JPS - Joshua - 2

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 HaShem 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 HaShem 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 HaShem your G-d, He is G-d in heaven above, and on earth beneath.

2:12  Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by HaShem, 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 HaShem 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 HaShem hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.'