The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
New Living Translation NLT
1 Y'hoshua the son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Sheetim with these instructions: "Go, inspect the land and Yericho." They left and came to the house of a prostitute named Rachav, where they spent the night.
1
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
2 The king of Yericho was told about it - "Tonight some men from Isra'el came here to reconnoiter the land."
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But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”
3 The king of Yericho sent a message to Rachav, "Bring out the men who came to you and are staying in your house, because they have come to reconnoiter all the land."
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So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”
4 However, the woman, after taking the two men and hiding them, replied, "Yes, the men did come to me; but I didn't know where they had come from.
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Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.
5 The men left around the time when they shut the gate, when it was dark. Where they went I don't know; but if you chase after them quickly, you will overtake them."
5
They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”
6 Actually she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax she had spread out there.
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(Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.)
7 The men pursued them all the way to the fords at the Yarden; as soon as the pursuit party had left, the gate was shut.
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So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.
8 The two men had not yet lain down when she returned to the roof
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Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them.
9 and said to them, "I know that ADONAI has given you the land. Fear of you has fallen on us; everyone in the land is terrified at the thought of you.
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“I know the LORD has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror.
10 We've heard how ADONAI dried up the water in the Sea of Suf ahead of you, when you left Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Emori on the other side of the Yarden, Sichon and 'Og, that you completely destroyed them.
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For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.
11 As soon as we heard it, our hearts failed us. Because of you, everyone is in a state of depression. For ADONAI your God - he is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
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No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
12 So, please, swear to me by ADONAI that, since I have been kind to you, you will also be kind to my father's family. Give me some evidence of your good faith,
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“Now swear to me by the LORD that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that
13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers and sisters and all who are theirs, so that we won't be killed."
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when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
14 The men replied to her, "Our lives are certainly worth yours, provided you don't betray our mission. So when ADONAI gives us the land, we will treat you kindly and in good faith."
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“We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the LORD gives us the land.”
15 Then she lowered them by a rope through the window; since her house abutted the city wall, indeed was actually built into it.
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Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.
16 She told them, "Head for the hills, so that the pursuit party won't get their hands on you; and hide yourselves there for three days, until the pursuers have returned. After that, you can go on your way."
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“Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, "We will not be guilty of violating the oath you made us swear, provided that
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Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions.
18 when we enter the land, you tie this piece of scarlet cord in the window you let us down from; and you gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and your father's entire household.
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When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.
19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house into the street, he will be responsible for his own blood, and we will be guiltless. But everyone who stays with you in the house - we will be responsible for his blood if anyone lays a hand on him.
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If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death.
20 However, if you say a word about this business of ours, then we will be free of your oath that you made us swear."
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If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”
21 "According to your words, so be it," she said, and sent them away. As they departed, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
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“I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22 They left, arrived in the hills, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers had searched for them all the way but hadn't found them.
22
The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.
23 Then the two men returned. Descending from the hills they crossed over and came to Y'hoshua the son of Nun, and reported everything that had happened to them.
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Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them.
24 "Truly ADONAI has handed over all the land to us," they told Y'hoshua. "Everyone in the land is terrified that we're coming."
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“The LORD has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.