Rahab Helps the Spies
1Joshua, the son of Nun, sent two spies from Shittim. He sent them in secret. He said to them, “Go and look over the land. Most of all, check out Jericho.” So they went to Jericho. They stayed at the house of a prostitute. Her name was Rahab.
2The king of Jericho was told, “Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight. They’ve come to check out the land.” 3So the king sent a message to Rahab. It said, “Bring out the men who came into your house. They’ve come to check out the whole land.”
4But the woman had hidden the two men. She said, “It’s true that the men came here. But I didn’t know where they had come from. 5They left at sunset, when it was time to close the city gate. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You might catch up with them.” 6But in fact she had taken them up on the roof. There she had hidden them under some flax she had piled up. 7The king’s men left to hunt down the spies. They took the road that leads to where the Jordan River can be crossed. As soon as they had gone out of the city, the gate was shut.
8Rahab went up on the roof before the spies settled down for the night. 9She said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land. We are very much afraid of you. Everyone who lives in this country is weak with fear because of you. 10We’ve heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt. We’ve heard what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings. They ruled east of the Jordan River. You completely destroyed them. 11When we heard about it, we were terrified. Because of you, we aren’t brave anymore. The Lord your God is the God who rules in heaven above and on the earth below.
12“Now then, please give me your word. Promise me in the name of the Lord that you will be kind to my family. I’ve been kind to you. Promise me 13that you will spare the lives of my father and mother. Spare my brothers and sisters. Also spare everyone in their families. Promise that you won’t put any of us to death.”
14So the men made a promise to her. “If you save our lives, we’ll save yours,” they said. “Just don’t tell anyone what we’re doing. Then we’ll be kind and faithful to you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15The house Rahab lived in was part of the city wall. So she let the spies down by a rope through the window. 16She said to them, “Go up into the hills. The men chasing you won’t be able to find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they return. Then you can go on your way.”
17The spies had said to her, “You made us give our word. But we won’t keep our promise 18unless you do what we say. When we enter the land, you must tie this bright red rope in the window. Tie it in the window you let us down through. Bring your father and mother into your house. Also bring in your brothers and everyone else in your family. 19None of you must go out into the street. If you do, anything that happens to you will be your own fault. We won’t be responsible. But if anyone hurts someone who is inside the house with you, it will be our fault. We will be responsible. 20Don’t tell anyone what we’re doing. If you do, we won’t have to keep the promise you asked us to make.”
21“I agree,” Rahab replied. “I’ll do as you say.”
So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the bright red rope in the window.
22When the spies left, they went up into the hills. They stayed there for three days. By that time the men chasing them had searched all along the road. They couldn’t find them. So they returned. 23Then the two spies started back. They went down out of the hills. They went across the Jordan River. They came to Joshua, the son of Nun. They told him everything that had happened to them. 24They said, “We’re sure the Lord has given the whole land over to us. All the people there are weak with fear because of us.”
Rahabe ndi Anthu Ozonda Dziko
1Tsono Yoswa mwana wa Nuni anatuma anthu awiri okazonda dziko mwachinsinsi kuchokera ku Sitimu. Iye anawawuza kuti, “Pitani mukaone dzikolo makamaka mzinda wa Yeriko.” Kotero iwo anapita ndipo anakafika ku nyumba ya mkazi wadama dzina lake Rahabe, ndipo anagona kumeneko.
2Mfumu ya Yeriko inawuzidwa kuti, “Aisraeli ena afika mu mzinda muno usiku uno kudzazonda dziko.” 3Choncho Mfumu ya Yeriko inatumiza uthenga kwa Rahabe kuti, “Atulutse anthu amene abwera ku nyumba kwakowo chifukwa iwo abwera kuti adzazonde dzikoli.”
