Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies
1 Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.
2 But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7 So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate. I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12 Please promise me in the Lord's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14 “Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”
15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall, and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20 The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21 “I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22 The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23 the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24 “We're sure the Lord has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
Bhatsha shodzi kwa Rahabu
1 Kwakati bathu be Iziraela bali ku Shitimu, Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni katuma shodzi mbili mu ikohwa eti, “Endani munoshola shango, tjikulu bukulu kwazo nzi nkulu Jerikho.” Ngono bakamilika bakayenda. Bakaswika pa ng'umba ye fukula imwe, zina layo kuyi Rahabu ngono bakaizela gwe hwope. 2 Ngono kukanotjetiwa kuna mambo we Jerikho kuyi, “Bamwe balume be Baiziraela bazha busiku ngeno kuwoshola shango.” 3 Ndizo mambo we Jerikho katumila dama kuna Rahabu eti, “Zhisa balume ibabo bamu ng'umba iyo, ngobe bazha kuwoshola shango yose koga.”
4 Ngono Rahabu wakabe atola balume ibabo babili kabasumbika, ngono kati “Malebeswa, balume ibaba bazha kundili, koga andizobe ndiziba kwababe bedwa. 5 Ngono kwati kwabhata, nkoba we nzi nkulu wabe pejo ngo zhaligwa bakabe bebhuda beyenda, mubalonde tjinyolotjo pamwe swiyo mungababhata batji mu zila.” 6 Koga Rahabu wakabe atola balume ibabo abasumbika mu denga le ng'umba akabafumika nge mashanga. 7 Ndizo batumwa ba mambo bakabhuda bakatobela shodzi bali mu zila inoyenda ku gwizi gwe Jorodani kunoti pa zila painotjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani, kwakati koga batumwa ba mambo basinobhuda, nkoba we nzi nkulu ukazhaligwa.
Tjidumano tja Rahabu ne Baiziraela
8 Shodzi dzakati dzisathu dzikanoyisa mafupa ku beni, Rahabu kayenda kunodzilezwa ku denga 9 ngono kaswika edzidwa eti, “Ndoziba kuti Yahwe bamupa shango iyeyi ne kuti kakale kutja kukulu kwatiwila, tose bagali be shango iyeyi totetema nge lutjo nge kwenyu. 10 Takahwa Yahwe sekwa bakathama Gungwa Shaba kuti lipkhwe kuthama kuti ndizo mutubule tjuluka tjibaka tjamakabe mudwa ku Egipiti ne tjamakathama kuna bomambo be Baamori baku bhezhuba kwe Jorodani Sihoni na Ogi ibo bamakabulaya. 11 Takati tihwa nge kwako, tikapaluka mimoyo, mmwe ne mmwe kapelegwa nge simba nge kwenyu ngobe Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ndibo Ndzimu we kudzimu ne shango. 12 Ndizo ngwenu tjitunani na Yahwe kuti se ndamuthamila lubu namwi mowothamila nsha wangu lubu. Mundipe tjilakidzo kuti ndizo ndigalebgwe, 13 mundigadzebgwe kuti mowoletja mme na tate ne hazwadzi dzangu ne bana badzo bakatjila. Mutitjidze!”
14 Shodzi dzakashandula Rahabu dziti, “Tobiga misholo yedu mu zwitsha! Ha iwe usingake ukaleba nja wedu pano towokuthamila lubu ha Yahwe betipa shango iyeyi.”
15 Ndizo Rahabu kabaletja bakadeluka nge ntjili bebhuda nge fesitere le ng'umba ngobe ng'umba iye yakabe yakabakigwa mu guma le nzi nkulu. 16 Rahabu kadwa shodzi kati, “Endilani ku matombo kuti ndizo batumwa ba mambo basitongomubona. Mubgwate ikoko mazhuba matatu kudza bebuya ndizo shule kwa ipapo mungayenda zwenyu zila dzenyu.”
17 Shodzi dzikan'dwa dzikati, “Kutuna kwatatuna akutowobe tjisungo mutili 18 kuzhe kwe kuti tingati tinginilila nzi nkulu tikawana wakasungila nsungo nshaba mu fesitere le ng'umba ileli lawatidusa ndilo ne kuzhe kwe kuti ube watola mmeyabo na tate babo ne hazwadzi dzidzo ne be nsha uwo bose wabakubunganyila mu ng'umba iyo. 19 Ha mmwe wenyu angabhudila zwe kuzhe kwe ng'umba iyo kabe enoshangana ne hwubadzi ngono kafa, nge kukwe, iswi towobe tisina nlandu. Koga mmwe ne mmwe unawe mu ng'umba ha anga kubala kafa lopa lile lishakiwe mutile.” 20 Koga ha ungadza ukaleba nja wedu pano iswi towobe tasununguka mu kutuna kwawatithama kuti titune. 21 Ngono Rahabu akadabila eti, “Ngakushingikale sekwa munoleba.” Ndizo kawonekana nabo ngono bakayenda. Rahabu kabe esungilila nsungo nshaba mu fesitere le ng'umba.
22 Shodzi dzikamilika dzikayenda ku matombo ngono dzikanobgwatako kwe mazhuba ali matatu. Batumwa ba mambo bakadzishaka kuyenda ne zila ngono bakadzisheta. Ndizo bakabgwilila basadzibona.
23 Balume babili be shodzi bakadwapo bedelukila matombo bakalinga ku gwizi gwe Jorodani ngono bakagutjuluka. Bakaswika bebikila Joshuwa nkololo wa Nuni tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakabashingikalila. 24 Bakadwa Joshuwa bakati, “Nge malebeswa Yahwe batipa shango iyeyi yose, bathu bose banotetema nge lutjo nge kwedu.”