After the death of Moses, the servant of the LORD, the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

"Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore, up and go over Jordan, both thou and all this people, unto the land the which I give unto the children of Israel.

All the places that the soles of your feet shall tread upon, have I given you, as I said unto Moses:

from the wilderness and this Lebanon unto the great river Euphrates; and all the land of the Hittites, even unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coasts.

There shall not a man be able to withstand thee all the days of thy life. For as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee and will neither leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Be strong and bold: for unto this people shalt thou divide the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Above all things, be strong and harden thyself, to observe and to do according to all the laws which Moses my servant commanded thee. Turn there from neither to the righthand, nor to the left: that thou mayest have understanding in all thou takest in hand.

Let not the book of this law depart out of thy mouth: but record therein day and night that thou mayest be circumspect to do according to all that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have understanding.

Behold, I have said unto thee, be strong and bold: neither fear, nor dread. For the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

"Go through the midst of the host, and command the people, saying, 'Prepare you victuals: for after three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go and enjoy the land which the LORD your God giveth you, to possess it.'"

And unto the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh spake Joshua, saying,

"Remember that which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.

Let your wives, your children and your cattle remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan: But go ye before your brethren armed, all that be men of war, and help them

until the LORD hath given your brethren rest, as he hath you, and until they also have obtained the land which the LORD your God giveth them. And then return unto the land of your possession and enjoy it, which land Moses the LORD's servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sun rising."

And they answered Joshua, saying, "All that thou biddest us, we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.

And whosoever disobey thy mouth, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, let him die: Only be strong and of good courage."

Then Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two spies, secretly, saying, "Go and view the land and also Jericho." And they went, and came unto a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there.

And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, "Behold there came men in hither tonight, of the children of Israel, to spy out the country."

And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, "Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the land."

And the woman took the two men - and hid them. And said, "Indeed, there came men unto me but I knew not whence they were.

And about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, they went out. Whither they went, I know not: but follow after them quickly, and ye shall take them."

And she brought them up upon the roof of the house, and hid them under flax, yet in the stalks, which she had lying abroad upon the roof.

And the men pursued after them, the way to Jordan even unto the passage, and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gates immediately.

And before they were asleep, she came up unto them upon the roof,

and said unto the men, "I know that the LORD hath given you the land, both because that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and because that the inhabiters of the land faint at your coming.

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the reed sea before you, when you came out of Egypt, and what you did unto the two kings of the Amorites on the other side Jordan; Sihon, and Og, which ye utterly destroyed.

And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did faint. And there remained no more courage in any man for fear of your coming. For the LORD your God; he is the God in heaven above, and on the earth beneath.

Now, therefore, swear unto me by the LORD because I have showed you mercy, that ye shall also show mercy unto my father's house and give me a true token.

And that ye shall save alive, both my father and my mother, my brethren and my sisters, and all that pertain unto them. And that ye shall deliver our souls from death."

And the men answered her, "Our lives for you to die, if you utter not this our business. And so when the LORD hath given us the land, we will deal mercifully and truly with thee."

And then she let them down with a cord through the window. For her house stood in the town wall. And she dwelt in the town wall.

And she said unto them, get you into the mountains, lest the followers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned, and then may ye go your ways.

And the men said unto her, "We will be blameless of thy oath, which thou hast made us swear.

Behold, when we come unto the land, thou shalt bind this purple threaden cord in the window, which thou lettest us down by. And thou shalt bring thy father, thy mother, thy brethren, and all thy father's household, even into the house to thee.

And then whosoever go out at the doors of thy house, into the street, his blood shall be upon his own head, and we guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood be upon our heads if any man's hand be upon him:

And even so if thou utter these our words, we will be quit of thy oath which thou hast made us swear."

And she said, "According unto your words, so be it." And so sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the purple cord in the window.

And they departed and got them into the mountains, and there abode three days until the pursuers were returned. And the pursuers sought throughout all the way and found them not.

And the two men returned and descended from the mountain and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had chanced them.

And they said unto Joshua, "The LORD hath delivered into our hands all the land, for all the inhabiters of the country faint for fear of us."

And Joshua rose early. And they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, both he and all the children of Israel, and sojourned there before they went over.

And after three days the officers went throughout the host,

and commanded the people, saying, "When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests that are Levites bearing it: then depart ye from your places and follow after it.

So yet that there be a space between you and it, about a two thousand cubits by measure. And come not nigh unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not gone by it in times past."

And Joshua said unto the people, "Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD shall show wonders among you."

Then Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee, in the sight of all Israel, that they may know how that as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.

And command thou the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When ye are entered a little into the water of Jordan then stand still in it.'"

Then spake Joshua to the children of Israel, saying, "Come hither and hear the words of the LORD your God."

And Joshua said, "Hereby ye shall know, that the living God is among you, and that he will, without fail, cast out before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perezites, the Gergesites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the world shall go before you into Jordan.

