Chronological

God’s Instructions to Joshua

1 After Moses, the servant of the Lord, had died, the Lord spoke to Nun’s son Joshua, announcing to him, ² “My servant Moses is dead. Now get ready to cross the Jordan River^[a]—you and all the people—to the land that I’m giving the Israelis. ³ I’m giving you every place where the sole of your foot falls, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territorial border will extend from the wilderness to the Lebanon Mountains,^[b] to the river—that great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—as far as the Mediterranean^[c] Sea where the sun sets. ⁵ No one will be victorious^[d] against you for the rest of your life. I’ll be with you just like I was with Moses—I’ll neither fail you nor abandon you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, because you’ll be leading this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous to ensure that you obey all the instructions^[e] that my servant Moses gave you—turn neither to the right nor to the left from it—so that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸ This set of instructions^[f] is not to cease being a part of your conversations.^[g] Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to carry out everything that’s written in it, for then you’ll prosper and succeed. ⁹ I’ve commanded you, haven’t I? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be fearful or discouraged, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua Gives Orders to His Leaders

¹⁰ Then Joshua gave orders to the officials of the people. ¹¹ “Go through the camp,” he said, “and command the people, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, because within three days you’ll be crossing the Jordan River to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you—so go get it!’”

¹² Joshua told the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, ¹³ “Remember what^[h] Moses commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will provide you rest, as well as this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your young children, and your livestock will remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan River, but you and all your warriors will cross, ready for battle, in full view of your relatives, and you will help them ¹⁵ until the Lord gives relief to your relatives, as he did to you. Then they’ll take the land that the Lord your God is giving them as their inheritance. You’ll return to the land of your heritage and receive the inheritance that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the east side of the Jordan River, in the direction of the sunrise.”

The People Reaffirm Their Commitment

¹⁶ “We’ll do everything that you commanded,” they replied. “We’ll go wherever you send us. ¹⁷ We’ll listen and obey you in everything, just like we did with Moses. Only may the Lord your God be with you, just as he was with Moses. ¹⁸ Anyone who rebels against what you say and doesn’t listen to your words regarding everything that you command will be executed. Only be strong and courageous.”

Rahab Receives Two Scouts

2 After this, Nun’s son Joshua sent two men from the Acacia groves^[i] as undercover scouts. He told them, “Go and look over the land. Pay special attention to Jericho.” So they went out, came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab, and lodged there.

² Then the king of Jericho was told, “Look! Israeli men arrived tonight to scout out the land.”

³ So the king of Jericho sent for Rahab and ordered her, “Bring out the men who came to visit you and lodged in your house, because they’ve come to scout out the entire land.”

⁴ Now the woman had taken the two men and hid them. So she replied, “The men really did come to me, but I didn’t know from where they came. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gates, the men left. I don’t know where the men went. Go after them quickly, and^[j] you might overtake them.”

⁶ But she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them among stalks of flax that she had laid out in order on the roof. ⁷ So the men pursued them along the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as the search party had left, they shut the city gate after them.

Rahab Seeks Protection

⁸ Before the scouts^[k] had lain down, she went up to them on the roof ⁹ “I’m really convinced that the Lord has given you the land,” she said,^[l] “because we’re overwhelmed with fear of you. All the other inhabitants of the land are demoralized at your presence, ¹⁰ because we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Reed^[m] Sea right in front of you as you were coming out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other^[n] side of the Jordan River—to Sihon and Og—whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard these reports,^[o] we all became terrified and discouraged^[p] because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. ¹² Now therefore, since I’ve treated you so kindly,^[q] please swear in the name of^[r] the Lord that you’ll also be kind^[s] to my father’s household by giving me this^[t] sure sign: ¹³ Spare my father, my mother, and my brothers and sisters, along with everyone who belongs with them so we won’t be killed.”

A Promise of Protection

¹⁴ So the men told her, “Our life for yours—even to death—if you don’t betray this mission of ours. Then when the Lord gives us this land, we’ll treat you graciously and faithfully.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope through the window, since her house was built into the town wall where she lived. ¹⁶ She told them, “Go out to the hill country, so the search party won’t find you, and hide for three days. After that, you may go on your own way.”

¹⁷ The men replied, “We’ll be free from our commitment to you to which you’ve obligated us ¹⁸ when we invade the land, if you don’t tie this rope made with red cords in the window through which you let us down, and if you don’t gather your father, your mother, your brothers, and all of the rest of your father’s household into your house. ¹⁹ Everyone who leaves through the doors of your house into the street will be responsible for his own death, but we’ll be responsible for anyone who remains with you in the house if even so much as a hand is laid on him. ²⁰ But if you report this incident, we’ll be free from the oath to which you’ve made us swear.”

