Joshua Chapter 2
Showing all 24 verses for Joshua Chapter 2.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of 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. "
"Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men out from Shittim as spies, telling them, "Go and look over the land, especially Jericho." So they went and stayed at the house of a prostitute named Rahab."
I send people out even into uncertain, hidden places, and I've always used the most unexpected people to shelter my purposes - here, a woman the world had written off. Don't judge who I can use by their reputation or past; Rahab became part of the story of salvation itself. Be open to the surprising ways I work through people society overlooks.
"And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. "
"The king of Jericho was told, "Look, some Israelite men have come here tonight to spy out the land.""
Fear spreads quickly among those who sense that something greater than themselves is moving - the king's alarm shows how my presence unsettles opposition even before a battle begins. When you walk in obedience to me, don't be surprised if it stirs up resistance; it's often a sign that something real is happening. Stay calm even when others panic around your calling.
"And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, 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. "
"So the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: "Hand over the men who came to you and entered your house - they've come to spy out the whole country.""
Pressure to betray someone under your protection can come suddenly and from powerful sources - the king demanded Rahab hand the spies over. Loyalty to what is right sometimes means resisting demands from those who hold earthly power over you. I honour courage shown in protecting the vulnerable, even at personal risk.
"And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: "
"But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, men did come to me, but I didn't know where they were from.""
Rahab's deception to protect the spies sits uncomfortably alongside my call to truthfulness, yet what I ultimately commend in her is not the lie but the faith and courage behind her action - she chose to side with my people at great risk to herself. I look at the heart's allegiance more than judging every detail of a desperate moment. Extend grace to people making hard calls under pressure you've never faced.
"And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. "
""About the time the city gate was closing, at dark, the men left. I don't know which way they went - chase after them quickly, you'll probably catch them.""
Rahab risked everything with careful, quick thinking to protect strangers who had done nothing but ask for shelter - real hospitality sometimes costs something. I notice when you go out of your way, even cleverly, to keep someone safe who is vulnerable in your care. Courage under pressure often looks like calm, decisive action rather than panic.
"But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. "
"But really she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under stalks of flax she had spread out there."
Rahab used what was simply lying around her home - stalks of flax - to accomplish something significant for my purposes. You don't need extraordinary resources to be useful to me; ordinary things in your everyday life can become the means of real protection and provision when used with faith. Look at what's already in your hands.
"And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate. "
"So the king's men chased after them on the road towards the Jordan River, to the river crossings. As soon as the pursuers had left, the city gate was shut."
Sometimes my protection works through simple timing and circumstance - the gate closing just after the pursuers left. I am at work in details you may never even notice, arranging events quietly on your behalf. Trust that my care for you includes the timing of ordinary events, not only dramatic miracles.
"And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; "
"Before the two men had settled down to sleep, Rahab came up to them on the roof."
Before the spies even settled to rest, Rahab came to speak with them - she wasted no time pursuing what mattered to her, the safety of her family and a relationship with the people of the true God. When something eternally significant is within reach, don't delay in seeking it. Urgency in seeking me is never wasted.
"And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. "
"She said to the men, "I know the LORD has given you this land, that fear of you has fallen on us, and that everyone living here is terrified because of you.""
Rahab spoke with remarkable clarity of faith: 'I know that the LORD hath given you the land.' She had never seen me part a sea or fight a battle for Israel, yet she believed based on what she'd heard - that's real faith, believing without having witnessed it yourself. Let the testimony of what I've done for others build your own confidence in what I will do for you.
"For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. "
""We've heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.""
Word of my past faithfulness - drying the Red Sea, defeating Sihon and Og - had travelled far beyond Israel's camp and shaped how an entire city felt fear and awe. What I do for you is never just for you; it becomes testimony that reaches people you'll never meet. Don't underestimate how your story of my faithfulness might reach someone far away.
"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: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. "
""As soon as we heard this, our hearts sank, and no one had any courage left because of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.""
Rahab's confession - 'the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath' - is a full, genuine acknowledgment of who I truly am, spoken by someone outside my covenant people entirely. My identity as the one true God is not reserved for the already-faithful; anyone, anywhere, can come to recognise and confess it. Never assume someone is too far outside to genuinely know me.
"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: "
""So now, please swear to me by the LORD that, since I have shown kindness to you, you will also show kindness to my family - and give me a reliable sign of that promise.""
Rahab asked for kindness to be shown to her family in return for the kindness she had shown - a fair and human request, built on the truth that mercy given often invites mercy back. When you extend grace to someone, it's not wrong to trust that grace has a way of returning to you and those you love. I honour those who show kindness by remembering their whole household too.
