Joshua 1 - 3
Yahweh’s Commands to Joshua
1Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of 1Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ 2attendant, saying, 2“Moses aMy servant is dead; so now arise, bcross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3“aEvery place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4“aFrom the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5“aNo man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; bI will not fail you or forsake you. 6“aBe strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7“Only be strong and very courageous to 1,abe careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you may 2be prosperous wherever you go. 8“aThis book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may 1be careful to do according to all that is written in it; bfor then you will make your way successful, and then you will 2be prosperous. 9“Have I not commanded you? aBe strong and courageous! bDo not be in dread or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua’s Command to the Officers
10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11“Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within athree days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, to possess it.’”
12aTo the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua 1said, 13“Remember the word which Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, saying, ‘aYahweh your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ 14“Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them 15until Yahweh gives your brothers rest as He gives you, and they also possess the land which Yahweh your God is giving them. aThen you shall return to the land of your possession and possess it, which Moses bthe servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise.”
16And they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17“Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so we will listen to you; only amay Yahweh your God be with you as He was with Moses. 18“Anyone who rebels against your 1command and does not listen to your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”
Rahab Hides the Spies
2Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from aShittim, saying, “Go, see the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of ba harlot whose name was Rahab and 1lodged there. 2And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3And 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 search out all the land.” 4But the awoman 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“Now it happened 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 may overtake them.” 6But ashe had brought them up to the roof and concealed them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8Now before they lay down, 1she came up to them on the roof 9and said to the men, “aI know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the bterror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have 1melted away before you. 10“aFor we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the 1Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt and bwhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you 2devoted to destruction. 11“Indeed we heard it, aand our hearts melted, and a courageous spirit no longer rose up in any man because of you; for bYahweh your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12“So now, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have shown lovingkindness to you, that you also will show lovingkindness to my father’s household and give me a apledge of 1truth, 13and preserve my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters alive, with all who belong to them, and deliver our 1lives from death.” 14So the men said to her, “Our 1life 2for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it will be when Yahweh gives us the land that we will ashow lovingkindness and truth to you.”
The Oath to Rahab
15Then 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. 16And she said to them, “aGo to the hill country, lest the pursuers reach you. And hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” 17And the men said to her, “aWe shall be free from this oath 1to you which you have made us swear, 181unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and agather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. 19“And it will be that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free; but anyone who is with you in the house, ahis blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20“But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” 21And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they went; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22And they went and came to the hill country and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had sought them 1all along the road but had not found them. 23Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they recounted to him all that had happened to them. 24And they said to Joshua, “Surely Yahweh has given all the land into our hands; moreover, aall the inhabitants of the land have 1melted away before us.”
Israel Crosses the Jordan
3Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from aShittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2aNow it happened that at the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the aark of the covenant of Yahweh your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4“However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 12,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5Then Joshua said to the people, “aSet yourselves apart as holy, for tomorrow Yahweh will do wondrous deeds among you.” 6And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Carry the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to amagnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8“Moreover, you shall command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come near, and hear the words of Yahweh your God.” 10And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that athe living God is among you, and that He will assuredly bdispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11“Behold, the ark of the covenant of athe Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12“So now, atake for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13“And it will be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are 1flowing down from above 2will astand in one heap.”
14So it happened that when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying athe ark of the covenant before the people, 15and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the aJordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16athe waters which were 1flowing down from above stood and rose up in bone heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were 2flowing down toward the sea of the cArabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firm aon dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground until all the nation had completed crossing the Jordan.