The land allotted to Joseph’s descendants extended from the Jordan at Jericho ¹  to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel. ² 

It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, ¹  and extended to the Jordan River. ² 

About forty thousand battle-ready troops ¹  marched past the Lord to fight ²  on the plains of Jericho. ³ 

The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month ¹  and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. ² 

Now Jericho ¹  was shut tightly ²  because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. ³ 

When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho ¹  and Ai,

the king of Jericho ¹  (one), the king of Ai – located near Bethel – (one),

These are the land assignments made by Moses ¹  on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River opposite Jericho. ² 

These cities belonged to the tribe ¹  of Benjamin by its clans: Jericho, ²  Beth Hoglah, Emek Keziz,

You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. ¹  The leaders ²  of Jericho, as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, fought with you, but I handed them over to you.

The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well! ¹  Israelite men have come here tonight ²  to spy on the land.”

So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho. ¹ 

The Lord told Joshua, “See, I am about to defeat Jericho for you, ¹  along with its king and its warriors.

Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho ¹  and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”

Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them: ¹  “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.” ²  They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there. ³ 

So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab: ¹  “Turn over ²  the men who came to you ³  – the ones who came to your house ⁴  – for they have come to spy on the whole land!”

the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing. ¹  It piled up far upstream ²  at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea). ³  The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. ⁴ 

When Joshua was near ¹  Jericho, ²  he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. ³  Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?” ⁴ 

Yet Joshua spared ¹  Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, ²  and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel ³  to this very day because she hid the messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho. ⁴ 

At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: ¹  “The man who attempts to rebuild ²  this city of Jericho ³  will stand condemned before the Lord. ⁴  He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!” ⁵