Joshua Chapter 2

1 Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage.

2 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.

3 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land.

4 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.

5 And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were:

6 and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them.

7 But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

8 And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.

9 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;

10 and she said unto the men, I know that Jehovah hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

11 For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

12 And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.

13 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true token;

14 and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.

15 And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

16 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

17 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

18 And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

19 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household.

20 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.

21 But if thou utter this our business, then we shall be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

22 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

23 And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.

24 Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent from Shittim two spies secretly, saying, Go, see the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and they lay down there.

2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, men have come hither to-night from the children of Israel to search out the land.

3 And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that have come to thee, who have come into thy house: for they have come to search out all the land.

4 And the woman had taken and concealed the two men; and she said, Yes, the men did come unto me, but I knew not whence they were;

5 and it came to pass when the gate had to be closed, at dark, that the men went out: I know not whither the men have gone. Pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.

6 But she had taken them up to the roof, and secreted them under the stalks of flax, which she had laid out on the roof.

7 And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan, to the fords; and when they who pursued after them had gone out, they closed the gate.

8 And before they had lain down, she went up to them upon the roof;

9 and said to the men, I know that Jehovah has given you the land, and that the dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard that Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red sea before you when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 We heard [of it], and our heart melted, and there remained no more spirit in any man because of you; for Jehovah yourGod, he isGod in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

12 And now, I pray you, swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye will also deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a certain sign,

13 that ye will let my father live, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that belong to them, and deliver our souls from death.

14 And the men said to her, Our lives shall pay for yours, if ye do not make this our business known; and it shall be when Jehovah shall give us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

15 And she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the city-wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

16 And she said to them, Go to the mountain, that the pursuers may not meet with you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned; and afterwards go your way.

17 And the men said to her, We will be quit of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind in the window this line of scarlet thread by which thou hast let us down; and thou shalt gather to thee in the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household;

19 and it shall be, that whoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, — his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be innocent; but every one who shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be upon our head, if any hand be upon him.

20 And if thou make known this our business, we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

21 And she said, According to your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet line in the window.

22 And they went, and came to the mountain, and remained there three days, until the pursuers had returned; and the pursuers sought them all the way, and found them not.

23 And the two men returned and came down from the mountain, and went over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and related to him everything that had happened to them.

24 And they said to Joshua, Of a surety Jehovah has given the whole land into our hands, and even all the inhabitants of the land faint because of us.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And Joshua the son of Naue sent out of Sattin two young men to spy [the land], saying, Go up and view the land and Jericho: and the two young men went and entered into Jericho; and they entered into the house of a harlot, whose name [was] Raab, and lodged there.

2 And it was reported to the king of Jericho, saying, Men of the sons of Israel have come in hither to spy the land.

3 And the king of Jericho sent and spoke to Raab, saying, Bring out the men that entered into thine house this night; for they are come to spy out the land.

4 And the woman took the two men and hid them; and she spoke to the messengers, saying, The men came in to me,

5 but when the gate was shut in the evening, the men went out; I know not whither they are gone: follow after them, if ye may overtake them.

6 But she [had] brought them up upon the house, and hid them in the flax-stalks that were spread by her on the house.

7 And the men followed after them in the way to Jordan to the fords; and the gate was shut.

8 And it came to pass when the men who pursued after them were gone forth, and before the spies had lain down to sleep, that she came up to them on the top of the house;

9 and she said to them, I know that the Lord has given you the land; for the fear of you has fallen upon us.

10 For we have heard that the Lord God dried up the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of the land of Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan, to Seon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And when we heard it we were amazed in our heart, and there was no longer any spirit in any of us because of you, for the Lord your God [is] God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.

12 And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I deal mercifully with you, so do ye also deal mercifully with the house of my father:

13 and save alive the house of my father, my mother, and my brethren, and all my house, and all that they have, and ye shall rescue my soul from death.

14 And the men said to her, Our life for yours [even] to death: and she said, When the Lord shall have delivered the city to you, ye shall deal mercifully and truly with me.

15 And she let them down by the window;

16 and she said to them, Depart into the hill-country, lest the pursuers meet you, and ye shall be hidden there three days until your pursuers return from after you, and afterwards ye shall depart on your way.

17 And the men said to her, We are clear of this thy oath.

18 Behold, we shall enter into a part of the city, and thou shalt set a sign; thou shalt bind this scarlet cord in the window, by which thou hast let us down, and thou shalt bring in to thyself, into thy house, thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all the family of thy father.

19 And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall go outside the door of thy house, his guilt shall be upon him, and we shall be quit of this thine oath; and we will be responsible for all that shall be found with thee in thy house.

