Moab Seduces Israel

25 While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove,^[a] some of the men defiled themselves by having^[b] sexual relations with local Moabite women.

⁸ And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.

Rahab Protects the Spies

2 Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove.^[a] He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

⁴⁹ Along the Jordan River they camped from Beth-jeshimoth as far as the meadows of Acacia^[a] on the plains of Moab.

The Israelites Cross the Jordan

3 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove^[a] and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing.

¹⁵ “Why have you let all the women live?” he demanded. ¹⁶ “These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the Lord’s people.

²⁶ I discovered that a seductive woman^[a] is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.