Circumcision of the Israelites

5 When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea^(A) heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over,^(B) they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.”^{(C) 3} So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibeath-haaraloth.^{[a] 4} This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. ⁵ Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. ⁶ For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the Lord.^(D) So the Lord vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(E) 7} He raised up their sons in their place; it was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. ⁸ After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered.^{(F) 9} The Lord then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal^[b] today.^(G)

Food from the Land

¹⁰ While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.^{(H) 11} The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land.^{(I) 12} And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased.^(J) Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Commander of the Lord’s Army

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

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.”^(L)

Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in homage^(M) and asked him, “What does my lord want to say to his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^(N) And Joshua did that.

The Conquest of Jericho

6 Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites—no one leaving or entering. ² The Lord said to Joshua, “Look, I have handed Jericho, its king, and its best soldiers over to you.^{(O) 3} March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. ⁴ Have seven priests carry seven ram’s-horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the rams’ horns.^{(P) 5} When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”

⁶ So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” ⁷ He said to the troops, “Move forward, march around the city, and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

⁸ After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the Lord moved forward and blew the rams’ horns; the ark of the Lord’s covenant followed them. ⁹ While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the rams’ horns, and the rear guard went behind the ark.^{(Q) 10} But Joshua had commanded the troops, “Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don’t let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say, ‘Shout!’ Then you are to shout.” ¹¹ So the ark of the Lord was carried around the city, circling it once. They returned to the camp and spent the night there.^[c]

¹² Joshua got up early the next morning. The priests took the ark of the Lord, ¹³ and the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord. While the rams’ horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the Lord. ¹⁴ On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

¹⁵ Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times. ¹⁶ After the seventh time, the priests blew the rams’ horns, and Joshua said to the troops, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. ¹⁷ But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.^(R) Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,^(S) because she hid the messengers we sent. ¹⁸ But keep yourselves from the things set apart, or you will be set apart for destruction. If you^[d] take any of those things, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and make trouble for it. ¹⁹ For all the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, are dedicated to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.”^(T)

²⁰ So the troops shouted, and the rams’ horns sounded. When they heard the blast of the ram’s horn, the troops gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.^(U) The troops advanced into the city, each man straight ahead, and they captured the city. ²¹ They completely destroyed^(V) everything in the city with the sword—every man and woman, both young and old, and every ox, sheep, and donkey.

Rahab and Her Family Spared

²² Joshua said to the two men who had scouted the land, “Go to the prostitute’s house and bring the woman out of there, and all who are with her, just as you swore to her.”^{(W) 23} So the young men who had scouted went in and brought out Rahab and her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

²⁴ They burned the city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. ²⁵ However, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel^(X) today.^(Y)

²⁶ At that time Joshua imposed this curse:

²⁷ And the Lord was with Joshua,^(AB) and his fame spread throughout the land.

Rejection at Nazareth

¹⁶ He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.^(A) As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day^(B) and stood up to read.^{(C) 17} The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

²⁰ He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.^(E) And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”^(F)

²² They were all speaking well of him^[d] and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” ^(G)

²³ Then he said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb^[e] to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. What we’ve heard that took place in Capernaum,^(H) do here in your hometown also.’”

²⁴ He also said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.^{(I) 25} But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,^(J) when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.^{(K) 27} And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy,^[f] and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”^(L)

²⁸ When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of town,^(M) and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.^(N)

Driving Out an Unclean Spirit

³¹ Then he went down to Capernaum,^(O) a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. ³² They were astonished at his teaching because his message had authority.^{(P) 33} In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice,^{(Q) 34} “Leave us alone! What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” ^(R)

³⁵ But Jesus rebuked him^(S) and said, “Be silent and come out of him!”^(T) And throwing him down before them, the demon came out of him without hurting him at all.

³⁶ Amazement came over them all, and they were saying to one another, “What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” ³⁷ And news about him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.

Healings at Capernaum

³⁸ After he left the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.^(U) Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her.^{(V) 39} So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately^(W) and began to serve them.

⁴⁰ When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to him. As he laid his hands on each one of them, he healed them.^{(X) 41} Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” ^(Y) But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.^(Z)

⁴² When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place.^(AA) But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³ But he said to them, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” ⁴⁴ And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.^[g](AB)