Joshua 2:12

THE MESSAGE

"Now promise me by God . I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my father’s family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

Hebrew Names Version
Now 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 token;

King James Version
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord , since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

Lexham English Bible
So then please swear to me by Yahweh, because I have shown loyalty to you, and you will also show loyalty to my family. You must give me a sign of good faith,

English Standard Version
Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign

New Century Version
So now, promise me before the Lord that you will show kindness to my family just as I showed kindness to you. Give me some proof that you will do this.

New English Translation
So 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

Amplified Bible
"And now, please swear [an oath] to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's household (family), and give me a pledge of truth and faithfulness,

New American Standard Bible
"Now then, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's household, and give me a pledge of truth,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now therefore, I pray you, sweare vnto me by the Lord; that as I haue shewed you mercie, ye will also shewe mercie vnto my fathers house, and giue me a true token,

Legacy Standard Bible
So now, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have shown lovingkindness to you, that you also will show lovingkindness to my father's household and give me a pledge of truth,

Contemporary English Version
Please promise me in the Lord 's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show

Complete Jewish Bible
So, please, swear to me by Adonai that, since I have been kind to you, you will also be kind to my father's family. Give me some evidence of your good faith,

Darby Translation
And now, I pray you, swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye will also deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a certain sign,

Easy-to-Read Version
So now, I want you to make a promise to me. I was kind to you and helped you. So promise me before the Lord that you will be kind to my family. Please tell me that you will do this.

George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore, swear to me by the LORD, because I have showed you kindness, that you also will show kindness to me and to my fathers household, and give me a true sign;

Good News Translation
Now swear by him that you will treat my family as kindly as I have treated you, and give me some sign that I can trust you.

Literal Translation
And now, please swear to me by Jehovah, since I have dealt with you in kindness, that you will also deal with my father's house in kindness, and shall give to me a true token;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Sweare now then vnto me euen by the LORDE (for so moch as I haue dealte mercifully with you) that ye wyl also shewe mercy vpon my fathers house: and geue me a true token,

American Standard Version
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token;

Bible in Basic English
So now, will you give me your oath by the Lord, that, because I have been kind to you, you will be kind to my father's house,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore, I pray you sweare vnto me by the Lorde, that as I haue shewed you mercie, ye shall also shewe mercie vnto my fathers house, and geue me a true token:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house--and give me a true token--

King James Version (1611)
Now therfore, I pray you, sweare vnto me by the Lord, since I haue shewed you kindnesse, that ye will also shew kindnesse vnto my fathers house, and giue me a true token:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now swear to me by the Lord God; since I deal mercifully with you, so do ye also deal mercifully with the house of my father:

English Revised Version
Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token:

Berean Standard Bible
Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Now therfor swere ye to me bi the Lord God, that as Y dide merci with you, so and ye do with the hows of my fadir; and yyue ye to me a veri signe,

Young's Literal Translation
`And now, swear ye, I pray you, to me by Jehovah -- because I have done with you kindness -- that ye have done, even ye, kindness with the house of my father, and have given to me a true token,

Update Bible Version
Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by Yahweh, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token;

Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token:

World English Bible
Now therefore, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token;

New King James Version
Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token,

New Living Translation
"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

New Life Bible
Now I have shown you kindness. So I beg of you, promise me by the Lord that you will show kindness to those of my father's house. Give me something to show that you will be faithful.

New Revised Standard
Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore I pray you, swear unto me by Yahweh, since I have dealt with you in lovingkindness, that, ye also, will deal with the house of my father in lovingkindness, and will give me a token of faithfulness,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now, therefore, swear ye to me by the Lord, that as I have shewed mercy to you, so you also will shew mercy to my father’s house: and give me a true token.

Revised Standard Version
Now then, swear to me by the LORD that as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now 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 household, and give me a pledge of truth,

Contextual Overview

⁸Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, "I know that God has given you the land. We're all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God , your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below. ¹²"Now promise me by God . I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!" ¹⁴ "Our lives for yours!" said the men. "But don't tell anyone our business. When God turns this land over to us, we'll do right by you in loyal mercy." ¹⁵She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside. She told them, "Run for the hills so your pursuers won't find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way." ¹⁷The men told her, "In order to keep this oath you made us swear, here is what you must do: Hang this red rope out the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house—father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Anyone who goes out the doors of your house into the street and is killed, it's his own fault—we aren't responsible. But for everyone within the house we take full responsibility. If anyone lays a hand on one of them, it's our fault. But if you tell anyone of our business here, the oath you made us swear is canceled—we're no longer responsible." ²¹ She said, "If that's what you say, that's the way it is," and sent them off. They left and she hung the red rope out the window.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

swear: Joshua 9:15, Joshua 9:18-20, 1 Samuel 20:14, 1 Samuel 20:15, 1 Samuel 20:17, 1 Samuel 30:15, 2 Chronicles 36:13, Jeremiah 12:16

that ye will: 1 Samuel 20:14-17, 1 Samuel 24:21, 1 Samuel 24:22, Esther 8:6, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, James 2:13

my father's: Joshua 2:13, Genesis 24:3, Genesis 24:9, Romans 1:31, 1 Timothy 5:8

give me: Joshua 2:18, Exodus 12:13, Ezekiel 9:4-6, Mark 14:44

Reciprocal: Genesis 9:12 - General Genesis 21:23 - swear Genesis 40:14 - show Exodus 20:7 - guiltless Deuteronomy 6:13 - shalt swear Joshua 6:22 - as ye sware unto her Judges 1:24 - we will 2 Thessalonians 3:17 - the token

