1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent forth from Shittim
two men to reconnoiter secretly, saying,
"Go, spy out the land, and Jericho."
So they went and came to the house
of a female prostitute,
whose name was Rahab,
and they lodged there.
2 Then the king of Jericho was told, saying,
"Behold, men have come here tonight,
from the sons of Israel,
to explore the land."
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying,
"Bring out the men that came to you,
that came into your house,
for they have come to explore the whole land."
4 But the woman took two men and hid them,
and said, "True, the men came to me,
but I do not know where they are.
5 So it was, the gate was shutting at the dark,
so the men left.
I do not know where the men went.
Pursue after them quickly,
for you shall overtake them."
6 But she had taken them up to the roof,
and hidden them in the stalks of flax
which she had laid out on the roof.
7 So the men pursued after them,
all the way to the Jordan up to the fords.
And they shut the gate after them,
just as the pursuers had gone out after them.
8 Now they were still lying down,
so she came up onto the roof.
9 Then she said to the men,
"I know that Yahweh has given the land to you,
and that your dread has fallen upon us,
and that all the inhabitants of the land
faint because of you.
10 For we have heard how Yahweh
dried up the Sea of Reeds before you
when you came out of Egypt.
And what you did to the two kings of the Amorites
who were across the Jordan--
to Sihon and to Og--
on whom you performed the cherem.
11 And we heard, and our hearts melted,
and spirit did not remain in anyone anymore
because of you.
For Yahweh your God,
he is God in the heavens above,
and upon the earth below.
12 So swear to me now by Yahweh,
for I have dealt with you mercifully,
that you will deal mercifully also
with my father's house.
And give me a faithful sign
13 that you will save alive
my father, and my mother,
and my brothers, and my sisters,
and all that is theirs,
and deliver our souls from death.
14 So the men said to her,
"Our souls will die instead,
if you do not tell this business of ours,
and it will be,
when Yahweh gives the land to us,
and we will deal with you
mercifully and faithfully."
15 Then she let them down
with a cord through the window,
for her house was in the wall of the city,
and she dwelt upon the wall.
16 And she said to them,
"Go to the mountain,
lest you run into the pursuers,
and hide yourselves there three days
until the pursuers return.
Then afterwards you shall go on your way."
17 Then the men said to
her,
"We will be guiltless of the oath,
which you made us swear.
18 Behold, when we have come to the land,
this cord of scarlet thread
you shall tie in the window
where you let us down.
And your father, and your mother,
and your brothers,
and all the house of your father,
you shall bring into your home.
19 And it will be,
anyone who goes out the doors
of your house into the street,
their blood will be on their head,
but we will be guiltless.
But anyone who will be
with you in the house,
his blood will be on our heads
if a hand shall be upon him.
20 And if you shall tell of
this business of ours,
then we will be guiltless
of this oath you made us swear."
21 And she said,
"As you have said, so will it be."
Then she sent them forth,
and they went.
And she tied the scarlet cord in her window.
22 Then they went and came to the mountain,
and dwelt there three days,
until the pursuers returned.
And the pursuers searched all the way,
but they did not find them.
23 Then the two men returned
and came down from the mountain,
and passed over
and came to Joshua son of Nun,
and told to him all they found.
24 Then they said to
Joshua,
"For Yahweh has given all the land
into our hands.
And also, all the inhabitants of the land
faint because of us."