1
Now it came about when all the kings of the Amoriteswho were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaaniteswho were by the sea, heardhow* the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordanbefore* the sons of Israeluntil they had crossed, that their heartsmelted, and there was nospirit in them anylongerbecause* of the sons of Israel.
4
This is the reasonwhyJoshuacircumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt.
5
For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.
6
For the sons of Israelwalkedfortyyears in the wilderness, untilall the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perishedbecause they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the landwhich the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a landflowing with milk and honey.
7
Their children whom He raised up in their place, Joshuacircumcised; for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them along the way.
10
While the sons of Israelcamped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth*day of the month on the desertplains of Jericho.
12
The mannaceased on the dayafter they had eatensome of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israelnolongerhadmanna, but they atesome of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.
13
Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standingopposite him with his sworddrawn in his hand, and Joshuawent to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"
14
He said, "No; rather I indeedcomenow as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshuafell on his face to the earth, and boweddown, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?"