| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: "Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho." They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. | 1Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night. |
| 2The king of Jericho received this report: "Note well! Israelite men have come here tonight to spy on the land." | 2But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” |
| 3So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab: "Turn over the men who came to you--the ones who came to your house--for they have come to spy on the whole land!" | 3So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.” |
| 4But the woman hid the two men and replied, "Yes, these men were clients of mine, but I didn't know where they came from. | 4Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. |
| 5When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left. I don't know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!" | 5They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” |
| 6(Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out on the roof.) | 6(Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.) |
| 7Meanwhile the king's men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River near the fords. The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them. | 7So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. |
| 8Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof. | 8Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. |
| 9She said to the men, "I know the LORD is handing this land over to you. We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. | 9“I know the LORD has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. |
| 10For 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. | 10For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. |
| 11When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! | 11No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below. |
| 12So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the LORD's name. Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. Give me a solemn pledge | 12“Now swear to me by the LORD that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that |
| 13that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us from death." | 13when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.” |
| 14The men said to her, "If you die, may we die too! If you do not report what we've been up to, then, when the LORD hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance to you." | 14“We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the LORD gives us the land.” |
| 15Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window. (Her house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.) | 15Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window. |
| 16She told them, "Head to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don't find you. Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you to return. Then you can be on your way." | 16“Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.” |
| 17The men said to her, "We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met: | 17Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. |
| 18When we invade the land, tie this red rope in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father's house. | 18When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house. |
| 19Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death--we are innocent in that case! But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible. | 19If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. |
| 20If you should report what we've been up to, we are not bound by this oath you made us swear." | 20If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.” |
| 21She said, "I agree to these conditions." She sent them on their way and then tied the red rope in the window. | 21“I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window. |
| 22They went to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them to return. Their pursuers looked all along the way but did not find them. | 22The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success. |
| 23Then the two men returned--they came down from the hills, crossed the river, came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. | 23Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. |
| 24They told Joshua, "Surely the LORD is handing over all the land to us! All who live in the land are cringing before us!" | 24“The LORD has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.” |
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