CHAPTER 2
1 Therefore Joshua, the son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spyers [or spies] in huddles, and said to them, Go ye, and behold ye the land, and the city of Jericho. Which went, and entered into the house of a woman whore, Rahab by name, and rested at her.
2 And it was told, and said to the king of Jericho, Lo! men of the sons of Israel have entered hither by night, to espy the land.
3 Therefore the king of Jericho sent to Rahab the whore, and said, Bring out the men, that came to thee, and that entered into thine house; for they be spyers [or spies], and they came to behold all the land.
4 And the woman took the men, and hid them, and said, I acknowledge, that they came to me, but I wist not of whence they were;
5 and when the gate was closed in darknesses, and they went out together, I know not whither they went; pursue ye them soon, and ye shall overtake them.
6 Forsooth she had made the men to go up into the solar of her house, and she covered them with stubble, or sheaves, of flax, that was there.
7 And they, that were sent, pursued [or followed]after them by the way that leadeth to the fords of Jordan; and when they were gone out, anon the gate was closed.
8 [And] They that were hid, slept not yet, and lo! the woman went up to them,
9 and said, I know that the Lord hath betaken to you this land; for your fearedfulness is fallen into us, and all the dwellers of the land be abashed.
10 We have heard, that the Lord hath dried up the waters of the Red Sea at your entering, when ye went out of Egypt; and what things ye did to the two kings of Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon and Og, which ye killed;
11 and we heard these things, and we dreaded, and our heart was sick, and spirit dwelled not in us at your entering; for the Lord your God himself is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
12 Now therefore swear ye to me by the Lord God, that as I did mercy with you, so and ye do with the house of my father; and give ye to me a very sign,
13 that ye save my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and [my] sisters, and all things that be theirs, and deliver our lives from death.
14 Which answered to her, Our life be for you into death, if nevertheless thou betrayest not us; and when the Lord hath betaken to us the land, we shall do mercy and truth with thee.
15 Then she let them down from the window by a cord; for her house was joined to the town wall.
16 And she said to them, Go ye up to the hilly places [or mountains], lest peradventure the men turning again meet you; and be ye hid there three days, till they come again; and so ye shall go by your way.
17 Which said to her, We shall be guiltless of this oath, by which thou hast charged us,
18 if, when we enter into the land, this red cord is not a sign, and thou bindest it not in the window, by which thou lettest us down; and thou gatherest not into thine house thy father, and mother, and brethren, and all thy kindred;
19 the blood of him shall be on his head, that goeth out at the door of thine house, and we shall be guiltless; forsooth the blood of all men that be in the house with thee, shall turn into our head, if any man toucheth them.
20 That if thou wilt betray us, and bring forth into the midst this word, we shall be clean of this oath, by which thou hast charged us.
21 And she answered, As ye have spoken, so be it done. And she let them go, that they should go forth, and she hanged the red cord in her window.
22 And they went forth, and came into the hilly places [or mountains], and dwelled there three days, till they turned again that pursued them; for they sought them by each way, and found not them.
23 And when the seekers entered into the city again, the spyers [or spies] turned again, and came down from the hill; and when they had passed [over] Jordan, they came to Joshua, the son of Nun; and they told to him all things that befelled to them,
24 and said, The Lord hath betaken all the land into our hands, and all the dwellers thereof be cast down by dread.