I. Conquest of Canaan

Chapter 1

Divine Promise of Assistance. ¹ After Moses, the servant of the Lord, had died, the Lord said to Moses’ aide Joshua, son of Nun: ^2 [a]Moses my servant is dead. So now, you and the whole people with you, prepare to cross the Jordan to the land that I will give the Israelites. ^3 (A)Every place where you set foot I have given you, as I promised Moses. ^4 [b]All the land of the Hittites, from the wilderness and the Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea, will be your territory.^{(B) 5} No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you:^(C) I will not leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land I swore to their ancestors that I would give them. ^7 (D)Only be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe the entire law which Moses my servant enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. ⁸ Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night,^(E) that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed. ⁹ I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.

^10 (F)So Joshua commanded the officers of the people: ¹¹ “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for three days from now you shall cross the Jordan here, to march in and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving as your possession.’”

The Transjordan Tribes. ^12 (G)Joshua addressed the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: ¹³ “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord, your God, is about to give you rest; he will give you this land.’ ¹⁴ Your wives, your children, and your livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you here beyond the Jordan. But all the warriors among you must cross over armed, ahead of your kindred, and you must help them ¹⁵ until the Lord has settled your kindred, and they like you possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving them. Afterward you may return and possess your own land, which Moses, the servant of the Lord, has given you east of the Jordan.”^{(H) 16} They answered Joshua, “We will do all you have commanded us, and we will go wherever you send us. ¹⁷ As completely as we obeyed Moses, we will obey you. Only, may the Lord, your God, be with you as God was with Moses. ¹⁸ Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey all your commands shall be put to death. Only be strong and steadfast.”

Chapter 2

Spies Saved by Rahab. ¹ Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent out two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, reconnoiter the land and Jericho.” When the two reached Jericho, they went into the house of a prostitute named Rahab,^(I) where they lodged. ² But a report was brought to the king of Jericho: “Some men came here last night, Israelites, to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent Rahab the order, “Bring out the men who have come to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the entire land.” ⁴ The woman^(J) had taken the two men and hidden them, so she said, “True, the men you speak of came to me, but I did not know where they came from. ⁵ At dark, when it was time to close the gate, they left, and I do not know where they went. You will have to pursue them quickly to overtake them.” ⁶ Now, she had led them to the roof, and hidden them among her stalks of flax spread out^[c] there. ⁷ But the pursuers set out along the way to the fords of the Jordan. As soon as they had left to pursue them, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down, Rahab went up to them on the roof ⁹ and said:^[d] “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that a dread of you has come upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land tremble with fear because of you.^{(K) 10} For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,^(L) and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan, whom you destroyed under the ban. ¹¹ We heard, and our hearts melted within us; everyone is utterly dispirited because of you, since the Lord, your God, is God in heaven above and on earth below.^{(M) 12 (N)}Now then, swear to me by the Lord that, since I am showing kindness to you, you in turn will show kindness to my family.^(O) Give me a reliable sign ¹³ that you will allow my father and mother, brothers and sisters, and my whole family to live, and that you will deliver us from death.” ¹⁴ “We pledge our lives for yours,” they answered her. “If you do not betray our mission, we will be faithful in showing kindness to you when the Lord gives us the land.”

¹⁵ Then she let them down through the window with a rope; for she lived in a house built into the city wall.^{[e] 16} “Go up into the hill country,” she said, “that your pursuers may not come upon you. Hide there for three days, until they return; then you may go on your way.” ¹⁷ They answered her, “We are free of this oath that you made us take, unless, ¹⁸ when we come into the land, you tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you are letting us down. Gather your father and mother, your brothers, and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ Should any of them pass outside the doors of your house, their blood will be on their own heads, and we will be guiltless. But if anyone in your house is harmed, their blood will be on our heads. ²⁰ If, however, you betray our mission, we will be free of the oath you have made us take.” ²¹ “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and sent them away. When they were gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² They went up into the hill country, where they stayed three days until their pursuers, who had sought them all along the road without finding them, returned. ²³ Then the two came back down from the hills, crossed the Jordan to Joshua, son of Nun, and told him all that had happened to them. ²⁴ They assured Joshua, “The Lord has given all this land into our power; indeed, all the inhabitants of the land tremble with fear because of us.”

