Joshua 2
2
Spies Sent to Jericho
1Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two spies from Acacia. Joshua said to them, “Go and look at the land. Look closely at the city of Jericho.”
So the men went to Jericho. They went to the house of a prostitute and stayed there. This woman’s name was Rahab.
2Someone told the king of Jericho, “Some men from Israel have come here tonight. They are spying out the land.”
3So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house. They have come to spy out our whole land.”
4Now the woman had hidden the two men. She said, “They did come here. But I didn’t know where they came from. 5In the evening, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know where they went. Go quickly. Maybe you can catch them.” 6(But the woman had taken the men up to the roof.# In Bible times houses were built with flat roofs. The roof was used for drying things such as flax and fruit. And it was used as an extra room, as a place for worship and as a place to sleep in the summer. She had hidden them there under stalks of flax. She had spread the flax out there to dry.) 7So the king’s men went out looking for the spies from Israel. They went to the places where people cross the Jordan River. The city gate was closed just after the king’s men left the city.
8The spies were ready to sleep for the night. So Rahab went to the roof and talked to them. 9She said, “I know the Lord has given this land to your people. You frighten us very much. Everyone living in this land is terribly afraid of you. 10We are afraid because we have heard how the Lord helped you. We heard how he dried up the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt. We heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og. They were the two Amorite kings who lived east of the Jordan. 11When we heard this, we became very frightened. Now our men are afraid to fight you. This is because the Lord your God rules the heavens above and the earth below! 12So now, make me a promise before the Lord. Promise that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed you kindness. Give me some proof that you will do this. 13Promise me you will allow my family to live. Save my father, mother, brothers, sisters and all of their families from death.”
14The men agreed. They said, “We will trade our lives for your lives. Don’t tell anyone what we are doing. When the Lord gives us our land, we will be kind to you. You may trust us.”
15The house Rahab lived in was built on the city wall. So she used a rope to let the men down through a window. 16She said to them, “Go into the hills. The king’s men will not find you there. Hide there for three days. After the king’s men return, you may go on your way.”
17The men said to her, “You must do as we say. If not, we cannot be responsible for keeping our promise. 18You are using a red rope to help us escape. When we return to this land, you must tie it in the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers and all your family into your house. 19We can keep everyone safe who stays in this house. If anyone in your house is hurt, we will be responsible. If anyone goes out of your house and is killed, it is his own fault. We cannot be responsible for him. 20But you must not tell anyone about this agreement. If you do, we are free from it.”
21Rahab answered, “I agree to this.” So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the red rope in the window.
22The men left and went into the hills. There they stayed for three days. The king’s men looked for them all along the road. But after three days, the king’s men returned to the city without finding them. 23Then the two men started back to Joshua. They left the hills and crossed the river. They went to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24They said to Joshua, “The Lord surely has given us all of the land. All the people in that land are terribly afraid of us.”
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Joshua 2
2
Rahab helps the Israelite spies
1Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”#He 11.31; Jas 2.25.
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute#2.1 prostitute: Rahab was possibly an innkeeper. named Rahab.
2But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants#2.3-7 flax plants: The stalks of flax plants were harvested, soaked in water, and dried, then their fibres were separated and spun into thread, which was woven into linen cloth. that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate.#2.3-7 gate: Many towns and cities had walls with heavy gates that were closed at night for protection. I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, perhaps you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed towards the River Jordan to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9I know that the LORD has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea#2.10 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph “Sea of Reeds”, one of the marshes or fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta. This identification is based on Exodus 13.17—14.9, which lists the towns on the route of the Israelites before crossing the sea. In the Greek translation of the Scriptures made about 200 BC, the “Sea of Reeds” was named “Red Sea”. so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the River Jordan.#Ex 14.21; Nu 21.21-35. 11We know that the LORD your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12Please promise me in the LORD's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14“Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the LORD gives us this land. We pray that the LORD will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”#2.14 We pray…promise: Or “If you save our lives, we will save yours!”
15Rahab's house was built into the town wall,#2.15 wall: In ancient times, cities and larger towns had high walls around them to protect them against attack. Sometimes houses were built against the wall so that the city wall formed one wall of the house. This added strength to the city wall. and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21“I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24“We're sure the LORD has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012