And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men from Shittim as spies, secretly, saying, “Go, see the land — and Jericho.” And they went, and came to the house of a woman, a whore, whose name was Rahab; and they lay down there.
And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Look — men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel, to search out the land.”
And the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, who came into your house — for they have come to search out all the land.”
But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True — the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
And when the gate was to be shut, at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue after them quickly, for you will overtake them.”
But she had brought them up to the roof, and hidden them in the stalks of flax that she had laid out for herself on the roof.
And the men pursued after them by the way of the Jordan, to the fords; and the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out after them.
The Promise to Rahab
And before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you.
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorite who were across the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
And we heard, and our heart melted, and no spirit rose up anymore in any man before you — for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
And now, swear to me, please, by the LORD — since I have done loyal love with you — that you also will do loyal love with my father’s house; and give me a sign of truth,
and keep alive my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my sisters, and all that belongs to them, and deliver our souls from death.”
And the men said to her, “Our soul in place of yours, to die — if you do not tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD gives us the land, that we will do loyal love and truth with you.”
And she let them down by a rope through the window — for her house was in the wall of the city wall, and in the wall she was living.
And she said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers do not meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers return; and afterward you may go on your way.”
And the men said to her: “We will be free of this oath of yours that you have made us swear —
look, when we come into the land, you shall tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down; and your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all your father’s house you shall gather to yourself into the house.
And it shall be, anyone who goes out of the doors of your house into the street — his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be free. But anyone who is with you in the house — his blood shall be on our head, if a hand is laid on him.
And if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free of your oath that you have made us swear.”
And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they went; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
And they went and came to the hill country, and stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned; and the pursuers searched all along the way, and did not find them.
And the two men returned and came down from the hill country, and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they recounted to him all that had happened to them.
And they said to Joshua, “Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hand; and also all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”
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