Rahab and the Spies
1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
2The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
8Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea2:10 Or the Sea of Reeds for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.2:10 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them. 11When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
12“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”
14“Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”
15So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”
17Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. 20But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”
21“Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”
So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 23Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”
Rahab Bɔ Akwansrafo Ho Ban
1Afei, Yosua somaa akwansrafo baanu wɔ kokoa mu fii Israelfo atenae a ɛwɔ Sitim. Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Monkɔsra asase a ɛda Yordan agya no, ne titiriw nea atwa Yeriko ho ahyia no.” Enti, mmarima baanu no sii mu koduu oguamanfo bi a ne din de Rahab fi, na wɔtenaa hɔ anadwo no.
2Obi kɔka kyerɛɛ Yerikohene se, “Anadwo yi ara, Israelfo no bi aba ha a wɔrebɛsra asase yi.” 3Enti Yerikohene soma kɔɔ Rahab nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Fa mmarima a wɔabɛsoɛ wo no ma yɛn. Wɔyɛ akwansrafo a wɔrebɛsra yɛn asase yi ahwehwɛ ɔkwan a wɔbɛfa so atow ahyɛ yɛn so.”
4Rahab a na ɔde mmarima baanu no asie no buae se, “Mmarima no baa me ha de, nanso minnim faako a wofi bae. 5Ade reyɛ asa a wɔrebɛtoto kuropɔn no apon mu no na wɔkɔe, nso manhu faako a wɔfae. Sɛ moyɛ ntɛm tiw wɔn a, ebia, mobɛto wɔn.” 6(Nanso, na ɔde wɔn akɔhyɛ ɔdan atifi, akohintaw ɔfo a waboa ano akuwakuw ase.) 7Enti, ɔhene asomafo no sii mu sɛ wɔrekɔhwehwɛ akwansrafo no wɔ ɔkwan a ɛkɔ Asubɔnten Yordan asutwabea hɔ. Asomafo no fi hɔ ara pɛ na wɔtotoo kuropɔn no apon mu.
8Ansa na akwansrafo no rebɛda anadwo no, Rahab kɔɔ ɔdan no atifi ne wɔn kɔkasae se, 9“Minim sɛ Awurade de saa asase yi ama mo. Yɛn nyinaa suro mo. Yɛn mu biara abɔ huboa. 10Yɛate sɛnea Awurade maa Po Kɔkɔɔ no yow ma munyaa kwan faa mu bere a mufii Misraim no. Na yenim sɛnea moyɛɛ Sihon ne Og a na wɔyɛ Amorifo ahemfo wɔ Asubɔnten Yordan apuei fam no ne sɛnea mosɛee wɔn nkurɔfo pasaa no. 11Ɛnyɛ nwonwa sɛ yɛn koma atu na yɛabɔ huboa. Obiara nni akokoduru a sɛ ɔte nsɛm a ɛte sɛɛ a, ɔbɛko. Na Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, ne otumfo Nyankopɔn a ɔwɔ ɔsorosoro ne asase ase.
12“Enti momfa Awurade nka ntam nkyerɛ me se, esiane sɛ maboa mo nti, mobɛyɛ me ne mʼabusuafo adom. Momfa biribi nsi mo bɔhyɛ so se, 13moko fa Yeriko a, morenkum me ne mʼagya ne me na, me nuabarimanom ne nuabeanom ne wɔn ho nnipa nyinaa.”
14Mmarima no penee so kae se, “Yɛde yɛn nkwa si yɛn bɔhyɛ so. Sɛ woanyi yɛn amma na sɛ Awurade de asase no ma yɛn a, yebedi yɛn bɔhyɛ so.”
15Esiane sɛ wosii Rahab fi sii kurow no fasu so nti, ɔde hama sian wɔn faa mfɛnsere mu maa wosii fam. 16Afei ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munguan mfa bepɔw so man no so. Momfa mo ho nsie nnansa kosi sɛ atiwfo no a wɔrehwehwɛ mo no bɛsan wɔn akyi ansa na moakɔ mo kwan.”
17Ansa na mmarima no bɛkɔ no, wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Yɛbɛbɔ mo nkwa ho ban 18na mmom, gyaw hama kɔkɔɔ a ɛsɛn wo mfɛnsere ano no na ma wʼabusuafo a ɛyɛ wʼagya, wo na, wo nuabarimanom ne wɔn abusuafo nyinaa mmɛhyɛ ofi no mu a wɔnnkɔ baabiara. 19Sɛ wopue si abɔnten a, wobekum wɔn nyinaa na obi ntumi mmɔ yɛn sobo sɛ yɛabu yɛn ntam so. Na yɛka ntam sɛ, obiara a ɔhyɛ ofi yi mu no, wɔrenkum no. Obiara nso renteɛ ne nsa wɔ wɔn so. 20Na sɛ wudi yɛn huammɔ de a, ntam yi nnkyekyere yɛn ɔkwan biara so.”
21Ɔbea no buae se, “Mepene mo nhyehyɛe no nyinaa so.”
Ogyaa wɔn kwan, bere a hama kɔkɔɔ no sɛn ofi no mfɛnsere no ano.
22Akwansrafo no kɔɔ bepɔw asase no so kɔtenaa hɔ nnansa. Atiwfo no hwehwɛɛ ɔkwan no so baabiara, san kɔɔ wɔn kurom a wɔanhu akwansrafo no wɔ baabiara. 23Afei akwansrafo baanu no sian fii bepɔw asase no so twaa Asubɔnten Yordan bɛkaa nsɛm a ɛtoo wɔn nyinaa kyerɛɛ Yosua. 24Wɔkae se, “Ampa ara Awurade de asase no nyinaa bɛma yɛn, efisɛ yɛn ho hu atɔ nnipa a wɔwɔ asase no so nyinaa so.”
