< Joshua 5 >

1 Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the coming in of the children of Israel.
And it came to pass when the kings of the Amorites who were beyond Jordan heard, and the kings of Phoenicia by the sea, that the Lord God had dried up the river Jordan from before the children of Israel when they passed over, that their hearts failed, and they were terror-stricken, and there was no sense in them because of the children of Israel.
2 At that time the Lord said to Josue: Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise the second time the children of Israel.
And about this time the Lord said to Joshua, Make you stone knives of sharp stone, and sit down and circumcise the children of Israel the second time.
3 He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the children of Israel in the hill of the foreskins.
And Joshua made sharp knives of stone, and circumcised the children of Israel at the place called the “Hill of Foreskins.”
4 Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way.
And [this is] the way in which Joshua purified the children of Israel; as many as were born in the way, and as many as were uncircumcised of them that came out of Egypt,
5 Now these were all circumcised. But the people that were born in the desert,
all these Joshua circumcised; for forty and two years Israel wondered in the wilderness of Mabdaris—
6 Luring the forty years of the journey in the wide wilderness, were uncircumcised: till all they were consumed that had not heard the voice of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not shew them the land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore most of the fighting men that came out of the land of Egypt, were uncircumcised, who disobeyed the commands of God; concerning whom also he determined that they should not see the land, which the Lord sware to give to their fathers, [even] a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 The children of these succeeded in the place of their fathers, and were circumcised by Josue: for they were uncircumcised even as they were born, and no one had circumcised them in the way.
And in their place he raised up their sons, whom Joshua circumcised, because they were uncircumcised, having been born by the way.
8 Now after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same place of the camp, until they were healed.
And when they had been circumcised they rested continuing there in the camp till they were healed.
9 And the Lord said to Josue: This day have I taken away from you the reproach of Egypt. And the name of that place was called Galgal, until this present day.
And the Lord said to Joshua the son of Naue, On this day have I removed the reproach of Egypt from you: and he called the name of that place Galgala.
10 And the children of Israel abode in Galgal, and they kept the phase on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plains of Jericho:
And the children of Israel kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, to the westward of Jericho on the opposite side of the Jordan in the plain.
11 And they ate on the next day unleavened bread of the corn of the land, and frumenty of the same year.
And they ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new [corn].
12 And the manna ceased after they ate of the corn of the land, neither did the children of Israel use that food any more, but they ate of the corn of the present year of the land of Chanaan.
In this day the manna failed, after they had eaten of the corn of the land, and the children of Israel no longer had manna: and they took the fruits of the land of the Phoenicians in that year.
13 And when Josue was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and saw a man standing over against him: holding a drawn sword, and he went to him, and said: Art thou one of ours, or of our adversaries?
And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he looked up with his eyes and saw a man standing before him, and [there was] a drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua drew near and said to him, Are you for us or on the side of our enemies?
14 And he answered: No: but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and now I am come. Josue fell on his face to the ground. And worshipping, add: What saith my lord to his servant?
And he said to him, I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord. And Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and said to him, Lord, what command you your servant?
15 Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Josue did as was commanded him.
And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, Loose your shoe off your feet, for the place whereon you now stand is holy.

< Joshua 5 >