1 The Amorite kings west of the Jordan River and the Canaanite kings along the Mediterranean Sea lost their courage and their will to fight, when they heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River to let Israel go across.
Israel Gets Ready To Celebrate Passover
2 While Israel was camped at Gilgal, the Lord said, “Joshua, make some flint knives and circumcise the rest of the Israelite men and boys.”
3 Joshua made the knives, then circumcised those men and boys at Haaraloth Hill. 4-7 This had to be done, because none of Israel's baby boys had been circumcised during the 40 years that Israel had wandered through the desert after leaving Egypt.
And why had they wandered for 40 years? It was because right after they left Egypt, the men in the army had disobeyed the Lord. And the Lord had said, “None of you men will ever live to see the land that I promised Israel. It is a land rich with milk and honey, and someday your children will live there, but not before you die here in the desert.”
8 Everyone who had been circumcised needed time to heal, and they stayed in camp.
9 The Lord told Joshua, “It was a disgrace for my people to be slaves in Egypt, but now I have taken away that disgrace.” So the Israelites named the place Gilgal, and it still has that name.
10 Israel continued to camp at Gilgal in the desert near Jericho, and on the fourteenth day of the same month, they celebrated Passover.
11-12 The next day, God stopped sending the Israelites manna to eat each morning, and they started eating food grown in the land of Canaan. They ate roasted grain and thin bread made of the barley they had gathered from nearby fields.
Israel Captures Jericho
13 One day, Joshua was near Jericho when he saw a man standing some distance in front of him. The man was holding a sword, so Joshua walked up to him and asked, “Are you on our side or on our enemies' side?”
14 “Neither,” he answered. “I am here because I am the commander of the Lord's army.”
Joshua fell to his knees and bowed down to the ground. “I am your servant,” he said. “Tell me what to do.”
15 “Take off your sandals,” the commander answered. “This is a holy place.”
So Joshua took off his sandals.
1 Nowe when all the Kings of the Amorites, which were beyond Iorden Westward, and all the Kinges of the Canaanites which were by the Sea, heard that the Lord had dried vp the waters of Iorden before the children of Israel vntill they were gone ouer, their heart fainted: and there was no courage in them any more because of the children of Israel. 2 That same time the Lord said vnto Ioshua, Make thee sharpe kniues, and returne, and circumcise the sonnes of Israel the second time. 3 Then Ioshua made him sharpe kniues and circumcised the sonnes of Israel in the hill of the foreskinnes. 4 And this is the cause why Ioshua circumcised all the people, euen the males that came out of Egypt, because all the men of warre were dead in the wildernesse by the way after they came out of Egypt. 5 For all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were borne in the wildernes by the way after they came out of Egypt, were not circumcised. 6 For the children of Israel walked fourtie yeres in the wildernes, till all the people of the men of warre that came out of Egypt were consumed, because they obeyed not the voyce of the Lord: vnto whome the Lord sware, that he would not shewe them the lande, which the Lord had sworne vnto their fathers, that he would giue vs, euen a land that floweth with milke and hony. 7 So their sonnes whome he raysed vp in their steade, Ioshua circumcised: for they were vncircumcised, because they circumcised them not by the way. 8 And when they had made an ende of circumcising al the people, they abode in the places in the campe till they were whole. 9 After, the Lord said vnto Ioshua, This day I haue taken away the shame of Egypt from you: wherefore he called the name of that place Gilgal, vnto this day. 10 So the children of Israel abode in Gilgal, and kept ye feast of the Passeouer the fourteenth day of the moneth at euen in ye plaine of Iericho. 11 And they did eat of the corne of the land, on the morow after the Passeouer, vnleauened breade, and parched corne in the same day. 12 And the MAN ceased on the morowe after they had eaten of the corne of the land, neither had the children of Israel MAN any more, but did eate of the fruite of the land of Canaan that yeere. 13 And when Ioshua was by Iericho, he lift vp his eyes and looked: and behold, there stood a man against him, hauing a sword drawen in his hand: and Ioshua went vnto him, and said vnto him, Art thou on our side, or on our aduersaries? 14 And he said, Nay, but as a captaine of the host of the Lord am I nowe come: then Ioshua fel on his face to the earth, and did worship, and saide vnto him, What sayth my Lord vnto his seruant? 15 And the captaine of ye Lords host said vnto Ioshua, Loose thy shoe of thy foote: for ye place wheron thou standest, is holy: and Ioshua did so.