Joshua 1:1-5:15 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Joshua 1:1-5:15

Yahweh’s Commands to Joshua

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of ¹Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ ²attendant, saying, 2 “Moses ^aMy servant is dead; so now arise, ^bcross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 ^aEvery place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 ^aFrom the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 ^aNo man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; ^bI will not fail you or forsake you. 6 ^aBe strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous to ¹^abe careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn aside from it to the right or to the left, so that you may ²be prosperous wherever you go. 8 ^aThis book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may ¹be careful to do according to all that is written in it; ^bfor then you will make your way successful, and then you will ²be prosperous. 9 Have I not commanded you? ^aBe strong and courageous! ^bDo not be in dread or be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua’s Command to the Officers

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within ^athree days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, to possess it.’”
12 ^aTo the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua ¹said, 13 “Remember the word which Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded you, saying, ‘^aYahweh your God gives you rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them 15 until Yahweh gives your brothers rest as He gives you, and they also possess the land which Yahweh your God is giving them. ^aThen you shall return to the land of your possession and possess it, which Moses ^bthe servant of Yahweh gave you beyond the Jordan to the east toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we listened to Moses in all things, so we will listen to you; only ^amay Yahweh your God be with you as He was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your ¹command and does not listen to your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous.”

Rahab Hides the Spies

Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from ^aShittim, saying, “Go, see the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and came into the house of ^ba harlot whose name was Rahab and ¹lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the ^awoman had taken the two men and hidden them, and she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 Now it happened when it was time to shut the gate at dark, that the men went out; I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 But ^ashe had brought them up to the roof and concealed them in the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, ¹she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “^aI know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the ^bterror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have ¹melted away before you. 10 ^aFor we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the ¹Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt and ^bwhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you ²devoted to destruction. 11 Indeed we heard it, ^aand our hearts melted, and a courageous spirit no longer rose up in any man because of you; for ^bYahweh your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 So now, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have shown lovingkindness to you, that you also will show lovingkindness to my father’s household and give me a ^apledge of ¹truth, 13 and preserve my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters alive, with all who belong to them, and deliver our ¹lives from death.” 14 So the men said to her, “Our ¹life ²for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it will be when Yahweh gives us the land that we will ^ashow lovingkindness and truth to you.”

The Oath to Rahab

15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “^aGo to the hill country, lest the pursuers reach you. And hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” 17 And the men said to her, “^aWe shall be free from this oath ¹to you which you have made us swear, 18 ¹unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and ^agather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household. 19 And it will be that 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, ^ahis blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be free from the oath which you have made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they went; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 And they went and came to the hill country and remained there for three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had sought them ¹all along the road but had not found them. 23 Then 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. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Surely Yahweh has given all the land into our hands; moreover, ^aall the inhabitants of the land have ¹melted away before us.”

Israel Crosses the Jordan

Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from ^aShittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2 ^aNow it happened that at the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ^aark of the covenant of Yahweh your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about ¹2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “^aSet yourselves apart as holy, for tomorrow Yahweh will do wondrous deeds among you.” 6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Carry the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to ^amagnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8 Moreover, you shall command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come near, and hear the words of Yahweh your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that ^athe living God is among you, and that He will assuredly ^bdispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of ^athe Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 So now, ^atake for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 And it will be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are ¹flowing down from above ²will ^astand in one heap.”
14 So it happened that when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying ^athe ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the ^aJordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16 ^athe waters which were ¹flowing down from above stood and rose up in ^bone heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were ¹flowing down toward the sea of the ^cArabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firm ^aon dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground until all the nation had completed crossing the Jordan.

Memorial Stones from the Jordan

Now it happened when all the nation had completed crossing the ^aJordan, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “^aTake for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Carry for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in ^athe lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’” 4 So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; 5 and Joshua said to them, “¹Cross again before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you carry a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, 6 in order that this would be a sign among you, so that ^awhen your children ask ¹later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall say to them, ‘Because the ^awaters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a ^bmemorial to the sons of Israel forever.”
8 Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded and carried twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as Yahweh spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to ^athe lodging place and laid them down there. 9 But Joshua set up twelve ^astones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. 10 Now the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that Yahweh had commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed. 11 And it happened when all the people had completed crossing, that the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed before the people. 12 ^aAnd the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel, just as Moses had spoken to them; 13 about 40,000 equipped for war crossed for battle before Yahweh to the desert plains of Jericho.
14 ^aOn that day, Yahweh magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, so that they ¹feared him, just as they had ¹feared Moses all the days of his life.
15 Then Yahweh said to ¹Joshua, 16 “Command the priests who carry ^athe ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, “Come up from the Jordan.” 18 So it happened when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh had come up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were ¹lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went over all its banks as before.
19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the ^atenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho. 20 ¹^aAnd those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up ^bat Gilgal. 21 Then he said to the sons of ¹Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall make your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on ^adry land.’ 23 For Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as Yahweh your God had done to the ¹Red Sea, ^awhich He dried up before us until we had crossed, 24 that ^aall the peoples of the earth may know that the ^bhand of Yahweh is strong, so that you may ¹^cfear Yahweh your God ²forever.”

The Men of Israel Circumcised

Now it happened when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the ^aCanaanites who were by the sea, ^bheard how Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until ¹they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.
2 At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make for yourself ^aflint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.” 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at ¹Gibeath-haaraloth. 4 Now this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: ^aall the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness along the way when they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised, but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6 For the sons of Israel had walked ^aforty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, were completely destroyed because they did not listen to the voice of Yahweh, ^bto whom Yahweh had sworn that He would not let them see the land which Yahweh had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 And their sons whom He raised up in their place, Joshua ¹circumcised; for they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them along the way.
8 Now it happened that when they had completed circumcising all the nation, they remained in their places in the camp until they were ¹healed. 9 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away ^athe reproach of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called ¹Gilgal to this day.
10 Then the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal and ^acelebrated the Passover on the evening of the ^bfourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11 And on the ¹day after the Passover, on ²that very day, they ate some of the yield of the land, unleavened cakes and roasted grain. 12 ^aThen the manna ceased on the ¹day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the produce of the land of Canaan during that year.

Commander of Yahweh’s Host

13 Now it happened when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, ^aa man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” 14 He said, “No! Rather I indeed come now as commander of the host of Yahweh.” And Joshua ^afell on his face to the earth and bowed down and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his slave?” 15 The commander of the host of Yahweh said to Joshua, “^aRemove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.