Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 1-2

1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan,

2all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,

3the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar.

4And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.”

5So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, as the LORD had said.

6And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab facing Beth-peor, and no one to this day knows the location of his grave.

7Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak, and his vitality had not diminished.

8The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end.

9Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

10Since that time, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face—

11no prophet who did all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent Moses to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his officials and all his land,

12and no prophet who performed all the mighty acts of power and awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

1Now after the death of His servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying,

2“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, you and all these people, and cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving to the children of Israel.

3I have given you every place where the sole of your foot will tread, just as I promised to Moses.

4Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.

5No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

6Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them.

7Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.

8This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

9Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people:

11“Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you will cross the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’”

12But to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,

13“Remember what Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you when he said, ‘The LORD your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’

14Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,

15until the LORD gives them rest as He has done for you, and your brothers also possess the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you may return to the land of your inheritance and take possession of that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”

16So they answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go.

17Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. And may the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

18Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words, all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”

1Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

2And it was reported to the king of Jericho: “Behold, some men of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.”

3So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”

4But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I did not know where they had come from.

5At dusk, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I do not know which way they went. Pursue them quickly, and you may catch them!”

6(But Rahab had taken them up to the roof and hidden them among the stalks of flax that she had laid out there.)

7So the king’s men set out in pursuit of the spies along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they had gone out, the gate was shut.

8Before the spies lay down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof

9and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.

10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.

11When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in the heavens above and on the earth below.

12Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed 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 deliver us from death.”

14“Our lives for your lives!” the men agreed. “If you do not report our mission, we will show you kindness and faithfulness when the LORD gives us the land.”

15Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.

16“Go to the hill country,” she said, “so that your pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there for three days until they have returned; then go on your way.”

17The men said to her, “We will not be bound by this oath you made us swear

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 and brothers and all your family into your house.

19If anyone goes out the door of your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if a hand is laid on anyone with you in the house, his blood will be on our heads.

20And if you report our mission, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

21“Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. And when they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

22So the spies went out into the hill country and stayed there three days, until their pursuers had returned without finding them, having searched all along the road.

23Then the two men started back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the river. So they came to Joshua son of Nun and reported all that had happened to them.

24“The LORD has surely delivered the entire land into our hands,” they said to Joshua. “Indeed, all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of us.”