^19 (A)And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.

¹⁹ The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. ⁵ And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” ⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan ^(A)as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

⁸ Before the men^[a] lay down, she came up to them on the roof ⁹ and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, ^(B)and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ^(C)melt away before you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord ^(D)dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and ^(E)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to ^(F)Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.^{[b] 11} And ^(G)as soon as we heard it, ^(H)our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for ^(I)the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and ^(J)give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” ¹⁴ And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land ^(K)we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”

¹⁵ Then she ^(L)let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. ¹⁶ And she said^[c] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” ¹⁷ The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. ^18 (M)Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, ^(N)and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. ¹⁹ Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, ^(O)his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. ²⁰ But if you ^(P)tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” ²¹ And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. ²³ Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and ^(Q)passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, “Truly ^(R)the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land ^(S)melt away because of us.”