Joshua Installed as Leader

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,^(A) the Lord said to Joshua^(B) son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River^(C) into the land^(D) I am about to give to them^(E)—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot,^(F) as I promised Moses.^{(G) 4} Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon,^(H) and from the great river, the Euphrates^(I)—all the Hittite^(J) country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.^{(K) 5} No one will be able to stand against you^(L) all the days of your life. As I was with^(M) Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake^(N) you. ⁶ Be strong^(O) and courageous,^(P) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors^(Q) to give them.

⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey^(R) all the law^(S) my servant Moses^(T) gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,^(U) that you may be successful wherever you go.^{(V) 8} Keep this Book of the Law^(W) always on your lips;^(X) meditate^(Y) on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.^{(Z) 9} Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;^(AA) do not be discouraged,^(AB) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”^(AC)

Rahab and the Spies

2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies^(A) from Shittim.^(B) “Go, look over^(C) the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.^(D)” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab^(E) and stayed there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab:^(F) “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men^(G) and hidden them.^(H) She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,^(I) they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”^{(J) 6} (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax^(K) she had laid out on the roof.)^{(L) 7} So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan,^(M) and as soon as the pursuers^(N) had gone out, the gate was shut.

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope^(A) through the window,^(B) for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills^(C) so the pursuers^(D) will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days^(E) until they return, and then go on your way.”^(F)

¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath^(G) you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord^(H) in the window^(I) through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family^(J) into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads;^(K) we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head^(L) if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.^(M)”

²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord^(N) in the window.^(O)

⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you^(A) in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.^{(B) 8} Tell the priests^(C) who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant^(A) went ahead^(B) of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan^(C) is at flood stage^(D) all during harvest.^(E) Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing.^(F) It piled up in a heap^(G) a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,^(H) while the water flowing down^(I) to the Sea of the Arabah^(J) (that is, the Dead Sea^(K)) was completely cut off.^(L) So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.^{(M) 17} The priests^(N) who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,^(O) while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.^(P)

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month,^(A) while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.^{(B) 11} The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land:^(C) unleavened bread^(D) and roasted grain.^{(E) 12} The manna stopped the day after^[a] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.^(F)

The Fall of Jericho

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man^(G) standing in front of him with a drawn sword^(H) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown^(I) to the ground^(J) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord^[b] have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^(K) And Joshua did so.