Study Desk

Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people:

"Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.'"^(q)

Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh:^(r)

"Remember what Moses the Lord 's servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.'^(s)

Your wives, young children, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan.^[d] But your fighting men must cross over in battle formation^[e] ahead of your brothers^[f] and help them

until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance^(t) and take possession of what Moses the Lord 's servant^(u) gave you on the east side of the Jordan."

They answered Joshua, "Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go.

We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. And may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.^(v)

Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!"^(w)

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies^(a) from the Acacia Grove,^[a] saying, "Go and scout the land, especially Jericho." So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab,^(b) and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, "Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land."

Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land."

But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.^(c) So she said, "Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn't know where they were from.

At nightfall, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don't know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!"

But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them^(d) among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof.

The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut.

Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof

and said to them, "I know that the Lord has given you this land^(e) and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.^[b]

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,^(f) and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed^(g) across the Jordan.

When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone's courage failed^[c] because of you,^(h) for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.

Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you.^[d] Give me a sure sign^[e]

that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death."

The men answered her, "We will give our lives for yours. If you don't report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land."

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city.

"Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won't find you," she said to them. "Hide yourselves there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way."

The men said to her, "We will be free from this oath you made us swear,

unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father's family into your house.

If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his blood will be on his own head,⁽ⁱ⁾ and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed,^[f] his blood will be on our heads.

And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear."

"Let it be as you say," she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.

So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them.

Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.

They told Joshua, "The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us."^[g]

Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove^[a] with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.

After three days the officers went through the camp^(a)

and commanded the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,^(b) you must break camp and follow it.

But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards^[b] between yourselves and the ark. Don't go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven't traveled this way before."^[c]

Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves,^(c) because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow."

Then he said to the priests, "Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people." So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

The Lord spoke to Joshua: "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,^(d) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.

Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the waters,^[d] stand in the Jordan."

Then Joshua told the Israelites, "Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God."

He said: "You will know that the living God is among you^(e) and that He will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites^(f)

when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth^(g) goes ahead of you into the Jordan.

Now choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.^(h)

When the feet^[e] of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord , the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the Jordan's waters, its waters will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass."⁽ⁱ⁾

When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant^(j) ahead of the people.

Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.^(k) But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge

and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as^[f] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah^(l) (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.

The priests carrying the ark of the Lord 's covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,^(m) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

After the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan,^(a) the Lord spoke to Joshua:

"Choose 12 men from the people, one man for each tribe,^(b)

and command them: Take 12 stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests^[a] are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night."

So Joshua summoned the 12 men he had selected from the Israelites, one man for each tribe,

and said to them, "Go across to the ark of the Lord your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each^[b] of the Israelite tribes,

so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?'^(c)

you should tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord 's covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan's waters were cut off.' Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites."^(d)

The Israelites did just as Joshua had commanded them. The 12 men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each^[c] of the Israelite tribes, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.

Joshua also set up 12 stones in the middle^[d] of the Jordan where the priests^[e] who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are there to this day.^(e)

The priests carrying the ark continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, in keeping with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried across,

and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the Lord crossed in the sight of the people.

The Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh went in battle formation in front of the Israelites,^(f) as Moses had instructed them.

About 40,000 equipped for war crossed to the plains of Jericho in the Lord 's presence.

On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.^(g)

The Lord told Joshua,

"Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony^[f](h) to come up from the Jordan."

So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up from the Jordan."

When the priests carrying the ark of the Lord 's covenant came up from the middle of the Jordan, and their feet^[g] stepped out on solid ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course, flowing over all the banks as before.

The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,^[h] and camped at Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.

Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan,

and he said to the Israelites, "In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?'

you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'⁽ⁱ⁾

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over,^(j) just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

This is so that all the people of the earth may know^(k) that the Lord 's hand is mighty,^(l) and so that you may always fear the Lord your God."^(m)