Joshua 5

Circumcision of the Israelites

5When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea ^sheard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, ^tthey lost heart and their courage failed ^ubecause of the Israelites.

²At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again.” ^v3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibeath-haaraloth. ^w4This is the reason Joshua circumcised them: All the people who came out of Egypt who were males—all the men of war—had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. ⁵Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. ⁶For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years until all the nation’s men of war who came out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the Lord. ^xSo the Lord vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ^y7Joshua raised up their sons in their place; it was these he circumcised. They were still uncircumcised, since they had not been circumcised along the way. ⁸After the entire nation had been circumcised, they stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered. ^z9The Lord then said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.” Therefore, that place is called Gilgal ^ato this day. ^b

Food from the Land

¹⁰While the Israelites camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they kept the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month. ^cd11The day after Passover they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land. ^e12And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. ^fSince there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Commander of the Lord’s Army

¹³When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. ^gJoshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.” ^h

Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship ⁱand asked Him, “What does my Lord want to say to His servant?”

¹⁵The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” ^jAnd Joshua did so.