Joshua 2
Contemporary English Version
Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies
2 (A) Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute[a] named Rahab.
2 But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7 So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants[b] that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate.[c] I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 (B) We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea[d] so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12 Please promise me in the Lord's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14 “Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”[e]
15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall,[f] and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20 The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21 “I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22 The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23 the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24 “We're sure the Lord has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
Footnotes
- 2.1 prostitute: Rahab was possibly an innkeeper.
- 2.3-7 flax plants: The stalks of flax plants were harvested, soaked in water, and dried, then their fibers were separated and spun into thread, which was woven into linen cloth.
- 2.3-7 gate: Many towns and cities had walls with heavy gates that were closed at night for protection.
- 2.10 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, “Sea of Reeds,” one of the marshes or fresh water lakes near the eastern part of the Nile Delta. This identification is based on Exodus 13.17—14.9, which lists the towns on the route of the Israelites before crossing the sea. In the Greek translation of the Scriptures made about 200 b.c., the “Sea of Reeds” was named “Red Sea.”
- 2.14 We pray … promise: Or “If you save our lives, we will save yours!”
- 2.15 wall: In ancient times, cities and larger towns had high walls around them to protect them against attack. Sometimes houses were built against the wall so that the city wall formed one wall of the house. This added strength to the city wall.
Joshua 2
New English Translation
Joshua Sends Spies into the Land
2 Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them:[a] “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.”[b] They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there.[c] 2 The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well![d] Israelite men have come here tonight[e] to spy on the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab:[f] “Turn over[g] the men who came to you[h]—the ones who came to your house[i]—for they have come to spy on the whole land!” 4 But the woman hid the two men[j] and replied, “Yes, these men were clients of mine,[k] but I didn’t know where they came from. 5 When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left.[l] I don’t know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!” 6 (Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out[m] on the roof.) 7 Meanwhile,[n] the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River[o] near the fords.[p] The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them.[q]
8 Now before the spies[r] went to sleep, Rahab[s] went up[t] to the roof. 9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you.[u] We are absolutely terrified of you,[v] and all who live in the land are cringing before[w] you.[x] 10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan.[y] 11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you.[z] For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name.[aa] Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family.[ab] Give me a solemn pledge[ac] 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and will rescue us[ad] from death.” 14 The men said to her, “If you[ae] die, may we die too![af] If you do not report what we’ve been up to,[ag] then we will show unswerving allegiance[ah] to you[ai] when the Lord hands the land over to us.”
15 Then Rahab[aj] let them down by a rope[ak] through the window. (Her[al] house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.)[am] 16 She told them, “Head[an] to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t find you.[ao] Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you[ap] to return. Then you can be on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met:[aq] 18 When we invade the land,[ar] tie this red rope[as] in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house.[at] 19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death—we are innocent in that case![au] But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible.[av] 20 If you should report what we’ve been up to,[aw] we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.” 21 She said, “I agree to these conditions.”[ax] She sent them on their way[ay] and then tied the red rope in the window. 22 They went[az] to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them[ba] to return. Their pursuers[bb] looked all along the way but did not find them.[bc] 23 Then the two men returned—they came down from the hills, crossed the river,[bd] came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. 24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us![be] All who live in the land are cringing before us!”[bf]
Footnotes
- Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “Joshua, son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spies, secretly, saying.”
- Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “go, see the land, and Jericho.”
- Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “they went and entered the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they slept there.”
- Joshua 2:2 tn Or “look.”
- Joshua 2:2 tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”
- Joshua 2:3 tn Heb “and the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying.”
- Joshua 2:3 tn Heb “bring out.”
- Joshua 2:3 tn The idiom “come to” (בוֹא אֶל, boʾ ʾel) probably has sexual connotations here, as it often does elsewhere when a man “comes to” a woman. If so, the phrase could be translated “your clients.” The instructions reflect Rahab’s perspective as to the identity of the men.
- Joshua 2:3 tn The words “the ones who came to your house” (Heb “who came to your house”) may be a euphemistic scribal addition designed to blur the sexual connotation of the preceding words.
- Joshua 2:4 tn Heb “The woman took the two men and hid him.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “hid” has to be a scribal error (see GKC §135.p).
- Joshua 2:4 tn Heb “the men came to me.” See the note on this phrase in v. 3.
- Joshua 2:5 tn Heb “And the gate was to be shut in the darkness and the men went out.”
- Joshua 2:6 tn Heb “arranged in rows by her.”
- Joshua 2:7 tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.
- Joshua 2:7 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.
- Joshua 2:7 tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.
- Joshua 2:7 tn Heb “And they shut the gate after—as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.
- Joshua 2:8 tn Heb “they.”
- Joshua 2:8 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Joshua 2:8 tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
- Joshua 2:9 tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.
- Joshua 2:9 tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”
- Joshua 2:9 tn Or “melting away because of.”
- Joshua 2:9 tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”
- Joshua 2:10 tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”
- Joshua 2:11 tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”
- Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”sn To swear an oath in the Lord’s name would make the Lord the witness and guarantor of the promise attached to the oath. If the person making the oath should go back on the promise, the Lord would judge him for breaking the contract.
- Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “with the house of my father.”
- Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”
- Joshua 2:13 tn Or “our lives.”
- Joshua 2:14 tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.
- Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.
- Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”
- Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.
- Joshua 2:14 tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.
- Joshua 2:15 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Joshua 2:15 tc The phrase “by a rope” is omitted in the LXX. It may be a later clarifying addition. If original, the omission in the LXX is likely due to an error of homoioarcton. A scribe’s or translator’s eye could have jumped from the initial ב (bet) in the phrase בַּחֶבֶל (bakhevel, “with a rope”) to the initial ב on the immediately following בְּעַד (beʿad, “through”) and accidentally omitted the intervening letters.
- Joshua 2:15 tn Heb “For her house.”
- Joshua 2:15 tc These explanatory statements are omitted in the LXX and probably represent a later scribal addition.
- Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “Go.”
- Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “so that the pursuers might not meet you.”
- Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“you”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
- Joshua 2:17 tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.
- Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”
- Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”
- Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”
- Joshua 2:19 tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”
- Joshua 2:19 tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”
- Joshua 2:20 tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”
- Joshua 2:21 tn Heb “According to your words, so it [will be].”
- Joshua 2:21 tn Heb “she sent them away and they went.”
- Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “they went and came.”
- Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“them”) is added for clarification.
- Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “the ones chasing them.” This has been rendered as “their pursuers” in the translation to avoid redundancy with the preceding clause.
- Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “The pursuers looked in all the way and did not find [them].”
- Joshua 2:23 tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, are added for clarification.
- Joshua 2:24 tn Heb “Surely the Lord has given into our hand all the land.” The report by the spies uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.
- Joshua 2:24 tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”
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