Joshua 5

Revised Geneva Translation

5 Now when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the children of Israel until they had gone over, their hearts fainted. And there was no courage in them anymore, because of the children of Israel.

² At the same time, the LORD said to Joshua, “Make yourself sharp knives, return, and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”

³ Then Joshua made himself sharp knives and circumcised the sons of Israel on the Hill of the Foreskins.

⁴ And this is why Joshua circumcised all the people (the males) who came out of Egypt: because all the men of war were dead in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt.

⁵ For all the people who came out were circumcised. But all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way, after they came out of Egypt, were not circumcised.

⁶ For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the people of the men of war who came out of Egypt were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD (and to whom the LORD swore that He would not show the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers, that He would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey).

⁷ So their sons, whom He raised up in their stead, Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised because they did not circumcise them along the way.

⁸ And when they had ended circumcising all the people, they stayed in the places in the camp until they were whole.

⁹ Afterward, the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I have taken away the shame of Egypt from you.” Therefore, He called the name of that place, Gilgal, to this day.

¹⁰ So the children of Israel stayed in Gilgal and kept the Feast of the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, on the plain of Jericho.

¹¹ And on the day after the Passover — on the same day — they ate from the old grain of the land, unleavened bread and parched corn.

¹² And the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten from the old grain of the land. Nor did the children of Israel have manna anymore, but ate from the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

¹³ And when Joshua was near Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, there stood a man opposite him, having a sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went to him, and said to him, “Are you on our side, or on our adversaries’?”

¹⁴ And he said, “No, but as a captain of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said to him, “What does the LORD say to his servant?”

¹⁵ And the captain of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Loosen your shoe from your foot. For the place upon which you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.