Cross-References

Exodus 39:13
Fourth row: beryl, onyx, jasper. The stones were mounted in a gold filigree. The twelve stones corresponded to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve names engraved as on a seal, one for each of the twelve tribes.

Numbers 11:7
Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin. The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.

Ezekiel 28:13
The Money Has Gone to Your Head God's Message came to me, "Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, ‘This is what God , the Master, says: "‘Your heart is proud, going around saying, "I'm a god. I sit on God's divine throne, ruling the sea"— You, a mere mortal, not even close to being a god, A mere mortal trying to be a god. Look, you think you're smarter than Daniel. No enigmas can stump you. Your sharp intelligence made you world-wealthy. You piled up gold and silver in your banks. You used your head well, worked good deals, made a lot of money. But the money has gone to your head, swelled your head—what a big head! "‘Therefore, God , the Master, says: "‘Because you're acting like a god, pretending to be a god, I'm giving fair warning: I'm bringing strangers down on you, the most vicious of all nations. They'll pull their swords and make hash of your reputation for knowing it all. They'll puncture the balloon of your god-pretensions. They'll bring you down from your self-made pedestal and bury you in the deep blue sea. Will you protest to your assassins, "You can't do that! I'm a god"? To them you're a mere mortal. They're killing a man, not a god. You'll die like a stray dog, killed by strangers— Because I said so. Decree of God , the Master.'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, raise a funeral song over the king of Tyre. Tell him, A Message from God , the Master: "You had everything going for you. You were in Eden, God's garden. You were dressed in splendor, your robe studded with jewels: Carnelian, peridot, and moonstone, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald, all in settings of engraved gold. A robe was prepared for you the same day you were created. You were the anointed cherub. I placed you on the mountain of God. You strolled in magnificence among the stones of fire. From the day of your creation you were sheer perfection... and then imperfection—evil!—was detected in you. In much buying and selling you turned violent, you sinned! I threw you, disgraced, off the mountain of God. I threw you out—you, the anointed angel-cherub. No more strolling among the gems of fire for you! Your beauty went to your head. You corrupted wisdom by using it to get worldly fame. I threw you to the ground, sent you sprawling before an audience of kings and let them gloat over your demise. By sin after sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes. All anyone sees now when they look for you is ashes, a pitiful mound of ashes. All who once knew you now throw up their hands: ‘This can't have happened! This has happened!'" God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, confront Sidon. Preach against it. Say, ‘Message from God , the Master: "‘Look! I'm against you, Sidon. I intend to be known for who I truly am among you.' They'll know that I am God when I set things right and reveal my holy presence. I'll order an epidemic of disease there, along with murder and mayhem in the streets. People will drop dead right and left, as war presses in from every side. Then they'll realize that I mean business, that I am God . "No longer will Israel have to put up with their thistle-and-thorn neighbors Who have treated them so contemptuously. And they also will realize that I am God ." God , the Master, says, "When I gather Israel from the peoples among whom they've been scattered and put my holiness on display among them with all the nations looking on, then they'll live in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob. They'll live there in safety. They'll build houses. They'll plant vineyards, living in safety. Meanwhile, I'll bring judgment on all the neighbors who have treated them with such contempt. And they'll realize that I am God ."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord,.... Which being a religious action, and done by men that feared the Lord, she knew it would be binding upon them: the Targum is,

"swear to me by the Word of the Lord:''

since I have showed you kindness; by receiving them with peace into her house, and hiding them when inquired for and demanded of her; in doing which she risked her own, life, had this treachery to her country, as it would have been deemed, been discovered;

that you will also show kindness unto my father's house; she mentions not herself and household, for if this was granted that would be implied and included; and this she presses for by the law of retaliation and friendship, for since she had shown kindness to them, it was but reasonable it should be returned:

and give me a true token; that she and her father's house would be saved by them when the city should be taken and the inhabitants destroyed; a token that would not deceive her, on which she might depend, and would be firm and sure.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A true token - literally, “a sign” or “pledge of truth; “something to bind them to keep their promise faithfully. The “token” was the oath which the spies take Joshua 2:14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 2:12. Swear unto me by the Lord — This is a farther proof that this woman had received considerable instruction in the Jewish faith; she acknowledged the true God by his essential character Jehovah; and knew that an oath in his name was the deepest and most solemn obligation under which a Jew could possibly come. Does not this also refer to the command of God, Thou shalt fear the Lord, and shalt swear by his name? Deuteronomy 6:13.