The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Now when the news came to all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites living by the sea, how the Lord had made the waters of Jordan dry before the children of Israel, till they had gone across, their hearts became like water, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.
1
All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the Mediterranean Sea heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan until the people of Israel had crossed it. They became afraid and lost their courage because of the Israelites.
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make yourself stone knives and give the children of Israel circumcision a second time.
2
Then the Lord told Joshua, "Make some knives out of flint and circumcise the Israelites."
3 So Joshua made stone knives and gave the children of Israel circumcision at Gibeath-ha-araloth.
3
So Joshua did as the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the Israelites at a place called Circumcision Hill.
4 And this is the reason why Joshua did so: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the fighting-men, had been overtaken by death in the waste land on the way, after they came out of Egypt.
4
When the people of Israel left Egypt, all the males were already circumcised. However, during the forty years the people spent crossing the desert, none of the baby boys had been circumcised. Also, by the end of that time all the men who were of fighting age when they left Egypt had died because they had disobeyed the Lord. Just as he had sworn, they were not allowed to see the rich and fertile land that he had promised their ancestors.
5 All the people who came out had undergone circumcision; but all the people whose birth had taken place in the waste land on their journey from Egypt had not.
6 For the children of Israel were wandering in the waste land for forty years, till all the nation, that is, all the fighting-men, who had come out of Egypt, were dead, because they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord: to whom the Lord said, with an oath, that he would not let them see the land which the Lord had given his word to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
7 And their children, who came up in their place, now underwent circumcision by the hands of Joshua, not having had it before: for there had been no circumcision on the journey.
7
The sons of these men had never been circumcised, and it was this new generation that Joshua circumcised.
8 So when all the nation had undergone circumcision, they kept in their tents till they were well again.
8
After the circumcision was completed, the whole nation stayed in the camp until the wounds had healed.
9 And the Lord said to Joshua, Today the shame of Egypt has been rolled away from you. So that place was named Gilgal, to this day.
9
The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have removed from you the disgrace of being slaves in Egypt." That is why the place was named Gilgal, the name it still has.
10 So the children of Israel put up their tents in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the lowlands of Jericho.
10
While the Israelites were camping at Gilgal on the plain near Jericho, they observed Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.
11 And on the day after the Passover, they had for their food the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and dry grain on the same day.
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The next day was the first time they ate food grown in Canaan: roasted grain and bread made without yeast.
12 And there was no more manna from the day after they had for their food the produce of the land; the children of Israel had manna no longer, but that year the produce of the land of Canaan was their food.
12
The manna stopped falling then, and the Israelites no longer had any. From that time on they ate food grown in Canaan.
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, lifting up his eyes he saw a man in front of him, with his sword uncovered in his hand: and Joshua went up to him and said, Are you for us or against us?
13
While Joshua was near Jericho, he suddenly saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy?"
14 And he said, No; but I have come as captain of the armies of the Lord. Then Joshua, falling down with his face to the earth in worship, said, What has my lord to say to his servant?
14
"Neither," the man answered. "I am here as the commander of the Lord's army." Joshua threw himself on the ground in worship and said, "I am your servant, sir. What do you want me to do?"
15 And the captain of the Lord's army said to Joshua, Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is holy. And Joshua did so.
15
And the commander of the Lord's army told him, "Take your sandals off; you are standing on holy ground." And Joshua did as he was told.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.