Chapter 3

Preparations for Crossing the Jordan. ¹ Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, where they stayed before crossing over. ^2 (P)Three days later the officers went through the camp ^3 (Q)and issued these commands to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord, your God, which the levitical priests will carry, you must break camp and follow it, ⁴ that you may know the way to take, for you have not gone over this road before. But let there be a space of two thousand cubits between you and the ark: do not come nearer to it.” ⁵ Joshua also said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders among you.” ⁶ And he told the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross ahead of the people”; so they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

^7 (R)Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.^{(S) 8} Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, there take your stand.”

⁹ So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord, your God.” ¹⁰ He continued: “By this you will know that there is a living God in your midst: he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.^{(T) 11} The ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth will cross the Jordan before you. ¹² Now choose twelve men,^(U) one from each of the tribes of Israel. ¹³ When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, touch the waters of the Jordan, it will cease to flow; the water flowing down from upstream will halt in a single heap.”^[f]

The Crossing Begun. ¹⁴ The people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant ahead of them. ¹⁵ When those bearing the ark came to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were immersed in the waters of the Jordan—which overflows all its banks during the entire season of the harvest—^{[g] 16} the waters flowing from upstream halted, standing up in a single heap^(V) for a very great distance indeed, from Adam, a city in the direction of Zarethan; those flowing downstream toward the Salt Sea of the Arabah disappeared entirely.^[h] Thus the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the Jordan riverbed^(W) while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until the whole nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan.

Chapter 4

Memorial Stones. ¹ After the entire nation had completed the crossing of the Jordan, ² the Lord said to Joshua: Choose twelve men^(X) from the people, one from each tribe, ³ and command them, “Take up twelve stones from this spot in the Jordan riverbed where the priests have been standing.^(Y) Carry them over with you, and place them where you are to stay tonight.”

⁴ Summoning the twelve men he had selected from among the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ Joshua said to them: “Go to the Jordan riverbed in front of the ark of the Lord, your God; lift to your shoulders one stone apiece, so that they will equal in number the tribes of the Israelites. ⁶ In the future, these are to be a sign among you. When your children ask you,^[i] ‘What do these stones mean to you?’^{(Z) 7} you shall answer them, ‘The waters of the Jordan ceased to flow before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan.’^(AA) Thus these stones are to serve as a perpetual memorial to the Israelites.” ⁸ The twelve Israelites did as Joshua had commanded: they took up twelve stones from the Jordan riverbed as the Lord had said to Joshua, one for each of the tribes of the Israelites. They carried them along to the camp site, and there they placed them. ⁹ Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the Jordan riverbed on the spot where the priests stood who were carrying the ark of the covenant. They are there to this day.

^10 [j]The priests carrying the ark stood in the Jordan riverbed until everything had been done that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, just as Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over quickly, ¹¹ and when all the people had completed the crossing, the ark of the Lord also crossed; and the priests were now in front of them. ¹² The Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh, armed, marched in the vanguard of the Israelites, as Moses had ordered. ¹³ About forty thousand troops, equipped for battle, crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

¹⁴ That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel,^(AB) and so during his whole life they feared him as they had feared Moses.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Joshua: ¹⁶ Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come up from the Jordan. ¹⁷ Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan,” ¹⁸ and when the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the Jordan riverbed, as the soles of their feet regained the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan resumed their course and as before overflowed all its banks.

¹⁹ The people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Gilgal on the eastern limits of Jericho.^{(AC) 20} At Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan, ²¹ saying to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² you shall inform them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan here on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord, your God, dried up the waters of the Jordan in front of you until you crossed over, just as the Lord, your God, had done at the Red Sea, drying it up in front of us until we crossed over,^{(AD) 24} in order that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, and that you may fear the Lord, your God, forever.”^(AE)

Chapter 5

Rites at Gilgal. ¹ When all the kings of the Amorites to the west of the Jordan and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they crossed over, their hearts melted and they were utterly dispirited because of the Israelites.

^2 (AF)On this occasion the Lord said to Joshua: Make flint knives and circumcise Israel for the second time. ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath-haaraloth.^{[k] 4} This was the reason for the circumcision: Of all the people who had come out of Egypt, every male of military age had died in the wilderness^(AG) during the journey after they came out of Egypt. ⁵ Though all the men who came out were circumcised, none of those born in the wilderness during the journey after the departure from Egypt were circumcised. ⁶ Now the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness, until all the warriors among the people that came forth from Egypt died off because they had not listened to the voice of the Lord. For the Lord swore^(AH) that he would not let them see the land he had sworn to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ^7 (AI)It was the children God raised up in their stead whom Joshua circumcised, for these were yet with foreskins, not having been circumcised on the journey. ⁸ When the circumcision of the entire nation was complete, they remained in camp where they were, until they recovered. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua: Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.^(AJ) Therefore the place is called Gilgal^[l] to the present day.

