1
And Yehoshua son of Nun sent from Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, “Go, see the land, and Yericho.” And they went and came into the house of an ishah, a prostitute, whose name was Rachav, and they lay down there.
2
And it was told to the king of Yericho, saying, “See, men from the sons of Yisra’el have come here tonight to search out the land.”
3
And the king of Yericho sent to Rachav, saying, “Bring out the men who came to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
4
And the ishah took the two men and hid them. And she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know from where they were.
5
And it came to pass when the gate was about to be shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue after them quickly, for you may overtake them.”
6
But she had caused them to go up to the roof and hidden them among stalks of flax that she had arranged upon the roof.
7
And the men pursued after them by the way of the Yarden, as far as the fords. And the gate was shut after those pursuing them had gone out.
8
And before they lay down, she went up to them upon the roof.
9
And she said to the men, “I know that Yahuah has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted from before your face.
10
For we have heard how Yahuah dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds from before your face when you came out from Mitzrayim, and what you did to the two kings of the Emori who were beyond the Yarden, to Sichon and to Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
11
And we heard, and our hearts melted, and no ruach remained in any ish because of your face. For Yahuah your Elohim—He is Elohim in the heavens above and upon the earth beneath.
12
And now, please swear to me by Yahuah, because I have done covenant-faithfulness with you, that you also will do covenant-faithfulness with the house of my father. And give me a true sign,
13
that you will keep alive my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our beings from death.”
14
And the men said to her, “Our beings instead of yours for death, if you do not declare this matter of ours. And it shall be, when Yahuah gives us the land, that we will do covenant-faithfulness and truth with you.”
15
And she caused them to go down by a cord through the window, for her house was in the wall of the city, and in the wall she dwelt.
16
And she said to them, “Go toward the mountain, lest those pursuing meet you. Hide yourselves there three days, until those pursuing return, and afterward you may go your way.”
17
And the men said to her, “We shall be free from this oath of yours that you caused us to swear,
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unless, when we come into the land, you bind this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you caused us to go down, and gather your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father to you into the house.
19
And it shall be that everyone who goes out from the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we shall be free. But everyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be upon our head if a hand comes against him.
20
And if you declare this matter of ours, then we shall be free from your oath that you caused us to swear.”
21
And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they went. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
22
And they went and came to the mountain and remained there three days, until those pursuing returned. And those pursuing searched throughout all the way but did not find them.
23
And the two men returned and came down from the mountain and crossed over and came to Yehoshua son of Nun. And they recounted to him all that had found them.
24
And they said to Yehoshua, “Surely Yahuah has given all the land into our hand, and also all the inhabitants of the land have melted from before our face.”