Joshua Chapter 5

Joshua was the leader of the Israeli armies in his victories over his enemies, the Canaanites. The book ends by describing the division of the land between the twelve tribes of Israel.

A Conservative Version

5 : 1 And it came to pass, 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 Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the sons of Israel until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the sons of Israel.

5 : 2 At that time Jehovah said to Joshua, Make for thee knives of flint, and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time.

5 : 3 And Joshua made him knives of flint, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

5 : 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised: 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.

5 : 5 For 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.

5 : 6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness till all the nation, even the men of war who came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not hearken to the voice of Jehovah, to whom Jehovah swore that he would not let them see the land which Jehovah swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

5 : 7 And their sons, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised because they had not circumcised them by the way.

5 : 8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the nation, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were recovered.

5 : 9 And Jehovah said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, to this day.

5 : 10 And the sons of Israel encamped in Gilgal. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

5 : 11 And they ate of the produce of the land on the morrow after the Passover, unleavened cakes and parched grain, in the selfsame day.

5 : 12 And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the produce of the land. Neither had the sons of Israel manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

5 : 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him, and said to him, Are thou for us, or for our adversaries?

5 : 14 And he said, No, but as captain of the army of Jehovah I have now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped, and said to him, What does my lord say to his servant?

5 : 15 And the captain of Jehovah's army said to Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place on which thou stand is holy. And Joshua did so.