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Therefore after that all the kings of Amorites heard, that dwelled over (the) Jordan at the west coast, and all the kings of Canaan, that wielded the nigh places of the great sea, that the Lord had dried the flowings of (the) Jordan before the sons of Israel, till they passed over, the heart of them failed, and the spirit dwelled not in them, dreading the entering of the sons of Israel. (And so when all the kings of the Amorites, who lived on the west side of the Jordan River, and all the kings of Canaan, who possessed the lands near the Mediterranean Sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the flowings of the Jordan River before the Israelites, until they had crossed over, their hearts failed, and there was no more spirit, or courage, left in them, for they all feared the coming of the Israelites.)

In that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make to thee knives of stone (Make thou some stone knives), and circumcise thou the sons of Israel the second time.

Joshua did those things which the Lord commanded, and he circumcised the sons of Israel in the hill of prepuces (and he circumcised the male Israelites at the Hill of the Foreskins).

And this is the cause of the second circumcision; all the people of male kind, that went out of Egypt, all the men fighters of them, were dead in (the) desert by the full long compasses of (the) way, (And this is the reason for the second circumcision; all the males, who went out of Egypt, yea, all their fighting men, who had died in the wilderness on the very long journey on the way,)

the which all were circumcised. But the other people that was born in desert by forty years, in the way of the full broad wilderness, was uncircumcised, (were all circumcised. But the other males, those who were born in the wilderness, were uncircumcised.)

till they (all) were wasted, that heard not the voice of the Lord, and to which he swore before, that he should (not) show to them the land flowing with milk and honey. (Yea, for forty years, they went on the way of the very broad wilderness, until all of them had died who had not obeyed the voice of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not let them see the land flowing with milk and honey.)

The sons of them came afterward into the place of [the] fathers, and they were circumcised of Joshua; which, as they were born, were in prepuce, neither any man had circumcised them in the way. (Their sons came afterward into the place of their fathers, and they were the ones whom Joshua circumcised; for they all had foreskins, as when they were born, for no one had circumcised them on the way.)

And after that they all were circumcised, they dwelled in the same place of their tents, till they were healed.

And the Lord said to Joshua, Today I have taken away from you the shame of Egypt. And (so) the name of the place was called Gilgal[a], unto this present day.

10 And the sons of Israel dwelled in Gilgal, and made pask in the fourteenth day of the month at eventide, in the field places of Jericho; (And the Israelites stayed at Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, on the plains of Jericho;)

11 and they ate of the fruits of the land in the tother day, therf loaves, and pottage of the same year, either corns singed, and rubbed in the hand. (and they ate of the fruits of the land on the next day, unleavened bread, and pottage of that year, or corns singed, and then rubbed by hand.)

12 And (the) manna failed after that they ate of the fruits of the land; and the sons of Israel used no more that meat (and no longer did the Israelites receive that food), but they ate of the fruits of (the) present year of the land of Canaan.

13 And when Joshua was in the field of the city of Jericho, he raised up his eyes, and saw a man standing (over) against him, and holding a drawn sword; and Joshua went out to him, and said, Art thou with us, either (with) our adversary?

14 To whom he answered, Nay, but I am (the) prince of the host of the Lord, and now I (have) come. Joshua felled low to the earth, and worshipped, and said, What speaketh my Lord to his servant? (And Joshua fell down onto the ground, and honoured him, and said, What saith my lord to his servant?)

15 (And) He said, Unlace thy shoes from (off) thy feet, for the place, in which thou standest, is holy. And Joshua did, as it was commanded to him.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:9 “Gilgal” sounds like the Hebrew for “removed” or “taken away” (Good News Bible).

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast(A) heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear(B) and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives(C) and circumcise(D) the Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.[b]

Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age(E)—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.(F) All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness(G) forty years(H) until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us,(I) a land flowing with milk and honey.(J) So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.(K)

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal[c](L) to this day.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month,(M) while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.(N) 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land:(O) unleavened bread(P) and roasted grain.(Q) 12 The manna stopped the day after[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.(R)

The Fall of Jericho

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man(S) standing in front of him with a drawn sword(T) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown(U) to the ground(V) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”(W) And Joshua did so.

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 5:1 Another textual tradition we
  2. Joshua 5:3 Gibeath Haaraloth means the hill of foreskins.
  3. Joshua 5:9 Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew for roll.
  4. Joshua 5:12 Or the day
  5. Joshua 5:14 Or lord