Joshua 2
Lexham English Bible
Spies View the Land
2 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men from Acacia Grove[a] as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night[b] there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some men from the Israelites[c] have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 And the king of Jericho sent for Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, the ones who have entered your house, for they have come to search out the whole land.” 4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. And she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when it was time to shut the gate for the night,[d] the men left, and I do not know where they went. Chase after them quickly, for you may catch up to them.” 6 (But she had taken them to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax[e] that she had spread out[f] on the roof.) 7 So the men chased after them on the way to the Jordan[g] at the fords; and they shut the gate behind the pursuers that had gone out after them.
8 Before they went to sleep,[h] she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away in fear because of your presence. 10 For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the waters of the Red Sea[i] before you when you went out from Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 We heard this, and our hearts[j] melted, and no courage was left in anyone[k] because of your presence. For Yahweh your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. 12 So then please swear to me by Yahweh, because I have shown loyalty to you,[l] and you will also show loyalty[m] to my family.[n] You must give me a sign of good faith,[o] 13 and you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all that belongs to them; you will deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our lives for yours.[p] If you do not report this business of ours, we will show you loyalty and faithfulness[q] when Yahweh gives us the land.”
15 Then she lowered them with a rope through the window, as her house was on the outer side of the wall, and she was residing in the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go to the mountain, so that the pursuers will not find you, and hide yourselves there three days until the pursuers return, and afterward you may go on your way.”[r] 17 The men said to her, “We will be released from this oath of yours that you made us swear. 18 When we come to the land, you must tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you must gather your father and mother, and your brothers, and your whole family to your house. 19 If anyone goes outside the doors of your house, they will be responsible for their own death,[s] and we will be innocent. Anyone who will be with you in the house, we will be responsible for their death[t] if a hand is laid on them.[u] 20 But if you report this business of ours, we will be released from your oath that you made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your word it will be.” Then she sent them away, and they went, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and came to the mountain, and they stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers searched all along the way[v] but did not find them. 23 The two men returned and went down from the mountain, and they crossed over and came to Joshua son of Nun, and they told him everything that happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, “Surely Yahweh has given all the land into our hand; also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away in fear because of our presence.”
Footnotes
- Joshua 2:1 Hebrew “Shittim”
- Joshua 2:1 Literally “lay down”
- Joshua 2:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Joshua 2:5 Literally “in the darkness” or “at dark”
- Joshua 2:6 Literally “in the flaxes of the plant stalk”
- Joshua 2:6 Literally “had been arranged”
- Joshua 2:7 Literally “the road of the Jordan”
- Joshua 2:8 Literally “they lay down”
- Joshua 2:10 Literally “sea of reeds”
- Joshua 2:11 Hebrew “heart”
- Joshua 2:11 Literally “a spirit no longer stood in anyone”
- Joshua 2:12 Literally “I have done with you a loyal love”
- Joshua 2:12 Literally “you will do … loyal love”
- Joshua 2:12 Literally “with the house of my father”
- Joshua 2:12 Or “faithfulness”
- Joshua 2:14 Literally “Our lives in place of yours to die”
- Joshua 2:14 Literally “we will do with you loyal love and faithfulness”
- Joshua 2:16 Literally “to your way”
- Joshua 2:19 Literally “his blood will be on his head”
- Joshua 2:19 Literally “his blood will be on our head”
- Joshua 2:19 Literally “if a hand will be against him”
- Joshua 2:22 Literally “on all of the road”
Josué 2
Traducción en lenguaje actual
Rahab y los espías
2 Josué envió a dos hombres para que exploraran el territorio de Canaán, y de manera especial a la ciudad de Jericó. Los dos hombres salieron de Sitim, y cuando llegaron a Jericó fueron a la casa de una prostituta llamada Rahab. Allí pasaron la noche. 2 Al saber el rey de Jericó que unos israelitas habían llegado esa noche para explorar el país, 3 mandó a decirle a Rahab:
—En tu casa hay dos espías. ¡Mándamelos para acá!
4 Pero como ella los había escondido, respondió:
—Sí, es verdad. Vinieron unos hombres, pero yo no supe de dónde eran. 5 Salieron al anochecer, antes de que cerraran el portón de la ciudad, y no sé a dónde iban. Si ustedes salen ahora mismo a perseguirlos, seguro que podrán alcanzarlos.
6 La verdad es que Rahab los había llevado a la terraza y los había escondido debajo de unos manojos de lino que allí tenía. 7 Los hombres del rey salieron de la ciudad, y se volvió a cerrar el portón. Buscaron a los espías hasta llegar al cruce del río Jordán.
8 Antes de que los espías se acostaran, Rahab subió a la terraza 9 y les dijo:
—Yo sé que Dios les ha entregado a ustedes este territorio, y todos tenemos miedo, especialmente los gobernantes. 10 Sabemos que, cuando salieron de Egipto, Dios secó el Mar de los Juncos para que ustedes pudieran cruzarlo. También sabemos que mataron a Sihón y a Og, los dos reyes amorreos del otro lado del Jordán. 11 Cuando lo supimos, nos dio mucho miedo y nos desanimamos. Reconocemos que el Dios de ustedes reina en el cielo y también aquí en la tierra. 12 Júrenme en el nombre de ese Dios que tratarán bien a toda mi familia, así como yo los he tratado bien a ustedes. Denme alguna prueba de que así lo harán. 13 ¡Prométanme que salvarán a todos mis familiares! ¡Sálvennos de la muerte!
14 Los espías le contestaron:
—¡Que Dios nos quite la vida si les pasa algo a ustedes! Pero no le digas a nadie que estuvimos aquí. Cuando Dios nos dé este territorio, prometemos tratarlos bien, a ti y a toda tu familia.
Rahab y los espías se despiden
15 Como la casa de Rahab estaba construida junto al muro que rodeaba la ciudad, ella los ayudó a bajar por la ventana con una soga. 16 Y les aconsejó:
—Escóndanse en los cerros para que la gente del rey no los encuentre. Quédense allí tres días, hasta que ellos regresen; y después de eso, sigan su camino.
17 Antes de irse, los espías le dijeron:
—Te hemos hecho un juramento, y lo cumpliremos. 18 Cuando lleguemos a este territorio, esta soga roja tiene que estar atada a la ventana por donde vamos a bajar. Reúne en tu casa a todos tus familiares. 19 Si alguno de ellos sale a la calle, morirá, y nosotros no tendremos la culpa de su muerte; pero si alguien sufre algún daño dentro de la casa, nosotros seremos los culpables. 20 No le cuentes a nadie de este trato que hemos hecho; de lo contrario, no estaremos obligados a cumplir nuestro juramento.
21 —De acuerdo —respondió ella—. Así se hará.
Dicho esto, los despidió y ellos se fueron, mientras ella ataba la soga roja a la ventana.
22 Los dos espías se fueron a los cerros, y durante tres días estuvieron escondidos allí, hasta que los hombres del rey regresaron. Los habían buscado por todo el camino y no los habían encontrado. 23 Entonces los dos espías bajaron de los cerros, cruzaron el río, y volvieron a donde estaba Josué. Luego de contarle todo lo que les había pasado, 24 le dijeron:
—Estamos seguros de que Dios nos ha dado todo el territorio. ¡Todos los gobernantes de esta región están muertos de miedo!
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