^10 (AK)While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.^{[m] 11} On the day after the Passover they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day ¹² after they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.^(AL)

Siege at Jericho. ^13 [n]While Joshua was near Jericho, he raised his eyes and saw one who stood facing him, drawn sword in hand.^(AM) Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of us or one of our enemies?” ¹⁴ He replied, “Neither. I am the commander^[o] of the army of the Lord: now I have come.” Then Joshua fell down to the ground in worship, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” ¹⁵ The commander of the army of the Lord replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy.”^(AN) And Joshua did so.

Chapter 6

¹ Now Jericho was in a state of siege because of the presence of the Israelites. No one left or entered. ² And to Joshua the Lord said: I have delivered Jericho, its king, and its warriors into your power. ^3 (AO)Have all the soldiers circle the city, marching once around it. Do this for six days, ⁴ with seven priests carrying ram’s horns ahead of the ark. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, and have the priests blow the horns. ⁵ When they give a long blast on the ram’s horns and you hear the sound of the horn, all the people shall shout aloud. The wall of the city will collapse, and the people shall attack straight ahead.

⁶ Summoning the priests, Joshua, son of Nun, said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant with seven of the priests carrying ram’s horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” ⁷ And he ordered the people, “Proceed and surround the city, with the picked troops marching ahead of the ark of the Lord.” ⁸ When Joshua spoke to the people, the seven priests who carried the ram’s horns before the Lord marched and blew their horns, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. ⁹ In front of the priests with the horns marched the picked troops; the rear guard followed the ark, and the blowing of horns was kept up continually as they marched. ¹⁰ But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not shout or make any noise or outcry until I tell you, ‘Shout!’ Then you must shout.” ¹¹ So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going once around it, after which they returned to camp for the night.

¹² Early the next morning, Joshua had the priests take up the ark of the Lord. ¹³ The seven priests bearing the ram’s horns marched in front of the ark of the Lord, blowing their horns. Ahead of these marched the picked troops, while the rear guard followed the ark of the Lord, and the blowing of horns was kept up continually. ¹⁴ On this second day they again marched around the city once before returning to camp; and for six days in all they did the same.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, beginning at daybreak, they marched around the city seven times in the same manner; on that day only did they march around the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, the priests blew the horns and Joshua said to the people, “Now shout, for the Lord has given you the city. ^17 (AP)The city and everything in it is under the ban. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are in the house with her are to live, because she hid the messengers we sent. ^18 (AQ)But be careful not to covet or take anything that is under the ban;^[p] otherwise you will bring upon the camp of Israel this ban and the misery of it. ¹⁹ All silver and gold, and the articles of bronze or iron, are holy to the Lord. They shall be put in the treasury of the Lord.”

The Fall of Jericho. ²⁰ As the horns blew, the people began to shout. When they heard the sound of the horn, they raised a tremendous shout. The wall collapsed,^[q] and the people attacked the city straight ahead and took it.^{(AR) 21} They observed the ban by putting to the sword all living creatures^(AS) in the city: men and women, young and old, as well as oxen, sheep and donkeys.

^22 (AT)To the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring out the woman with all her family, as you swore to her you would do.” ²³ The spies entered and brought out Rahab, with her father, mother, brothers, and all her family; her entire family they led forth and placed outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ The city itself they burned with all that was in it;^(AU) but the silver, gold, and articles of bronze and iron they placed in the treasury of the house of the Lord. ^25 [r]Because Rahab the prostitute had hidden the messengers whom Joshua had sent to reconnoiter Jericho, Joshua let her live, along with her father’s house and all her family, who dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

^26 (AV)On that occasion Joshua imposed the oath: Cursed before the Lord be the man who attempts to rebuild this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn will he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son will he set up its gates.^[s]

²⁷ Thus the Lord was with Joshua so that his fame spread throughout the land.^(AW)

