Joshua 5
New Life Version
5 All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings by the sea heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed. And their hearts became weak. There was no spirit in them any more because of the people of Israel.
2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Make knives for yourselves out of hard stone. And cut the piece of skin from the sex part of the sons of Israel as before.” 3 So Joshua made knives of hard stone. Then he had the sons of Israel go through this religious act at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 This is the reason why Joshua had them go through this religious act. All the males who had come out of Egypt, all the soldiers, had died in the desert on the way from Egypt. 5 All the people who came out went through this religious act. But all the people who were born in the desert on the way from Egypt had not gone through this religious act. 6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the desert, until all the men of war who came out of Egypt died, because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord. The Lord had promised them that He would not let them see the land He had promised to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So Joshua went through the religious act on their children, whom the Lord raised up in their place. For they had not gone through this religious act along the way. 8 When the whole nation had gone through this religious act, they stayed in their places among the tents until they were healed. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the shame of Egypt.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10 The people of Israel stayed at Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 On the very next day after the Passover, they ate some of the food of the land. They ate bread without yeast, and dry grain. 12 The bread from heaven stopped on the day after they had eaten some of the food of the land. So the people of Israel no longer had bread from heaven. But they ate food of the land of Canaan during that year.
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing near him with his sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said, “Are you for us or for those who hate us?” 14 “No,” He said, “I have now come as Captain of the army of the Lord.” Joshua fell on his face to the ground and worshiped, and said to Him, “What has my Lord to say to His servant?” 15 The Captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your shoes off your feet. For the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 5
Rites at Gilgal. 1 When all the kings of the Amorites to the west of the Jordan and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they crossed over, their hearts melted and they were utterly dispirited because of the Israelites.
2 (A)On this occasion the Lord said to Joshua: Make flint knives and circumcise Israel for the second time. 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath-haaraloth.[a] 4 This was the reason for the circumcision: Of all the people who had come out of Egypt, every male of military age had died in the wilderness(B) during the journey after they came out of Egypt. 5 Though all the men who came out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness during the journey after the departure from Egypt were circumcised. 6 Now the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness, until all the warriors among the people that came forth from Egypt died off because they had not listened to the voice of the Lord. For the Lord swore(C) that he would not let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 (D)It was the children God raised up in their stead whom Joshua circumcised, for these were yet with foreskins, not having been circumcised on the journey. 8 When the circumcision of the entire nation was complete, they remained in camp where they were, until they recovered. 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.(E) Therefore the place is called Gilgal[b] to the present day.
10 (F)While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.[c] 11 On the day after the Passover they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day 12 after they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.(G)
Siege at Jericho. 13 [d]While Joshua was near Jericho, he raised his eyes and saw one who stood facing him, drawn sword in hand.(H) Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of us or one of our enemies?” 14 He replied, “Neither. I am the commander[e] of the army of the Lord: now I have come.” Then Joshua fell down to the ground in worship, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” 15 The commander of the army of the Lord replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy.”(I) And Joshua did so.
Footnotes
- 5:3 Gibeath-haaraloth: “Hill of the Foreskins.”
- 5:9 The place is called Gilgal: by popular etymology, because of the similarity of sound with the Hebrew word gallothi, “I have removed.” Gilgal probably means “circle,” i.e., the place of the circle of standing stones. Cf. 4:4–8.
- 5:10 The month: the first month of the year, later called Nisan; see note on 3:15. The crossing of the Jordan occurred, therefore, about the same time of the year as did the crossing of the Red Sea; cf. Ex 12–14.
- 5:13–6:26 The account of the siege of Jericho embraces: (1) the command of the Lord to Joshua (5:13–6:5); (2) Joshua’s instructions to the Israelites, with a brief summary of how these orders were carried out (6:6–11); (3) a description of the action on each of the first six days (6:12–14); (4) the events on the seventh day (6:15–26).
- 5:14 Commander: the leader of the heavenly army of the Lord of hosts is either the Lord or an angelic warrior; if the latter, he is a messenger who speaks in the person of the one who sent him. I have come: the solemn language of theophany; cf., e.g., Ps 50:3; 96:13.
Copyright © 2004 by World Bible Translation Center
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
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