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Joshua Installed as Leader
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide:
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So Joshua ordered the officers of the people:
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But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,
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Then they answered Joshua, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
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Rahab and the Spies
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
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Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them.
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They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”
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Crossing the Jordan
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
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Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
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Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.
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And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.
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Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.
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When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,
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So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
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So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down.
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Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
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Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over,
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That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
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Then the Lord said to Joshua,
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So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
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And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan.
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Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal
At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”
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So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.
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So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.
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Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
