Immerse: Kingdoms - Flipbook - Page 17
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IMMERSE
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KINGDOMS
1:15–2:14
them until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until
they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then
may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the
land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.”
They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we
will go wherever you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses.
And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone
who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia
Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the
Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came
to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here
tonight to spy out the land.” So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab:
“Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come
here to spy out the whole land.”
Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were
here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. They left the town
at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If
you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” (Actually, she had taken
them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid
out.) So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading
to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men
had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.
Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof
to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told
them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For
we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red
Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og,
the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has
the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is
the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
“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 when Jericho
is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my
brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
“We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed.
2:15–3:8
JOSHuA
5
“If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when
the Lord gives us the land.”
Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them
down by a rope through the window. “Escape to the hill country,” she told
them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then,
when they have returned, you can go on your way.”
Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we
have taken only if you follow these instructions. When we come into the
land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through
which you let us down. And all your family members—your father,
mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.
If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if
anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death. If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this
oath in any way.”
“I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The
men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they
finally returned without success.
Then the two spies came down from the hill country, crossed the Jordan
River, and reported to Joshua all that had happened to them. “The Lord
has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are
terrified of us.”
Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove
and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before
crossing. Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp,
giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical
priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move
out from your positions and follow them. Since you have never traveled
this way before, they will guide you. Stay about half a mile behind them,
keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t
come any closer.”
Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the
Lord will do great wonders among you.”
In the morning Joshua said to the priests, “Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river.” And so they started out and
went ahead of the people.
The Lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader
in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as
I was with Moses. Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of
