Joshua 5

1And it happened, 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 Yahweh had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until we had crossed over, their heart melted, and there was no longer spirit in them because of the sons of Israel.

2At that time Yahweh said to Joshua, “Make for yourself flint knives, and circumcise the sons of Israel again, a second time.”

3So Joshua made for himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.

4And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt, the males, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt.

5For all the people who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness on the way as they came out from Egypt had not been circumcised.

6For the sons of Israel had walked in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation—the men of war who came out of Egypt—had come to an end, because they had not listened to the voice of Yahweh. Yahweh had sworn to them that he would not let them see the land that Yahweh had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

7And Joshua circumcised their sons, whom he had raised up in their place, because they were uncircumcised, for they had not circumcised them on the way.

8And when all the nation had finished being circumcised, they remained in their places in the camp until they recovered.

9And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from upon you.” So the name of that place was called Gilgal to this day.

10And the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho.

11And they ate some of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover: unleavened bread and roasted grain, on this very day.

12And the manna ceased on the next day, after they had eaten from the produce of the land. There was no longer manna for the sons of Israel, and they ate from the yield of the land of Canaan that year.

13And it happened, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?”

14He said, “No; rather, I have now come as the commander of the army of Yahweh.” Then Joshua fell with his face to the ground and bowed down, and said to him, “What is my lord saying to his servant?”

15Then the commander of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, because the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.