Joshua 5

1 And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we had passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings of the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the River Jordan so that the Israelites could cross over, their courage melted and they no longer had any fighting spirit to face the Israelites.

2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the new generation of Israelites.”

3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Joshua had flint knives made and all male Israelites were circumcised at the place that became known as “the hill of foreskins.”

4 And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

This is the reason why Joshua had them all circumcised: all those who left Egypt—the men of fighting age—had died on the journey through the wilderness after the Exodus.

5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth from Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

They had all been circumcised when they left Egypt, but those born on the journey since then had not.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: to whom the LORD swore that he would not show them the land, which the LORD swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

For forty years the Israelites traveled through the wilderness until all the men of fighting age when they left Egypt had died, because they had not done what the Lord had told them to do. So the Lord had vowed that he would not let them see the land he had promised their forefathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

7 And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.

The Lord replaced them with their children, and these were the ones that Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised since they hadn't been circumcised on the way.

8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were healed.

Once they had all been circumcised, they stayed in the camp until they recovered.

9 And the LORD said to Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have removed from all of you the disgrace of Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.

10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

The Israelites camped at Gilgal and celebrated Passover there on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.

11 And they ate of the old grain of the land on the next day after the passover, unleavened cakes, and roasted grain in the same day.

From the very next day they began to eat produce from the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.

12 And the manna ceased on the next day after they had eaten of the old grain of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

On the same day when they began eating produce from the land there was no more manna. No longer did the Israelites have manna; after that they ate the produce of the land of Canaan.

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

One day when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or against us?” “Neither,” said the man. “I am the commander of the Lord's army. Now I'm here!”

14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said to him, What saith my lord to his servant?

Joshua fell down with his face to the ground in awe. Then he said, “What orders does my lord have for his servant?”

15 And the captain of the LORD’S host said to Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place on which thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

The commander of the Lord's army told Joshua, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you're standing is holy ground.” Joshua did so.