1Fra israelitternes lejr ved Shittim på Moabs sletter havde Josva i al hemmelighed sendt to spioner af sted over floden for at undersøge landet, især Jeriko. De tog af sted og kom til et hus i Jeriko, hvor der boede en kvinde ved navn Rahab, som var prostitueret. Der fik de lov til at overnatte.2Men da Jerikos konge fik at vide, at der var kommet nogle israelitter til byen den aften for at udspionere landet,3sendte han straks nogle af sine folk til Rahabs hus: „Udlever de mænd, som er i dit hus,” beordrede de. „De er spioner.”4Rahab havde allerede skjult mændene, så hun svarede: „Der kom ganske rigtig to mænd til mit hus, men jeg vidste ikke, hvor de kom fra.5De er her ikke længere, for de forlod byen inden solnedgang, da byporten skulle lukkes. Jeg ved ikke, hvor de tog hen, men hvis I skynder jer, kan I sikkert nå at indhente dem.”6Rahab havde ført mændene op på det flade tag og gemt dem under noget hør, hun havde liggende til tørre deroppe.7Kongens mænd skyndte sig af sted i retning af Jordanflodens vadesteder, og byporten blev lukket forsvarligt, så snart de var taget af sted.8Imens gik Rahab op på taget for at tale med mændene, inden de lagde sig til at sove.9„Jeg ved, at Herren har givet jer vores land,” sagde hun. „Vi er alle sammen frygtelig bange for jer.10Vi har jo hørt, hvordan Herren åbnede en vej for jer gennem Det Røde Hav, dengang I forlod Egypten. Vi ved også, hvordan det gik amoritterkongerne Sihon og Og på den anden side af Jordanfloden, da I ødelagde deres land og udryddede befolkningen.11Så det er ikke underligt, at vi har tabt modet. Ingen tør kæmpe imod jer, når de ved, at Herren, jeres Gud, er den øverste Gud i Himlen og på jorden.12-13Derfor vil jeg bede jer om én ting: Sværg ved jeres Guds hellige navn, at I vil hjælpe mig og min familie, ligesom jeg nu hjælper jer. Giv mig et sikkert tegn på, at I vil skåne mig og min mor og far, mine brødre og søstre og deres familier, så vi ikke skal dø, når I erobrer Jeriko.”14„Liv for liv!” svor mændene. „Hvis du ikke forråder os, vil vi sørge for, at du og din familie bliver skånet, når Herren giver os sejr over jeres land.”15Rahabs hus var bygget i ét med bymuren og havde et vindue, der vendte udad. Hun tog nu et reb og gjorde klar til at fire dem ned på ydersiden af bymuren.16„Gå væk fra floden og op i bjergene,” sagde hun til dem, „og gem jer der i tre dage, indtil jeres forfølgere giver op og kommer tilbage til byen. Så kan I roligt vende hjem.”17-18Inden spionerne forsvandt, sagde de: „Den ed, du har fået os til at sværge, gælder kun, hvis du binder den her røde snor fast i vinduet, og hvis I alle holder jer inden døre.19Hvis nogen forlader huset her, er det deres egen skyld, hvis de mister livet. Men vi står inde for, at der ikke vil ske noget med dem, der bliver i huset.20Hvis du forråder os, er vi løst fra vores løfte.”21„Det er i orden,” svarede hun. Derpå firede hun dem ned, og de forsvandt i mørket, mens hun bandt den røde snor fast i vinduet.22Spionerne flygtede nu op i bjergene, hvor de blev i tre dage, mens deres forfølgere søgte efter dem overalt og siden vendte tilbage til byen med uforrettet sag.23Derefter gik de ned fra bjergene, vadede over Jordanfloden og fortalte Josva, hvordan det var gået.24„Herren har givet os hele landet,” sagde de. „Befolkningen er så bange for os, at de ryster af skræk.”
1And Joshua the son of Nun sent[1] two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. (4.Mos 25,1; Matt 1,5; Heb 11,31; Jak 2,25)2And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”3Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.5And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”6But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.7So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. (Dom 3,28; Dom 7,24)8Before the men[2] lay down, she came up to them on the roof9and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. (2.Mos 15,15; 2.Mos 15,16; 2.Mos 23,27; Josva 2,11; Josva 2,24)10For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.[3] (2.Mos 14,21; 4.Mos 21,23; 4.Mos 21,33; Josva 4,23; Salm 135,11; Salm 136,19)11And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (2.Mos 15,14; 5.Mos 4,39; Josva 2,9; Josva 5,1; Josva 7,5; 2.Sam 17,10; Salm 22,14; Es 13,7; Ez 21,7)12Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign (Josva 2,18)13that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”14And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” (Dom 1,24)15Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. (1.Sam 19,12; Ap G 9,25; 2.Kor 11,33)16And she said[4] to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”17The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.18Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. (Josva 2,12; Josva 6,23)19Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. (Matt 27,25)20But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” (Josva 2,14)21And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.22They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.23Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. (Josva 2,7)24And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.” (2.Mos 23,31; Josva 2,9; Josva 21,44)