Josué 2

¹ And Joshua the son of Nun sent out ofWhich was in the plain of Moab near Jordan.Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

² Then report was made to the King of Iericho, saying, Beholde, there came men hither to night, of the children of Israel, to spie out the countrey.

³ And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying,Though the wicked see the hand of God on them, they do not repent, but seek how they may by their power and policy resist his working.Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country.

⁴ (But ye woman had taken the two men, and hid them) Therefore saide she thus, There came men vnto me, but I wist not whence they were.

⁵ And when they shut the gate in the darke, the men went out, whither the men went I wote not: followe ye after them quickly, for ye shall ouertake them.

⁶ But she had brought them up to theMeaning, on the house: for then their houses were flat above, so that they might do their business on it.roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.

⁷ And certaine men pursued after them, the way to Iorden, vnto the foordes, and as soone as they which pursued after them, were gone out, they shut the gate.

⁸ And before they were a sleepe, she came vp vnto them vpon the roofe,

⁹ And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that yourFor so God promised, (Deu_28:7; Jos_5:1).terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

¹⁰ For we haue heard, howe the Lord dried vp the water of the redde Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt, and what you did vnto the two Kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Iorden, vnto Sihon and to Og, whom ye vtterly destroyed:

¹¹ And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: forIn this the great mercy of God appears, that in this common destruction he would draw a most miserable sinner to repent, and confess his Name.the LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

¹² 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,

¹³ And that yee will saue aliue my father and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they haue: and that yee will deliuer our soules from death.

¹⁴ And the men answered her,We warrant you on pain of our lives.Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.

¹⁵ Then she let them downe by a corde thorowe the windowe: for her house was vpon the towne wall, and she dwelt vpon the wall.

¹⁶ And she said unto them, Get you to thewhich was near to the city.mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.

¹⁷ And the men said unto her,We will be released from our oath if you perform this condition that follows for so shall you and yours be delivered.We [will be] blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear.

¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this cord of red threde in the window, whereby thou lettest vs downe, and thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother, and thy brethren, & all thy fathers houshold home to thee.

¹⁹ And it shall be, [that] whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street,He shall be guilty of his own death.his blood [shall be] upon his head, and we [will be] guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood [shall be] on our head, if [any] hand be upon him.

²⁰ And if thou utter this ourSo that others should think to escape by the same means.business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

²¹ And she answered, According vnto your wordes, so be it: then she sent them away, & they departed, & she bound the red cord in ye window.

²² And they departed, and came into the mountaine, and there abode three dayes, vntil the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but founde them not.

²³ So the two men returned, and descended from the mountaine, and passed ouer, and came to Ioshua the sonne of Nun, and tolde him all things that came vnto them.

²⁴ Also they saide vnto Ioshua, Surely the Lorde hath deliuered into our handes all the lande: for euen all the inhabitants of the countrey faint because of vs.