20 But if any one should injure us, or betray these our matters, we shall be quit of this thine oath.

21 And she said to them, Let it be according to your word; and she sent them out, and they departed.

22 And they came to the hill-country, and remained there three days; and the pursuers searched all the roads, and found them not.

23 And the two young men returned, and came down out of the mountain; and they went over to Joshua the son of Naue, and told him all things that had happened to them.

24 And they said to Joshua, The Lord has delivered all the land into our power, and all the inhabitants of that land tremble because of us.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Misit igitur Iosue filius Nun de Setim duos viros exploratores in abscondito: et dixit eis: Ite, et considerate Terram, urbemque Iericho. Qui pergentes ingressi sunt domum mulieris meretricis, nomine Rahab, et quieverunt apud eam.

2 Nunciatumque est regi Iericho, et dictum: Ecce viri ingressi sunt huc per noctem de filiis Israel, ut explorarent Terram.

3 Misitque rex Iericho ad Rahab dicens: Educ viros, qui venerunt ad te, et ingressi sunt domum tuam: exploratores quippe sunt, et omnem Terram considerare venerunt.

4 Tollensque mulier viros, abscondit, et ait: Fateor, venerunt ad me, sed nesciebam unde essent:

5 cumque porta clauderetur in tenebris, et illi pariter exierunt, nescio quo abierunt: persequimini cito, et comprehendetis eos.

6 Ipsa autem fecit ascendere viros in solarium domus suæ, operuitque eos stipula lini, quæ ibi erat.

7 Hi autem, qui missi fuerant, secuti sunt eos per viam, quæ ducit ad vadum Iordanis: illisque egressis statim porta clausa est.

8 Necdum obdormierant qui latebant, et ecce mulier ascendit ad eos, et ait:

9 Novi quod Dominus tradiderit vobis Terram: etenim irruit in nos terror vester, et elanguerunt omnes habitatores Terræ.

10 Audivimus quod siccaverit Dominus aquas Maris rubri ad vestrum introitum, quando egressi estis ex Ægypto: et quæ feceritis duobus Amorrhæorum regibus, qui erant trans Iordanem: Sehon et Og, quos interfecistis.

11 Et hæc audientes pertimuimus, et elanguit cor nostrum, nec remansit in nobis spiritus ad introitum vestrum: Dominus enim Deus vester ipse est Deus in cælo sursum, et in terra deorsum.

12 Nunc ergo iurate mihi per Dominum, ut quomodo ego misericordiam feci vobiscum, ita et vos faciatis cum domo patris mei: detisque mihi verum signum,

13 ut salvetis patrem meum et matrem, et fratres ac sorores meas, et omnia quæ illorum sunt, et eruatis animas nostras a morte.

14 Qui responderunt ei: Anima nostra sit pro vobis in mortem, si tamen non prodideris nos. cumque tradiderit nobis Dominus terram, faciemus in te misericordiam et veritatem.

15 Demisit ergo eos per funem de fenestra: domus enim eius hærebat muro.

16 Dixitque ad eos: Ad montana conscendite, ne forte occurrant vobis revertentes: ibique latitate tribus diebus, donec redeant, et sic ibitis per viam vestram.

17 Qui dixerunt ad eam: Innoxii erimus a iuramento hoc, quo adiurasti nos:

18 si ingredientibus nobis Terram, signum fuerit funiculus iste coccineus, et ligaveris eum in fenestra, per quam demisisti nos: et patrem tuum ac matrem, fratresque et omnem cognationem tuam congregaveris in domum tuam.

19 Qui ostium domus tuæ egressus fuerit, sanguis ipsius erit in caput eius, et nos erimus alieni. Cunctorum autem sanguis, qui tecum in domo fuerint, redundabit in caput nostrum, si eos aliquis tetigerit.

20 Quod si nos prodere volueris, et sermonem istum proferre in medium, erimus mundi ab hoc iuramento, quo adiurasti nos.

21 Et illa respondit: Sicut locuti estis, ita fiat. dimittensque eos ut pergerent, appendit funiculum coccineum in fenestra.

22 Illi vero ambulantes pervenerunt ad montana, et manserunt ibi tres dies, donec reverterentur qui fuerant persecuti: quærentes enim per omnem viam, non repererunt eos.

23 Quibus urbem ingressis, reversi sunt, et descenderunt exploratores de monte: et, transmisso Iordane, venerunt ad Iosue filium Nun, narraveruntque ei omnia quæ acciderant sibi,

24 atque dixerunt: Tradidit Dominus omnem terram hanc in manus nostras, et timore prostrati sunt cuncti habitatores eius.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, including Jericho.” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and slept there.

