Chapter 5

¹It happened, when all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, who were by the sea, heard how that Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. ²At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, Make you flint knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. ³Joshua made himself flint knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. ⁴This is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people who came forth out of Egypt, who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came forth out of Egypt. ⁵For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they had not circumcised. ⁶For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, even the men of war who came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn’t listen to the voice of Yahweh: to whom Yahweh swore that he wouldn’t let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷Their children, whom he raised up in their place, them did Joshua circumcise: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. ⁸It happened, when they had done circumcising all the nation, that they abode in their places in the camp, until they were whole. ⁹Yahweh said to Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, to this day. ¹⁰The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. ¹¹They ate of the produce of the land on the next day after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain, in the same day. ¹²The manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten of the produce of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. ¹³It happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went to him, and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries? ¹⁴He said, No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh’s army. Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said to him, What says my lord to his servant? ¹⁵The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, Put off your shoe from off your foot; for the place whereon you stand is holy. Joshua did so.