1 Now when the news came to all the kings of the Amorites on the west side of Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites living by the sea, how the Lord had made the waters of Jordan dry before the children of Israel, till they had gone across, their hearts became like water, and there was no more spirit in them, because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make yourself stone knives and give the children of Israel circumcision a second time.

3 So Joshua made stone knives and gave the children of Israel circumcision at Gibeath-ha-araloth.

4 And this is the reason why Joshua did so: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the fighting-men, had been overtaken by death in the waste land on the way, after they came out of Egypt.

5 All the people who came out had undergone circumcision; but all the people whose birth had taken place in the waste land on their journey from Egypt had not.

6 For the children of Israel were wandering in the waste land for forty years, till all the nation, that is, all the fighting-men, who had come out of Egypt, were dead, because they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord: to whom the Lord said, with an oath, that he would not let them see the land which the Lord had given his word to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

7 And their children, who came up in their place, now underwent circumcision by the hands of Joshua, not having had it before: for there had been no circumcision on the journey.

8 So when all the nation had undergone circumcision, they kept in their tents till they were well again.

9 And the Lord said to Joshua, Today the shame of Egypt has been rolled away from you. So that place was named Gilgal, to this day.

10 So the children of Israel put up their tents in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, in the lowlands of Jericho.

11 And on the day after the Passover, they had for their food the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and dry grain on the same day.

12 And there was no more manna from the day after they had for their food the produce of the land; the children of Israel had manna no longer, but that year the produce of the land of Canaan was their food.

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, lifting up his eyes he saw a man in front of him, with his sword uncovered in his hand: and Joshua went up to him and said, Are you for us or against us?

14 And he said, No; but I have come as captain of the armies of the Lord. Then Joshua, falling down with his face to the earth in worship, said, What has my lord to say to his servant?

15 And the captain of the Lord's army said to Joshua, Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you are is holy. And Joshua did so.

1 Quando as nações da banda ocidental do Jordão - os amorreus, mais os cananeus, que viviam, estes últimos, na costa do Mediterrâneo - ouviram que o Senhor tinha secado o rio Jordão para que o povo de Israel pudesse passar, foi-se-lhes o alento, completamente, e ficaram paralisados de terror.

2 O Senhor disse a Josué que reservasse um dia para circuncidar a população masculina de Israel. O Senhor deu-lhes instruções para fazerem facas de pedra, próprias para esse fim. O local onde o rito da circuncisão teve lugar foi chamado A Colina dos Prepúcios.

4 A razão desta segunda cerimónia da circuncisão foi a seguinte: é que apesar de todos os homens que saíram do Egipto com idade de pegarem em arma terem sido circuncidados, toda essa geração morrera durante a travessia do deserto e nenhum dos rapazes nascidos depois tinha passado por esse rito. Porque a nação de Israel percorrera o deserto, andando em várias direcções durante quarenta anos até que todos os homens em idade de serviço de combate na altura em que deixaram o Egipto morreram; visto que não tinham obedecido ao Senhor, o qual lhes dissera que não haveriam de entrar na terra que prometera a Israel - uma terra onde brotam o leite e o mel. Foi pois essa a razão porque Josué circuncidou os filhos deles- os homens que tinham crescido para tomarem o lugar dos seus pais.

8 E o Senhor disse a Josué: Hoje pus fim à vergonha de não serem cicuncidados. Assim, o local em que isto foi feito chamou-se Gilgal , e assim é chamado até hoje. Após a cerimónia, a nação inteira repousou no acampamento até que as feridas sarassem.

10 Enquanto estavam acampados ali em Gilgal nas campinas do Jordão, celebraram a Páscoa durante a noite do dia catorze do mês. No dia seguinte começaram a comer da fruta e dos cereais dos campos que invadiram, tendo feito pães sem fermento. Passado mais um dia, o maná deixou de cair e nunca mais ninguém o achou. Portanto, a partir dessa altura eles passaram a comer das searas de Canaã.

13 Numa ocasião em que Josué estava perto da cidade de Jericó apareceu-lhe um homem junto dele com uma espada desembainhada. Josué avançou para ele e perguntou: És amigo ou inimigo?

14 Sou o comandante do exército do Senhor.Josué caiu por terra perante ele, adorou-o e disse-lhe: Dá-me as tuas ordens.

15 Descalça-te porque este solo é santo. E Josué obedeceu.