Joshua 2

1 And Josue the son of Nun sent from Setim two men, to spy secretly: and said to them: Go, and view the land and the city of Jericho. They went and entered into the house of a woman that was a harlot named Rahab, and lodged with her.

Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there.

2 And it was told the king of Jericho, and was said: Behold there are men come in hither, by night, of the children of Israel, to spy the land.

The king of Jericho was told, “Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.”

3 And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying: Bring forth the men that came to thee, and are entered into thy house: for they are spies, and are come to view all the land.

Jericho’s king sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land.”

4 And the woman taking the men, hid them, and said: I confess they came to me, but I knew not whence they were:

The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from.

5 And at the time of shutting the gate in the dark, they also went out together. I know not whither they are gone: pursue after them quickly, and you will overtake them.

About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.”

6 But she made the men go up to the top of her house, and covered them with the stalks of flax, which was there.

But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.

7 Now they that were sent, pursued after them, by the way that leadeth to the fords of the Jordan: and as soon as they were gone out, the gate was presently shut.

The men pursued them along the way to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 The men that were hidden were not yet asleep, when behold the woman went up to them, and said:

Before they had lain down, she came up to them on the roof.

9 I know that the Lord hath given this land to you: for the dread of you is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land have lost all strength.

She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

10 We have heard that the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea at your going in, when you came out of Egypt: and what things you did to the two kings of the Amorrhites, that were beyond the Jordan: Sehon and Og whom you slew.

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Sea of Suf before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

11 And hearing these things we were affrighted, and our heart fainted away, neither did there remain any spirit in us at your coming in: for the Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.

As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.

12 Now therefore swear ye to me by the Lord, that as I have shewn mercy to you, so you also will shew mercy to my father’s house: and give me a true token,

Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true sign;

13 That you will save my father and mother, my brethren and sisters, and all things that are theirs, and deliver our souls from death.

and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.”

14 They answered her: Be our lives for you unto death, only if thou betray us not. And when the Lord shall have delivered us the land, we will shew thee mercy and truth.

The men said to her, “Our life for yours, if you don’t talk about this business of ours; and it shall be, when the LORD gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”

15 Then she let them down with a cord out of a window: for her house joined close to the wall.

Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.

16 And she said to them: Get ye up to the mountains, lest perhaps they meet you as they return: and there lie ye hid three days, till they come back, and so you shall go on your way.

She said to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way.”

17 And they said to her: We shall be blameless of this oath, which thou hast made us swear:

The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear.

18 If when we come into the land, this scarlet cord be a sign, and thou tie it in the window, by which thou hast let us down: and gather together thy father and mother, and brethren and all thy kindred into thy house.

Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.

19 Whosoever shall go out of the door of thy house, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we shall be quit. But the blood of all that shall be with thee in the house, shall light upon our head, if any man touch them.

It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him.

20 But if thou wilt betray us, and utter this word abroad, we shall be quit of this oath which thou hast made us swear.

But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you’ve made us to swear.”

21 And she answered: As you have spoken, so be it done. And sending them on their way, she hung the scarlet cord in the window.

She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.

22 But they went and came to the mountains, and stayed there three days till they that pursued them were returned. For having sought them through all the way, they found them not.

They went and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but didn’t find them.

23 And when they were gone back into the city, the spies returned, and came down from the mountain: and passing over the Jordan, they came to Josue the son of Nun, and told him all that befel them.

Then the two men returned, descended from the mountain, crossed the river, and came to Joshua the son of Nun. They told him all that had happened to them.

24 And said: The Lord hath delivered all this land into our hands, and all the inhabitants thereof are overthrown with fear.

They said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands. Moreover, all the inhabitants of the land melt away before us.”