"And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. "
""That you will spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and everyone who belongs to them, and save our lives from death.""
Rahab didn't just seek safety for herself - she pleaded for her whole family: father, mother, brothers, sisters. Real faith reaches beyond ourselves to want salvation and safety for the people we love. Let your own faith move you to intercede for your family's wellbeing, not just your own.
"And the men answered her, 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. "
"The men answered her, "Our lives for yours, if you don't tell anyone what we've been doing. And when the LORD gives us this land, we will treat you with kindness and faithfulness.""
The spies made a costly promise - 'our life for yours' - binding themselves to Rahab's safety at the risk of their own. Covenant love is willing to stake something real on behalf of another person. When you make a promise of protection or loyalty to someone, mean it enough to risk something for it.
"Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the town wall, and she upon the wall. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Then she lowered them down by a rope through the window, since her house was built into the town wall - she actually lived on the wall itself."
Rahab let the spies down by a cord through her window in the wall - an ordinary, humble means for something of great consequence. My rescue often comes through simple, practical acts done by ordinary people in their own homes. Don't despise the small, physical things you can do to help someone escape danger.
"And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. "
"She told them, "Go to the hill country, so the pursuers don't run into you. Hide there for three days until they've given up and returned, and then you can go on your way.""
Rahab gave wise, practical guidance - go to the mountain, wait three days - showing that faith and shrewd thinking work together, not against each other. I don't ask you to abandon good sense when you trust me; often my provision comes precisely through sensible plans made in faith. Be willing to offer practical wisdom to those you're trying to help.
"And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. "
"The men said to her, "We will be free from this oath you made us swear, unless...""
The spies were careful to be blameless in the oath they made, showing that even in a tense and dangerous moment, integrity in keeping one's word mattered deeply to them. A promise made under pressure is still a promise worth keeping with honour. Let your commitments hold firm even when circumstances change around you.
"Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. "
""Look - when we come into the land, tie this scarlet cord in the window you let us down from, and bring your father, mother, brothers, and your whole family into your house with you.""
A simple scarlet cord in a window became the sign of salvation for an entire household - not because the cord itself had power, but because it marked faith and obedience to the promise given. Salvation often comes through a marked sign of trust rather than personal merit. Let this remind you that it is faith in the promise, not achievement, that saves.
"And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, 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. "
""If anyone goes out of your house into the street, their death will be their own responsibility, not ours. But anyone who stays inside the house with you - if anyone harms them, that will be on us.""
The terms were clear and fair: stay within the marked place of safety, and you are protected; step outside it, and the responsibility shifts to you. My protection is real and generous, but it requires staying within the place I've marked out for you. Trust the boundaries I set as places of safety, not restriction.
"And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. "
""And if you tell anyone what we've been doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.""
The spies' oath had a condition attached - faithfulness on Rahab's part would be met with faithfulness on theirs. Covenants are mutual; my promises to you call for a corresponding faithfulness from you, not as a way to earn grace, but as the natural shape of a trusting relationship. Keep your side of the commitments you've made to me.
"And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window. "
"She said, "Let it be as you say." Then she sent them off, and they left. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window."
Rahab agreed simply - 'According unto your words, so be it' - and then acted immediately, tying the scarlet line in her window without delay. Genuine faith responds to a promise by acting on it right away, not waiting to see if it will prove true first. Let your trust in my word show itself in immediate, visible obedience.
"And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. "
"The men went to the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had gone back. The pursuers searched everywhere along the road but never found them."
The spies waited patiently three days in the mountain exactly as instructed, even while pursuers searched everywhere for them - obedience sometimes means waiting quietly in a place of apparent vulnerability, trusting the plan will hold. Don't rush ahead of the guidance I've given you, even when patience feels risky. My timing and instructions are trustworthy even when unseen searchers are near.
"So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all things that befell them: "
"Then the two men came down from the hills, crossed back over, and returned to Joshua son of Nun, and told him everything that had happened to them."
The spies returned and gave Joshua a full, honest account of everything that had happened to them - nothing hidden, nothing exaggerated. When you've experienced my faithfulness in a difficult situation, tell the full story honestly to those who need to hear it for their own encouragement. Truthful testimony strengthens the faith of others.
"And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us. "
"They told Joshua, "The LORD has truly given the whole land into our hands - all the people living there are already terrified of us.""
The spies' final word was confident and clear: 'the LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land.' Their confidence rested entirely on what they had witnessed of my power working through fear in the hearts of Israel's enemies, not on their own strength. Let evidence of my hand at work fuel bold confidence in what still lies ahead for you.