Top of Page
Page Style
Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out two men as spies from Shittim, saying, “Go and explore the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, men have come here tonight from the Israelites to search out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have entered your house, for they have come to search out the entire land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them, so she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And at nightfall when it was time for the gate of the city to be shut, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you may catch them.” 6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them along the road to the fords over the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof, 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the dread of you has fallen on us, for all the people of the land are melting in fear because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard this, our hearts melted, and every man’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now then, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord that since I have shown you kindness, you will in turn show kindness to my family. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 The men answered her, “Our lives for yours! If you do not tell of our business, we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was built into the city wall, so that she was living beside the wall. 16 She said to them, “Go to the hill country so the pursuers will not find you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers have returned, and then go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will be released from this oath of yours that you have made us swear, 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. 19 If anyone goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head. 20 But if you tell others of this business of ours, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
21 She said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 The two men left and went into the hill country, and remained there for three days until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers had searched for them all along the road, but did not find them. 23 The two men then returned back from the hill country, crossed over, and they came to Joshua son of Nun, and told him of all that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has delivered the whole land into our hands, and all of the people who live in the land are melting in fear because of us.”