And now take you twelve men of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man.

And as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah - the Lord of all the world - tread in the water of Jordan, the water of Jordan shall divide itself and the waters that cometh from above shall stand still upon a heap."

And when the people were departed from their tents to go over Jordan - the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people -

as soon as they that bare the ark came unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water - Jordan being full over all his banks all the time of harvest -

the water that came down from above did stop; and stood upon a heap, a great way from Adam, a city beside Zarethan. And the water that went down vanished into the sea of the wilderness called the salt sea as soon as it was divided: and the people went right over against Jericho.

And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood still upon dry land, until all the people were clean over Jordan.

And as soon as the people were all gone over Jordan, the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

And command you them, saying, 'Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, even out of the place where the priests stood in a readiness, twelve stones. And take ye them away with you and put them in the place where you lodge at night.'"

And Joshua called unto the twelve men which he had prepared of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man,

and said unto them, "Get you before the ark of the LORD your God, even into the midst of Jordan, and take up every man a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

that this may be a sign among you. And when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What mean ye with these stones?'

Then say unto them, 'How that the water of Jordan divided at the presence of the ark of the covenant of the LORD: even while it went over Jordan, the water of Jordan divided.' And these stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel forever."

And the children of Israel did even so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD said unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them away with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

And thereto Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood. And there they be, even unto this day.

For the priests that bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until all was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to say unto the people, according to all that Moses charged Joshua. And the people hasted and went over.

When all the people were clean over, then went over the ark of the LORD, and also the priests before the people.

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh went before the children of Israel, armed, as Moses charged them.

About forty thousand, trimmed for war, went before the LORD unto battle; even unto the wild fields of Jericho.

That day, the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel. And they feared him, as they feared Moses all the days of his life.

And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,

And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Ascend up out of Jordan."

And when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were ascended out of Jordan - as soon as the soles of the priests' feet were brought to dry land - the water of Jordan returned again to his place and went over all his banks as he did before.

And the people came up out of Jordan the tenth day of the first month and pitched in Gilgal even in the east borders of Jericho.

And the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, Joshua pitched in Gilgal.

And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, "When your children ask you in time to come saying, 'What mean these stones?'

Show your children and say, 'Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.'

For the LORD your God dried up the water of Jordan before you, until ye were over, as the LORD your God did unto the reed sea, which he dried up before us till we were over;

that all the people of the world may know the hand of the LORD how mighty it is, and that ye might fear the LORD your God forever."

And when all the kings of the Amorites which dwelt beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Cananites which lie on the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the water of Jordan before the children of Israel, until they were over, their hearts fainted in them. And there was no spirit in them any more, for fear of the coming of the children of Israel.

That same time the LORD said unto Joshua, "Make thee knives of stone, and go to again and circumcise the children of Israel the second time."

And Joshua made him knives of stone and circumcised the children of Israel in the hill of foreskins.

And this is the cause why Joshua circumcised. All the people that came out of Egypt that were males, all that were men of war, died in the wilderness by the way after they came out of Egypt.

For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people of men of war that came out of Egypt were consumed, which hearkened not unto the voice of God; so that the LORD sware, that he would not show them the land which the LORD sware unto their fathers, that he would give us even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

And their children he set up in their stead. Them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they circumcised them not by the way.

And when all the people were full circumcised, they abode still in their places in the host till they were whole.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, "This day I have taken away the shame of Egypt from you": and called the name of the same place Gilgal unto this day.

And the children of Israel pitched their tents in Gilgal, and held the feast of Passover the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the fields of Jericho.

And they ate of the corn of the land on the morrow after Passover, sweet cakes and parched corn in the selfsame day.

And Manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the corn of the land, neither had the children of Israel Manna any more, but did eat of the fruits of the land of Canaan that year.

And when Joshua was come to Jericho, he lift up his eyes and looked: and behold there stood a man before him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, "Art thou on our side or on our adversaries?"

And he answered, "Nay, but I am the captain of the host of the LORD and am now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did reverence, and said unto him, "What sayeth my Lord unto his servant?"

And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, "Put thy shoes off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy." And Joshua did so.

And Jericho shut in her people, and was shut for fear of the children of Israel, so that no man went out or in.

And the LORD said unto Joshua, "Behold, I have given into thine hand, Jericho and her king and the men of war.

And ye shall compass the city, all that be men of war, and go round about it once: and so shall you do six days.

And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. And the seventh day, ye shall compass the city seven times and the priests shall blow with their trumpets.

And when there is a long blast blown with the ram's horn, as soon as ye hear the sound of the horn, let all the people shout a mighty shout. And then shall the walls of the city fall down, and the people shall ascend up, every man straight before him."

And Joshua the son of Nun called unto the priests, and said unto them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD."

And he said unto the people, "Go and compass the city: And let the men of arms go before the ark of the LORD."