 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: ( O ) unleavened bread ( P ) and roasted grain. ( Q ) 12 The manna stopped the day after [ d ] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. ( R )

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man ( S ) standing in front of him with a drawn sword ( T ) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown ( U ) to the ground ( V ) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord [ e ] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord ’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” ( W ) And Joshua did so.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Another textual tradition we
  2. Joshua 5:3 Gibeath Haaraloth means the hill of foreskins.
  3. Joshua 5:9 Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll.
  4. Joshua 5:12 Or the day
  5. Joshua 5:14 Or lord
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