Joshua 5

¹Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the Jordan, westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the coming in of the children of Israel.

²At that time the Lord said to Joshua: Make thee knives of stone, and circumcise the second time the children of Israel.

³He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the children of Israel in the hill of the foreskins.

⁴Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way:

⁵Now these were all circumcised. But the people that were born in the desert,

⁶During the forty years of the journey in the wide wilderness, were uncircumcised: till all they were consumed that had not heard the voice of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not shew them the land flowing with milk and honey.

⁷The children of these succeeded in the place of their fathers, and were circumcised by Joshua: for they were uncircumcised even as they were born, and no one had circumcised them in the way.

⁸Now after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same place of the camp, until they were healed.

⁹And the Lord said to Joshua: This day have I taken away from you the reproach of Egypt. And the name of that place was called Galgal, until this present day.

¹⁰And the children of Israel abode in Galgal, and they kept the phase, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the plains of Jericho:

¹¹And they ate on the next day unleavened bread of the corn of the land, and frumenty of the same year.

¹²And the manna ceased after they ate of the corn of the land, neither did the children of Israel use that food any more, but they ate of the corn of the present year of the land of Chanaan.

¹³And when Joshua was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted up his eyes, and saw a man standing over against him, holding a drawn sword, and he went to him, and said: Art thou one of ours, or of our adversaries?

¹⁴And he answered: No: but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and now I am come.

¹⁵Joshua fell on his face to the ground. And worshipping, said: What saith my lord to his servant?

¹⁶Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did as was commanded him.

Joshua 5

¹And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of 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 the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

³And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

⁴And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

⁵Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised.

⁶For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that he would not shew them the land, which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

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

⁸And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

⁹And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

¹⁰And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

¹¹And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

¹²And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³And it came to pass, 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 unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

¹⁴And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

¹⁵And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.