4Koma pa nthawiyi nʼkuti mkaziyo atatenga amuna awiriwo ndi kuwabisa. Tsono anayankha kuti, “Inde, anthuwo anafikadi ku nyumba kuno. Koma sindinadziwe kumene anachokera. 5Iwo achoka kuno ndi chisisira, chipata cha mzinda chili pafupi kutsekedwa. Ndiye sindidziwa kumene alowera. Koma mukawalondola msanga muwapeza.” 6Koma nʼkuti atawakweza pa denga azondiwo ndi kuwabisa pansi pa mapesi a thonje amene iye anawayika pa dengapo. 7Nthumwi za mfumu zija zitatuluka ndipo chipata chinatsekedwa. Nthumwizo zinapita kukawafunafuna azondi aja mpaka ku dooko la Yorodani.
8Azondiwo asanagone, Rahabe anakwera pa denga 9ndipo anawawuza kuti, “Ine ndikudziwa kuti Yehova wakupatsani dziko lino ndipo tili ndi mantha. Anthu onse a mʼdziko lino ali ndi mantha chifukwa cha inu. 10Ife tinamva mmene Yehova anawumitsira madzi a Nyanja Yofiira inu mukufika pamene munatuluka mʼdziko la Igupto. Tamvanso zimene munachita kwa Sihoni ndi Ogi, mafumu awiri a Aamori amene ali kummawa kwa Yorodani. Inu munawawononga kotheratu. 11Titamva zimenezi, ife tinataya mtima ndipo aliyense wa ife ali ndi mantha chifukwa cha inu. Tikudziwa kuti Yehova Mulungu wanu ndi Mulungu wa kumwamba ndi dziko lapansi. 12Choncho mulumbire pamaso pa Yehova ndi kundipatsa chizindikiro choti mudzachitadi zimene mwalonjeza, kuti monga inu ndakuchitirani chifundo, inunso mudzachitira chifundo a pa banja la abambo anga. 13Inu mulonjeze kuti simudzapha abambo anga ndi amayi anga, abale anga ndi alongo anga ndi mabanja awo omwe.”
14Anthuwo anamuyankha kuti, “Ife ndife okonzeka kufa chifukwa cha inu. Ngati iwe sudzawulula zimene tachitazi, ndiye kuti ife tidzakukomera mtima ndi kusunga pangano lathu ndi iwe, Yehova akadzatipatsa dziko lino.”
15Popeza nyumba ya Rahabe inali pa linga la mzindawo, azondi aja anatulukira pa zenera. Rahabe anawatsitsa pansi ndi chingwe. 16Iye anawawuza kuti, “Pitani ku mapiri kuti okuthamangiraniwo asakupezeni. Mukabisale kumeneko masiku atatu mpaka iwo atabwerera, ndipo kenaka muzikapita kwanu.”
17Anthuwo anati kwa iye, “Lonjezo limene watichititsa ifeli tidzalisungadi 18tikadzalowa mʼdzikoli, iwe udzamangirire kansalu kofiira pa zenera limene unatitulutsira, ndi kusonkhanitsa abambo ako, amayi ako, abale ako ndi banja lako lonse mʼnyumba muno. 19Ngati wina aliyense adzatuluka mʼnyumbamo kuti azikayendayenda mu msewu, magazi ake adzakhala pamutu pake, ife sitidzapalamula kanthu. Koma wina aliyense wokhala mʼnyumba mwakomo akadzaphedwa, mlandu udzakhala wathu. 20Komanso iwe ukangowulula zimene ife tikuchitazi ndiye kuti ife sitidzasunga zimene talonjezazi.”
21Rahabe anayankha kuti, “Zikhale monga mwaneneramo.” Kenaka iye anawatulutsa ndipo iwowo anapita. Pambuyo pake Rahabe anamangirira kansalu kofiira pa zenera paja.
22Azondi aja anachoka napita ku mapiri ndipo anakhalako masiku atatu. Apa nʼkuti otumidwa ndi mfumu aja atawafunafuna ponseponse nʼkubwerera osawapeza. 23Pambuyo pake azondi awiri aja anayamba ulendo wobwerera kwawo. Anatsika ku mapiri kuja, nawoloka mtsinje mpaka anakafika kwa Yoswa mwana wa Nuni. Ndipo anamuwuza zonse zimene zinawachitikira. 24Iwo anati kwa Yoswa, “Ndithu, Yehova wapereka dziko lonse mʼmanja mwathu. Anthu onse kumeneko akuchita nafe mantha.”