2 The king of Jericho was told, “Behold, men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.”

3 Jericho’s king sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to spy out all the land.”

4 The woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I didn’t know where they came from.

5 About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.”

6 But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof.

7 The men pursued them along the way to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.

8 Before they had lain down, she came up to them on the roof.

9 She said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.

11 As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.

12 Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a true sign;

13 and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.”

14 The men said to her, “Our life for yours, if you don’t talk about this business of ours; and it shall be, when the LORD gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”

15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.

16 She said to them, “Go to the mountain, lest the pursuers find you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward, you may go your way.”

17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you’ve made us to swear.

18 Behold, when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down. Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household.

19 It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his head, and we will be guiltless. Whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand is on him.

20 But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you’ve made us to swear.”

21 She said, “Let it be as you have said.” She sent them away, and they departed. Then she tied the scarlet line in the window.

22 They went and came to the mountain, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but didn’t find them.

23 Then the two men returned, descended from the mountain, crossed the river, and came to Joshua the son of Nun. They told him all that had happened to them.

24 They said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands. Moreover, all the inhabitants of the land melt away before us.”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 And Joshua son of Nun sendeth from Shittim, two men, spies, silently, saying, `Go, see the land--and Jericho;' and they go and come into the house of a woman, a harlot, and her name <FI>is<Fi> Rahab, and they lie down there.

2 And it is told to the king of Jericho, saying, `Lo, men have come in hither to-night, from the sons of Israel, to search the land.

3 And the king of Jericho sendeth unto Rahab, saying, `Bring out the men who are coming in unto thee, who have come into thy house, for to search the whole of the land they have come in.

4 And the woman taketh the two men, and hideth them, and saith thus: `The men came in unto me, and I have not known whence they <FI>are<Fi> ;

5 and it cometh to pass--the gate is to <FI>be<Fi> shut--in the dark, and the men have gone out; I have not known whither the men have gone; pursue ye, hasten after them, for ye overtake them;'

6 and she hath caused them to go up on the roof, and hideth them with the flax wood, which is arranged for her on the roof.

7 And the men have pursued after them the way of the Jordan, by the fords, and the gate they have shut afterwards, when the pursuers have gone out after them.

8 And--before they lie down--she hath gone up unto them on the roof,

9 and she saith unto the men, `I have known that Jehovah hath given to you the land, and that your terror hath fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted at your presence.

10 `For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the waters of the Red Sea at your presence, in your going out of Egypt, and that which ye have done to the two kings of the Amorite who <FI>are<Fi> beyond the Jordan; to Sihon and to Og whom ye devoted.

11 And we hear, and melt doth our heart, and there hath not stood any more spirit in <FI>any<Fi> man, from your presence, for Jehovah your God, He <FI>is<Fi> God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath.

12 `And now, swear ye, I pray you, to me by Jehovah--because I have done with you kindness--that ye have done, even ye, kindness with the house of my father, and have given to me a true token,

13 and have kept alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have, and have delivered our souls from death.'

14 And the men say to her, `Our soul for yours--to die; if ye declare not this our matter, then it hath been, in Jehovah's giving to us this land, that we have done with thee kindness and truth.'

15 And she causeth them to go down by a rope through the window, for her house <FI>is<Fi> in the side of the wall, and in the wall she <FI>is<Fi> dwelling;

16 and she saith to them, `To the mountain go, lest the pursuers come upon you; and ye have been hidden there three days till the turning back of the pursuers, and afterwards ye go on your way.'

17 And the men say unto her, `We are acquitted of this thine oath which thou hast caused us to swear:

18 lo, we are coming into the land, this line of scarlet thread thou dost bind to the window by which thou hast caused us to go down, and thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all the house of thy father thou dost gather unto thee, to the house;

19 and it hath been, any one who goeth out from the doors of thy house without, his blood <FI>is<Fi> on his head, and we are innocent; and any one who is with thee in the house, his blood <FI>is<Fi> on our head, if a hand is on him;

20 and if thou declare this our matter, then we have been acquitted from thine oath which thou hast caused us to swear.'

21 And she saith, `According unto your words, so it <FI>is<Fi> ;' and she sendeth them away, and they go; and she bindeth the scarlet line to the window.

22 And they go, and come in to the mountain, and abide there three days until the pursuers have turned back; and the pursuers seek in all the way, and have not found.

23 And the two men turn back, and come down from the hill, and pass over, and come in unto Joshua son of Nun, and recount to him all that hath come upon them;

24 and they say unto Joshua, `Surely Jehovah hath given into our hand all the land; and also, all the inhabitants of the land have melted at our presence.'

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).