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The Israelites Are Circumcised

And it happened, when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites[a] who were by the sea heard that Yahweh dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of the Israelites[b] until they crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no courage left in them[c] because of the presence of the Israelites. [d]

At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make for yourself knives of flint, and circumcise the Israelites[e] a second time.” So Joshua made knives of flint, and he circumcised the Israelites[f] at the hill of the foreskins.[g] This is the reason why Joshua circumcised all the people: all the males who went out from Egypt, all the warriors, died in the wilderness as they went out from Egypt on the journey.[h] For all the people who left were circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the journey[i] after they left from Egypt were not circumcised. For forty years the Israelites[j] traveled in the wilderness until all the nation, the warriors that left Egypt, perished, because they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh. To them Yahweh swore that they would not see the land that he[k] swore to their ancestors[l] to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. And it was their children whom he raised in their place that Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the journey.[m]

The Israelites Celebrate Passover in Canaan

And it happened, when all the nation had finished circumcising, they remained where they were in the camp until they recovered. And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, the name of that place is called Gilgal[n] to this day. 10 And the Israelites[o] camped at Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. 11 On the next day after the Passover, on that[p] very day, they ate from the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted corn. 12 And the manna ceased the day after, when they started eating the produce of the land, and there was no longer manna for the Israelites.[q] They ate from the crop of the land of Canaan in that year.

The Commander of Yahweh’s Army Appears Before Joshua

13 And it happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up,[r] and he saw a man standing opposite him[s] with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said, “Are you with us, or with our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “Neither. I have come now as the commander of Yahweh’s army.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and he bowed down[t] and said to him, “What is my lord commanding his servant?” 15 The commander of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals[u] from your feet,[v] for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  2. Joshua 5:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Joshua 5:1 Literally “a spirit was no longer in them”
  4. Joshua 5:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Joshua 5:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Joshua 5:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  7. Joshua 5:3 Hebrew “Gibeath-haaraloth”
  8. Joshua 5:4 Literally “on the road”
  9. Joshua 5:5 Literally “on the road”
  10. Joshua 5:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  11. Joshua 5:6 Hebrew “Yahweh”
  12. Joshua 5:6 Or “fathers”
  13. Joshua 5:7 Literally “on the road”
  14. Joshua 5:9 Hebrew “rolling”
  15. Joshua 5:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Joshua 5:11 Literally “this”
  17. Joshua 5:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  18. Joshua 5:13 Literally “he lifted up his eyes”
  19. Joshua 5:13 Literally “against him”
  20. Joshua 5:14 Or “he worshiped”
  21. Joshua 5:15 Hebrew “sandal”
  22. Joshua 5:15 Hebrew “foot”

When all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel. At that time, Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make flint knives, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt. For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness until all the nation, even the men of war who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice. Yahweh swore to them that he wouldn’t let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. Their children, whom he raised up in their place, were circumcised by Joshua, for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them on the way. When they were done circumcising the whole nation, they stayed in their places in the camp until they were healed.

Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal[a] to this day. 10 The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. 11 They ate unleavened cakes and parched grain of the produce of the land on the next day after the Passover, in the same day. 12 The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. The children of Israel didn’t have manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?”

14 He said, “No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh’s army.”

Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and asked him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”

15 The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.

Footnotes

  1. 5:9 “Gilgal” sounds like the Hebrew for “roll.”