²¹ “Since you put it that way,”^[u] she replied, “I agree.”^[v] After she sent them on their way and they had left, she tied the red cord in the window.

The Scouts Report to Joshua

²² The scouts^[w] left for the hill country and remained there for three days until the search party returned. The search party searched the entire road, but was unable to find them. ²³ Later, the two men returned from the hill country, crossed over the Jordan River,^[x] approached Nun’s son Joshua, and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They reported to Joshua, “The Lord really has given the entire land into our control. The inhabitants of the land have melted away right in front of us!”

Joshua Prepares to Conquer Jericho

3 Joshua got up early the next morning. Accompanied by all the Israelis, he set out from the Acacia groves and arrived at the Jordan River, where they encamped before crossing it. ² Three days later, the officers went throughout the camp, ³ giving orders to the people. They said, “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then get up, leave where you are, and follow it. ⁴ Be sure to keep a distance of about 2,000 cubits^[y] between you and it. Don’t come near it, so you can be certain where you’re going, since you haven’t passed this way before.”

⁵ Then Joshua addressed the people: “Consecrate yourselves, because tomorrow the Lord will do marvelous things among you.”

⁶ After this, Joshua^[z] instructed the priests, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went on ahead of the people.

The Lord Addresses Joshua

⁷ At this point, the Lord told Joshua, “Today I’m going to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they’ll be sure that I’m going to be with you just as I was with Moses. ⁸ Give this command to the priests who are carrying the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you arrive at the water of the Jordan River, stand still in the Jordan.’”

Joshua Addresses Israel

⁹ So Joshua told the Israelis, “Come here and listen to what the Lord your God has to say.” ¹⁰ Joshua continued, “This is how you’ll know that the living God really is among you: he’s going to remove the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites right in front of you. ¹¹ Look! The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of whole the earth is crossing ahead of you into the Jordan River. ¹² So take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. ¹³ When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the water in the Jordan River, the water that feeds the Jordan will be cut off from above and they’ll stand still in a single location.”

The Jordan River Stops Flowing

¹⁴ So the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan River, with the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant in full view of the people. ¹⁵ When the priests who carried the ark entered the Jordan River, as their feet touched the water’s edge (The Jordan River overflows all of its banks daily during the harvest season.), ¹⁶ the water flowing downstream from above stood still in a single location, a great distance away at Adam, a city near Zarethan. The water that flowed south toward the sea in the Arabah (that is, the Dead^[aa] Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan River, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan River.

The Jordan River Memorial

4 As soon as the entire nation had completed its crossing of the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, ² “Gather together twelve men from the people—one man from each tribe— ³ and tell them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests’ feet were standing, bring them along with you, and put them down where you camp tonight.’”

⁴ So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the people of Israel, one man from each tribe. ⁵ Joshua told them, “Cross over again in front of the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan River. Then each of you pick up a stone on his shoulder with which to build a memorial,^[ab] one for each of the tribes of Israel. ⁶ Let this serve as^[ac] a sign among you, so that when your children ask in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you,’ ⁷ then you’ll say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan River were cut off in front of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan River, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones will become a memorial to the Israelis forever.”

⁸ The Israelis did just as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River—just as the Lord had spoken to Joshua—according to the number of the tribes of the Israelis, and they carried them over to where they would be pitching camp, and they put them down there. ⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River at the location where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant had been standing, and they remain there to this day.

Crossing the Jordan River

¹⁰ The priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River until everything had been done in accordance with what the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people and with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. So the people hurried and crossed over. ¹¹ When all of the people had completed their crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over in full view of the people. ¹² Just as Moses had directed, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, dressed in battle regalia, in full view of the other^[ad] Israelis. ¹³ About 40,000 soldiers equipped to do battle in the Lord’s presence crossed over to the desert plains of Jericho.

¹⁴ That day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the presence of all Israel so that they revered him just as they had revered Moses throughout his life.

¹⁵ Now the Lord had told Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River.”

¹⁷ So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come up from the Jordan River.”

¹⁸ As soon as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan River, and the soles of the priests’ feet came up to dry ground, the water of the Jordan River returned to normal,^[ae] covering its banks as it had done so before.

Why Joshua Set up the Memorial

¹⁹ The people came up from the Jordan River on the tenth day^[af] of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern outskirts of Jericho. ²⁰ Joshua set up the twelve stones that they had removed from the Jordan River at Gilgal. ²¹ Then he told the Israelis, “When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ ²² you are to tell your descendants: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan River on dry ground ²³ because the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan River right in front of you, until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God had done to the Reed^[ag] Sea—which he had dried up in front of us until we had crossed it also.’ ²⁴ Do this^[ah] so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power^[ai] of the Lord is, and so that you may fear the Lord your God every day.”