¹Joshua the son of Nun secretly sent two men out of Shittim as spies , saying, “Go , view the land, including Jericho .” They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab , and slept there .

²The king of Jericho was told, “Behold , men of the children of Israel came in here tonight to spy out the land.”[#2:2 “Behold”, from “”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.]

³Jericho ’s king sent to Rahab , saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you , who have entered into your house ; for they have come to spy out all the land.”

⁴The woman took the two men and hid them . Then she said , “Yes , the men came to me , but I didn’t know where they came from .

⁵About the time of the shutting of the gate , when it was dark , the men went out . Where the men went , I don’t know . Pursue them quickly . You may catch up with them .”

⁶But she had brought them up to the roof , and hidden them under the stalks of flax which she had laid in order on the roof .

⁷The men pursued them along the way to the fords of the Jordan River. As soon as those who pursued them had gone out , they shut the gate .

⁸Before they had lain down , she came up to them on the roof .

⁹She said to the men , “I know that the LORD has given you the land , and that the fear of you has fallen upon us , and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you .

¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you , when you came out of Egypt ; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan , to Sihon and to Og , whom you utterly destroyed .

¹¹As soon as we had heard it , our hearts melted , and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man , because of you : for the LORD your God , he is God in heaven above , and on earth beneath .

¹²Now therefore , please swear to me by the LORD , since I have dealt kindly with you , that you also will deal kindly with my father’s house , and give me a true sign;

¹³and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters, and all that they have , and will deliver our lives from death .”

¹⁴The men said to her , “Our life for yours , if you don’t talk about this business of ours; and it shall be , when the LORD gives us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you .”

¹⁵Then she let them down by a cord through the window ; for her house was on the side of the wall , and she lived on the wall .

¹⁶She said to them , “Go to the mountain , lest the pursuers find you . Hide yourselves there three days , until the pursuers have returned . Afterward, you may go your way .”

¹⁷The men said to her , “We will be guiltless of this your oath which you ’ve made us to swear .

¹⁸Behold , when we come into the land, tie this line of scarlet thread in the window which you used to let us down . Gather to yourself into the house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household .

¹⁹It shall be that whoever goes out of the doors of your house into the street , his blood will be on his head , and we will be guiltless . Whoever is with you in the house , his blood shall be on our head , if any hand is on him .

²⁰But if you talk about this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless of your oath which you ’ve made us to swear .”

²¹She said , “Let it be as you have said .” She sent them away , and they departed . Then she tied the scarlet line in the window .

²²They went and came to the mountain , and stayed there three days , until the pursuers had returned . The pursuers sought them all along the way , but didn’t find them .

²³Then the two men returned , descended from the mountain , crossed the river, and came to Joshua the son of Nun . They told him all that had happened to them .

²⁴They said to Joshua , “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands . Moreover , all the inhabitants of the land melt away before us .”