Chapter 23

Joshua’s Final Plea. ¹ Many years later, after the Lord had given the Israelites rest from all their enemies round about them, and when Joshua was old and advanced in years,^{(A) 2} he summoned all Israel, including their elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them: “I am old and advanced in years.^{(B) 3} You have seen all that the Lord, your God, has done for you against all these nations; for it has been the Lord, your God, who fought for you. ^4 (C)See, I have apportioned among your tribes as their heritage the nations that survive, as well as those I destroyed, between the Jordan and the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord, your God, will drive them out and dispossess them at your approach, so that you will take possession of their land as the Lord, your God, promised you. ⁶ Therefore be strong and be careful to observe all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, never turning from it right or left,^{(D) 7} or mingling with these nations that survive among you. You must not invoke their gods by name, or swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them,^{(E) 8} but you must hold fast to the Lord, your God, as you have done up to this day. ⁹ At your approach the Lord has dispossessed great and strong nations; not one has withstood you up to this day. ¹⁰ One of you puts to flight a thousand, because it is the Lord, your God, himself who fights for you,^(F) as he promised you. ¹¹ As for you, take great care to love the Lord, your God. ¹² For if you ever turn away from him and join with the remnant of these nations that survive among you, by intermarrying and intermingling with them,^{(G) 13} know for certain that the Lord, your God, will no longer dispossess these nations at your approach. Instead they will be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge for your sides and thorns for your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you.^(H)

¹⁴ “Today, as you see, I am going the way of all the earth.^[a] So now acknowledge with your whole heart and soul that not one of all the promises the Lord, your God, made concerning you has failed. Every one has come true for you; not one has failed. ^15 (I)But just as every promise the Lord, your God, made to you has come true for you, so will he bring upon you every threat,^[b] even so far as to exterminate you from this good land which the Lord, your God, has given you. ¹⁶ If you transgress the covenant of the Lord, your God, which he enjoined on you, to go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the anger of the Lord will flare up against you and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.”

Chapter 24

Covenant Ceremony. ^1 (J)Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, summoning the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel. When they stood in ranks before God, ² Joshua addressed all the people: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: In times past your ancestors, down to Terah,^(K) father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River^[c] and served other gods. ³ But I brought your father Abraham from the region beyond the River and led him through the entire land of Canaan.^(L) I made his descendants numerous, and gave him Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.^(M) To Esau I assigned the mountain region of Seir to possess, while Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

⁵ “Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and struck Egypt with the plagues and wonders that I wrought in her midst.^(N) Afterward I led you out. ⁶ And when I led your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors to the Red Sea with chariots and charioteers.^{(O) 7} When they cried out to the Lord,^(P) he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, upon whom he brought the sea so that it covered them. Your eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After you dwelt a long time in the wilderness, ^8 (Q)I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your power. You took possession of their land, and I destroyed them at your approach. ^9 (R)Then Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, prepared to war against Israel. He summoned Balaam, son of Beor, to curse you, ^10 (S)but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his power. ¹¹ Once you crossed the Jordan^(T) and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, but I delivered them also into your power. ¹² And I sent the hornets^[d] ahead of you which drove them—the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—out of your way; it was not your sword or your bow.^{(U) 13} I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.^(V)

^14 (W)“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ^15 (X)If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve, the gods your ancestors served beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ But the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods. ¹⁷ For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our ancestors up out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He performed those great signs before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ At our approach the Lord drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

¹⁹ Joshua in turn said to the people, “You may not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God; he is a passionate God^(Y) who will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. ²⁰ If you forsake the Lord and serve strange gods, he will then do evil to you and destroy you, after having done you good.”

²¹ But the people answered Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.” ²² Joshua therefore said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” They replied, “We are witnesses!” ²³ “Now, therefore, put away the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” ²⁴ Then the people promised Joshua, “We will serve the Lord, our God, and will listen to his voice.”

²⁵ So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. ²⁶ Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was in the sanctuary of the Lord.^{(Z) 27} And Joshua said to all the people, “This stone shall be our witness,^(AA) for it has heard all the words which the Lord spoke to us. It shall be a witness against you, should you wish to deny your God.” ²⁸ Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own heritage.^(AB)

Death of Joshua. ^29 (AC)After these events, Joshua, son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten, ³⁰ and they buried him within the borders of his heritage at Timnath-serah^(AD) in the mountain region of Ephraim north of Mount Gaash.^{[e] 31} Israel served the Lord during the entire lifetime of Joshua, and of those elders who outlived Joshua and who knew all the work the Lord had done for Israel. ^32 (AE)The bones of Joseph,^[f] which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried in Shechem in the plot of ground Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money. This was a heritage of the descendants of Joseph. ³³ When Eleazar, son of Aaron, also died, he was buried on the hill which had been given to his son Phinehas^(AF) in the mountain region of Ephraim.