JOSHUA

THE STORY OF JOSHUA

Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel."

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, 'Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan.'"

And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, "Go view the land, and Jericho." And they went, and came into the house of an harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, there came men in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the land." And 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 land."

And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, "Yea, the men came unto me, but I wist not whence they were; and it came to pass about the time of the 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." But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

And 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. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; and she said unto the men,

I know that Yahweh hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Yahweh, since I have dealt kindly with you, that he also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death."

And the men said unto her, " Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Yahweh giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee."

Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, "Get you to the mountáin, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way."

And the men said unto her, "We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. Behold, 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 gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household. And 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. But if thou utter this our business, then we will be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear."

And she said, "According to your words, so be it." And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

And 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.

Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them. And they said unto Joshua, "Truly Yahweh hath delivered into our hands all

the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.'

And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over.

And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, "When ye see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it."

And Joshua said unto the people, "Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you." And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, “ Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

And Yahweh said, "And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying,' When ye are come to the bank of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.'"

And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, "Come hither, and hear the words of Yahweh your God." And Joshua said, "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you. Behold, the ark of the covenant of Yahweh of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. Now, therefore, take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap."

And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people; and when they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest), that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan: and

those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jordan. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan.

Yahweh spake unto Joshua, saying, "Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them, saying, “Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where shall lodge this night."

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Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: and Joshua said unto them," Pass over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What mean ye by these stones?' then ye shall say unto them, 'Because the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.'

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as Yahweh spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And the people hasted and passed over.

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of Yahweh passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people. And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Yahweh were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry ground, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.