2 Then from there at Acacia Grove, Yehoshua (Nun’s son) secretly sent off two spies, saying, “Go and learn about the land over there, especially around Yericho City.” So they went off, and over there, they entered the house of a woman—a prostitute named Rahab—and they lay down there.[ref] 2 However, someone told Yericho’s king, “Listen, some Israeli men arrived here tonight to check out our land.” 3 So the king sent guards to tell Rahab, “Bring out the men who went to your place and stayed the night, because they’ve come here to check out our land!”

4 However, Rahab had hidden the two men so she answered, “Indeed, the men arrived here, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 But as the city gate was about to shut last night, the men went out. I don’t know to where they went—if you all hurry, you might be able to catch them.” 6 (But actually she had taken them up onto her flat roof and hidden them in bundles of flax that were drying there.) 7 So the guards hurried out on the road to the fords on the Yordan River and the city gate was kept shut after they had left.

8 Before the Israeli men lay down to sleep that night, Rahab went up them on the roof 9 and told them, “We know that Yahweh has given this land to you all and we’re all terrified of you. Everyone that lives here is trembling at the thought of your coming 10 because we’ve heard that Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea ahead of you all when you left Egypt (Mitsrayim). And we heard what you all did to two of the Amorite kings Sihon and Og over the Yordan there—how you all completely destroyed them.[ref] 11 Yes, we’ve heard the reports and we trembled and lost our courage to fight you all because your god Yahweh, he’s God over the heavens above and the earth below. 12 So now, please promise me by Yahweh that because I’ve been kind to both of you, you all will act kindly towards my father’s household. Give me a guarantee that you’ll do what you promise 13 and spare my parents and my siblings and their families from death.”

14 “Our lives for your lives,” the two men agreed. “If you don’t tell anyone about our agreement, then when Yahweh gives us this land, we’ll show kindness and faithfulness to you.”

15 Then she put a rope out through the window to let them down to escape from the city, because her house where she lived was actually built into the side of the wall. 16 “Go to the hill country,” she told them, “so those searching for you won’t find you, and hide up there for three days. Then once the searchers have returned, you’ll be able to safely return to your camp.”

17 “This promise that you made us make,” the men told her, “won’t apply unless you do this: 18 Take this red cord and when we invade the land, tie it in this window in the wall. Make sure that your parents and your siblings and their households are all here in your house. 19 If any of them leaves the house, their life will then be in their own hands and we’ll be innocent if they’re killed. But if anyone with you in this house gets injured, we’ll be responsible for that. 20 Also, if you tell anyone else about this agreement, then we’ll be released from this promise that you made us make.” 21 “Sure, let it be as you say,” Rahab responded. Then she sent them off, and after they’d gone, she tied the red cord in her window.

22 The two men went up into the hills and stayed there for three days until the search party returned to the city after searching all the roads and not finding them. 23 So the two men went down to the river and crossed over and returned to Yehoshua (Nun’s son), and they told him everything that had happened. 24 “Yahweh has certainly given this land to us,” they told Yehoshua. “The people there won’t be able to resist us because they’re so terrified.”