1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy G.o.d is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 1:11 Pa.s.s through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pa.s.s over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your G.o.d giveth you to possess it.
1:12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Mana.s.seh, spake Joshua, saying, 1:13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your G.o.d hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.
1:14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pa.s.s before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 1:15 Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your G.o.d giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD"s servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
1:17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy G.o.d be with thee, as he was with Moses.
1:18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.
2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of s.h.i.ttim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot"s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
2:2 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 country.
2:3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.
2:4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: 2:5 And it came to pa.s.s about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
2:6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
2:7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
2:8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; 2:9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your G.o.d, he is G.o.d in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
2:12 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father"s house, and give me a true token: 2:13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.
2:14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
2:15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
2:16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
2:17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
2:18 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 bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father"s household, home unto thee.
2:19 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 will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
2:20 And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
2:21 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.
2:22 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.
2:23 So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and pa.s.sed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: 2:24 And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us.
3:1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from s.h.i.ttim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they pa.s.sed over.
3:2 And it came to pa.s.s after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3:3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your G.o.d, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
3:4 Yet there shall be a s.p.a.ce between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not pa.s.sed this way heretofore.
3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
3:6 And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pa.s.s over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
3:7 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
3:8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.
3:9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your G.o.d.
3:10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living G.o.d is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hitt.i.tes, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgas.h.i.tes, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
3:11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth pa.s.seth over before you into Jordan.
3:12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.
3:13 And it shall come to pa.s.s, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.
3:14 And it came to pa.s.s, when the people removed from their tents, to pa.s.s over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people; 3:15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 3:16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people pa.s.sed over right against Jericho.
3:17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites pa.s.sed over on dry ground, until all the people were pa.s.sed clean over Jordan.
4:1 And it came to pa.s.s, when all the people were clean pa.s.sed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 4:2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 4:3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests" feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
4:4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 4:5 And Joshua said unto them, Pa.s.s over before the ark of the LORD your G.o.d into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 4:6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 4:7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it pa.s.sed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
4:8 And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
4:9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.
4:10 For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and pa.s.sed over.
4:11 And it came to pa.s.s, when all the people were clean pa.s.sed over, that the ark of the LORD pa.s.sed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.
4:12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Mana.s.seh, pa.s.sed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them: 4:13 About forty thousand prepared for war pa.s.sed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.