Yosua 2:8-21

2:8 Now before the spies ¹  went to sleep, Rahab ²  went up ³  to the roof. 2:9 She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you. ⁴  We are absolutely terrified of you, ⁵  and all who live in the land are cringing before ⁶  you. ⁷  2:10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. ⁸  2:11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. ⁹  For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 2:12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name. ¹⁰  Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. ¹¹  Give me a solemn pledge ¹²  2:13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us ¹³  from death.” 2:14 The men said to her, “If you ¹⁴  die, may we die too! ¹⁵  If you do not report what we’ve been up to, ¹⁶  then, when the Lord hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance ¹⁷  to you.” ¹⁸ 

2:15 Then Rahab ¹⁹  let them down by a rope ²⁰  through the window. (Her ²¹  house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.) ²²  2:16 She told them, “Head ²³  to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t find you. ²⁴  Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you ²⁵  to return. Then you can be on your way.” 2:17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met: ²⁶  2:18 When we invade the land ²⁷ , tie this red rope ²⁸  in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house. ²⁹  2:19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death – we are innocent in that case! ³⁰  But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible. ³¹  2:20 If you should report what we’ve been up to, ³²  we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.” 2:21 She said, “I agree to these conditions.” ³³  She sent them on their way ³⁴  and then tied the red rope in the window.

[2:8]  ¹ tn Heb “they.”

[2:8]  ² tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:8]  ³ tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.

[2:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.

[2:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”

[2:9]  ⁶ tn Or “melting away because of.”

[2:9]  ⁷ tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”

[2:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”

[2:12]  sn To swear an oath in the Lord’s name would make the Lord the witness and guarantor of the promise attached to the oath. If the person making the oath should go back on the promise, the Lord would judge him for breaking the contract.

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “with the house of my father.”

[2:12]  ¹² tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”

[2:13]  ¹³ tn Or “our lives.”

[2:14]  ¹⁴ tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.

[2:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.

[2:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”

[2:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.

[2:14]  ¹⁸ tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.

[2:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:15]  ²⁰ tc The phrase “by a rope” is omitted in the LXX. It may be a later clarifying addition. If original, the omission in the LXX is likely due to an error of homoioarcton. A scribe’s or translator’s eye could have jumped from the initial ב (bet) in the phrase בַּחֶבֶל (bakhevel, “with a rope”) to the initial ב on the immediately following בְּעַד (bÿ’ad, “through”) and accidentally omitted the intervening letters.

[2:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “For her house.”

[2:15]  ²² tc These explanatory statements are omitted in the LXX and probably represent a later scribal addition.

[2:16]  ²³ tn Heb “Go.”

[2:16]  ²⁴ tn Heb “so that the pursuers might not meet you.”

[2:16]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“you”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.

[2:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.

[2:18]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”

[2:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”

[2:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”

[2:19]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”

[2:19]  ³¹ tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”

[2:20]  ³² tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”

[2:21]  ³³ tn Heb “According to your words, so it [will be].”

[2:21]  ³⁴ tn Heb “she sent them away and they went.”