Yosua 2:1

Joshua Sends Spies into the Land

2:1 Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: ¹  “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.” ²  They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. ³ 

Yosua 2:9-14

2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. ⁴  We are absolutely terrified of you, ⁵  and all who live in the land are cringing before ⁶  you. ⁷  2:10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. ⁸  2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. ⁹  For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ¹⁰  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ¹¹  Give me a solemn pledge ¹²  2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us ¹³  from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you ¹⁴  die, may we die too! ¹⁵  If you do not report what we’ve been up to, ¹⁶  then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance ¹⁷  to you.” ¹⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “Joshua, son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spies, secretly, saying.”

² tn Heb “go, see the land, and Jericho.”

map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

³ tn Heb “they went and entered the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they slept there.”

⁴ tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

⁵ tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”

⁶ tn Or “melting away because of.”

⁷ tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”

⁸ tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”

⁹ tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

sn To swear an oath in the Lord’s name would make the Lord the witness and guarantor of the promise attached to the oath. If the person making the oath should go back on the promise, the Lord would judge him for breaking the contract.

¹¹ tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

¹² tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

¹³ tn Or “our lives.”

¹⁴ tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.

¹⁵ tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.

¹⁶ tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.

¹⁸ tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.