2:1
And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two spies secretly, saying: 'Go view the land, and Jericho.' And they went, and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.
2:2
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 land.'
2:3
And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying: 'Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.'
2:4
And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said: 'Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were;
2:5
and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.'
2:6
But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had spread out upon the roof.
2:7
And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords; and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, the gate was shut.
2:8
And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
2:9
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 melt away before you.
2:10
For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.
2:11
And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
2:12
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--
2:13
and save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.'
2:14
And the men said unto her: 'Our life for yours, if ye tell not this our business; and it shall be, when the Lord giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.'
2:15
Then she let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
2:16
And she said unto them: 'Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned; and afterward may ye go your way.'
2:17
And the men said unto her: 'We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
2:18
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 gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household.
2:19
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.
2:20
But if thou utter this our business, then we will be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.'
2:21
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.
2:22
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.
2:23
Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them.
2:24
And they said unto Joshua: 'Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.'