Joshua 2:9–24

⁹and said to the men: ^g“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that ^hthe terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land ⁱare fainthearted because of you. ¹⁰For we have heard how the Lord ^jdried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and ^kwhat you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you ^lutterly destroyed. ¹¹And as soon as we ^mheard these things, ⁿour hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for ^othe Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. ¹²Now therefore, I beg you, ^pswear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to ^qmy father’s house, and ^rgive me ³a true token, ¹³and ^sspare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”

¹⁴So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that ^twe will deal kindly and truly with you.”

¹⁵Then she ^ulet them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. ¹⁶And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”

¹⁷So the men said to her: “We will be ^vblameless ⁴of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, ^18wunless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, ^xand unless you ⁵bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. ¹⁹So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be ⁶guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, ^yhis ⁷blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. ²⁰And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be ⁸free from your oath which you made us swear.”

²¹Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.

²²They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. ²³So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. ²⁴And they said to Joshua, “Truly ^zthe Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”