Study Desk

Your wives, your children and your cattle will stay in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you and all your strong-hearted soldiers will cross the river dressed for battle in front of your brothers. You will help them

So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you and have gone into your house. For they have come to spy out all the land."

When it was time for the gate to be shut after dark, the men went out. I do not know where they went. Be quick to go after them, for you will catch them."

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt. We have heard how you destroyed the two kings of the Amorites, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan.

When we heard it, our hearts became weak. No man had strength of heart any more because of you. For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.

So the men said to her, "Our life for yours! If you do not tell anyone what we are doing, we will be faithful and show you kindness when the Lord gives us the land."

She said to them, "Go to the hill country, or those who are looking for you might find you. For three days hide yourselves there until those who are looking for you return. Then you may go on your way."

If anyone goes out through the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head. We will not be guilty for his death. But if a hand is laid upon anyone who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head.

They left and came to the hill country and stayed there for three days until those who were looking for them returned. The men had looked for them all along the road, but had not found them.

They said to Joshua, "For sure the Lord has given all the land into our hands. All the people living in the land have become weak with fear because of us."

Then you may know the way to go, for you have not passed this way before. But stay about 1,000 long steps away from it. Do not come near it."

Then Joshua said to the people, "Make yourselves holy. For tomorrow the Lord will do powerful works among you."

Now choose twelve men from the families of Israel, one man for each family.

They carried it to the Jordan and put their feet in the water. (For the Jordan water floods during the time of gathering grain.)

And Joshua said to them, "Go into the middle of the Jordan in front of the special box of the agreement of the Lord your God. Each of you take a stone on his shoulder, one for each of the twelve family groups of Israel.

The sons of Israel did as Joshua told them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the Lord told Joshua. There was one stone for each family group of the sons of Israel. They carried them over with them to the place where they stayed, and put them down there.

The sons of Reuben and Gad and the half-family group of Manasseh crossed over ready for battle before the people of Israel, just as Moses had told them.

About 40,000 soldiers ready for battle crossed before the Lord to the desert plains of Jericho.

For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed. It was just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed.

All the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings by the sea heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed. And their hearts became weak. There was no spirit in them any more because of the people of Israel.