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 this land to you 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 sank 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 that the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for 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.’
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.”
