Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies
1 Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.
2 But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7 So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate. I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12 Please promise me in the Lord's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14 “Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”
15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall, and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20 The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21 “I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22 The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23 the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24 “We're sure the Lord has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
Eendadi mbali tadi tumwa di ka lave Kaanan naJeriko
1 Opo nee Josua yaNun okwa lekela muSittim ovalumenhu vavali ngaashi eendadi meholeko ndele ta ti: Indeni mu ka lave oshilongo naJeriko. Vo ova ya ndele ve uya mo mongulu imwe yombwada edina layo Rahab, ndele omo va nangala. 2 Ohamba yaJeriko eshi ya lombwelwa: Tala, ovalumenhu va dja movana vaIsrael ove uya mo oufiku, va lave oshilongo, 3 ohamba yaJeriko oya tuma ko kuRahab ve mu lombwele: “Ovalumenhu venya ve uya kwoove mongulu yoye, va yandja. Osheshi ve uya va lave oshilongo.” 4 Ndelenee omukainhu okwa kufa ovalumenhu ovo vavali nokwe va holeka. Ndele ye okwa tya: “Oshili, ovalumenhu ve uya kwaame, ndelenee inandi shiiva apa va dja. 5 Ndele oshivelo shoshilando eshi shi nokwiidilwa po onguloshi, ovalumenhu ova dja mo. Ame nghi shii ovalumenhu apa va yuka. Va shikuleni diva, osheshi tamu ke va hanga.” 6 Ndelenee ye okwe va londeka kombada yongulu nokwe va holeka koshi yomwiidi ou wa ongelwa konduda yaye. 7 Ovalumenhu ve va shikula nondjila yokuJordan fiyo okoshau. Ndele va idila po oshivelo, ovashikuli vavo eshi va dja mo. 8 Ndele vo fimbo inava ka nangala, ye okwa londa kombada yongulu 9 ndele ta ti kovalumenhu: “Ame ondi shi shii, Omwene okwa yandja kunye edu eli, ndele tu kwetiwe komahaluhalu omolweni, noonakukala moshilongo otave mu kakama; 10 osheshi fye twa uda nhumbi Omwene e mu pwiininifila omeva omEfuta Litilyana komesho yeni fimbo mwa dja mo muEgipiti, naashi mwe shi ningila eehamba mbali dOvaamori, Sihon naOg, kombada yaJordan, nye eshi mwe di hanauna po. 11 Fye eshi twe shi uda, omutima wetu wa limbililwa, opo nee kape na vali nande umwe e nonyati oku mu lwifa. Osheshi Omwene Kalunga keni, Oye Kalunga komeulu pombada noposhi kombada yedu. 12 Anenei nge hano paife kOmwene, ame eshi nde mu ningila ouwa, nanye yo tamu ka ningila eumbo lange ouwa. Pei nge edidiliko li shii okulineekelwa, 13 nokutya nye otamu ka xupifa omwenyo watate nowameme nowovamwameme ovamati nowovamwameme oukadona naashishe shavo nokuxupifa eemwenyo detu mokufya.” 14 Opo nee ovalumenhu tava ti kuye: “Omwenyo wetu nau fye ponhele yeni, nye ngeenge itamu shiivifa oshinima eshi shetu, Omwene ngeenge te tu pe edu eli, opo nee fye ohatu mu ningile ouwa noudiinini.” 15 Opo nee okwe va kulukifila nongodi mekende. Osheshi ongulu yaye oya tungilwa mohotekuma yoshilando, osho ngaha ye a kala mohote. 16 Ndele ye okwe va lombwela: “Indeni keemhunda, ovashikuli veni vehe mu hange, ndele kaleni mwa hondama omafiku atatu fiyo ovashikuli veni va aluka. Opo nee tamu dulu okuya.” 17 Opo nee ovalumenhu ve mu lombwela: “Eano, we li tu anifa, otali xulile apa, 18 fye ngeenge hatu uya moshilongo, ove u nokumangela pekende ongodi ei itilyana, we i tu kulukififa, ndele ove u nokwoongela pwoove mongulu yoye xo nanyoko, ovamwaxo novamwanyoko neumbo loye alishe. 19 Keshe umwe ou ta piti mo moshivelo shongulu yoye, ohonde yaye nai kale kombada yaye, ndele fye katu netimba, ndelenee keshe umwe ou e li pwoove mongulu, ohonde yaye tai ka kala kombada yetu, ngeenge eke lomunhu tali mu kumu. 20 Ndelenee ove ngeenge to holola oshinima eshi shetu, fye otwa mangululwa meano eli ove we tu anifa.” 21 Ndele ye okwa tya: “Heeno, nashi kale ngaashi mwa popya!” Ndele ye e va lekela ndele va ya. Ndele ongodi itilyana okwe i mangela pekende. 22 Ova ya hano, ndele va fika keemhunda, ndele oko va kala omafiku atatu fiyo ovashikuli vavo va aluka. Osheshi ovashikuli va li va ka konga mondjila aishe, ndelenee inava mona sha. 23 Opo nee ovalumenhu venya vavali va londoloka keemhunda ndele va tauluka omulonga ndele ve uya kuJosua yaNun, ndele ve mu hepaululila ashishe ve shi mona. 24 Vo ova lombwela vali Josua, tava ti: “Oshili, edu alishe Omwene okwe li tu pa momake etu. Osheshi oonakukalamo aveshe ohava kakama nokutila molwetu.”