Joshua 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.

1Joshua, the leader of Israel, was the son of Nun. He sent two men from a camp called Shittim. He told them, "Go and look at the land. Look at the city of Jericho." The men went and came to the house of a woman named Rahab. She sold her body to men for money. They stayed the night there.

NoteThe KJV word "harlot" means a woman who sold her body to men for money.

2And 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.

2Someone told the king of Jericho, "Listen! Some men from Israel came here tonight. They came to look closely at our land."

3And 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.

3So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab. He said, "Bring out the men who came into your house. They came to spy on our whole land."

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

4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, some men did come to me. But I did not know where they came from.

5And 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.

5"They left when it was getting dark. It was almost time to shut the city gate. I do not know which way they went. Go after them fast. Maybe you can still catch them."

NoteCity walls had big gates that were shut at night to keep people out. Once they were shut, no one could go in or out until morning.

6But 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.

6But she had really taken them up to the flat roof. She hid them under stalks of flax spread out there.

NoteFlax is a plant. People soaked and dried its stalks on the roof, then made cloth from them. A pile of stalks was easy to hide under.

7And 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.

7The king's men ran after them, down the road to the Jordan River. They went to the shallow places where people cross. As soon as they left, the city gate was shut.

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

8The two men had not yet lain down to sleep. Rahab came up to them on the roof.

9And 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.

9She said to them, "I know the LORD has given you this land. Everyone here is afraid of you. All the people in this land are shaking with fear.

10For 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.

10"We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea for you. That was when you came out of Egypt. We heard what you did to Sihon and Og. They were two kings of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. You destroyed them completely.

11And 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.

11"When we heard this, our hearts melted with fear. No man here has any courage left. Your God, the LORD, is God in heaven above and on earth below.

12Now 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:

12"So please make me a promise before the LORD. I was kind to you. Please be kind to my family too. Give me a sure sign that you mean it.

13And 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.

13"Promise to keep my father and mother alive. Keep my brothers and sisters alive too, and everyone with them. Save all of us from death."

14And 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.

14The men said to her, "Our lives for your lives! If you do not tell anyone why we came, we will keep our word. When the LORD gives us this land, we will be kind and fair to you."

15Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

15Then she let them down on a rope through her window. Her house was built into the city wall. She lived right there in the wall.

16And 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.

16She said to them, "Go up into the hills. Then the men chasing you will not find you. Hide there for three days, until they come back. After that you can go on your way."

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

17The men said to her, "We will keep the promise you made us make. But only if you do what we say.

18Behold, 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.

18"When we come into this land, tie this red cord in your window. It is the same window you used to let us down. Bring your father and mother into your house. Bring your brothers and your whole family inside too.

19And 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.

19"If anyone goes out your door into the street, that is his own fault. We will not be to blame if he dies. But if anyone stays inside with you, we are to blame if he is hurt.

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

20"And if you tell anyone why we came, we are free. Then we do not have to keep the promise you made us make."

21And 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.

21She said, "I agree. Let it be just as you said." Then she sent them away, and they left. And she tied the red cord in her window.

22And 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.

22The men went up into the hills and stayed there three days. The men chasing them searched the whole road. They did not find them, so they went back home.

23So 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:

23Then the two men came back down from the hills. They crossed the river and came to Joshua, the son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them.

24And 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.

24They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given us this whole land. All the people who live there are shaking with fear of us."