約書亞記2:1-24

2:1 當下，嫩的兒子約書亞從什亭暗暗打發兩個人作探子，吩咐說：「你們去窺探那地和耶利哥。」於是二人去了，來到一個妓女名叫喇合的家裡，就在那裡躺臥。
2:2 有人告訴耶利哥王說：「今夜有以色列人來到這裡窺探此地。」
2:3 耶利哥王打發人去見喇合說：「那來到你這裡、進了你家的人要交出來，因為他們來窺探全地。」
2:4 女人將二人隱藏，就回答說：「那人果然到我這裡來；他們是哪裡來的我卻不知道。
2:5 天黑、要關城門的時候，他們出去了，往哪裡去我卻不知道。你們快快地去追趕，就必追上。」
2:6 （先是女人領二人上了房頂，將他們藏在那裡所擺的麻秸中。）
2:7 那些人就往約旦河的渡口追趕他們去了。追趕他們的人一出去，城門就關了。
2:8 二人還沒有躺臥，女人就上房頂，到他們那裡，
2:9 對他們說：「我知道耶和華已經把這地賜給你們，並且因你們的緣故我們都驚慌了。這地的一切居民在你們面前心都消化了；
2:10 因為我們聽見你們出埃及的時候，耶和華怎樣在你們前面使紅海的水乾了，並且你們怎樣待約旦河東的兩個亞摩利王西宏和噩，將他們盡行毀滅。
2:11 我們一聽見這些事，心就消化了。因你們的緣故，並無一人有膽氣。耶和華─你們的上帝本是上天下地的上帝。
2:12 現在我既是恩待你們，求你們指著耶和華向我起誓，也要恩待我父家，並給我一個實在的證據，
2:13 要救活我的父母、弟兄、姊妹，和一切屬他們的，拯救我們性命不死。」
2:14 二人對她說：「你若不洩漏我們這件事，我們情願替你們死。耶和華將這地賜給我們的時候，我們必以慈愛誠實待你。」
2:15 於是女人用繩子將二人從窗戶裡縋下去；因她的房子是在城牆邊上，她也住在城牆上。
2:16 她對他們說：「你們且往山上去，恐怕追趕的人碰見你們；要在那裡隱藏三天，等追趕的人回來，然後才可以走你們的路。」
2:17 二人對她說：「你要這樣行。不然，你叫我們所起的誓就與我們無干了。
2:18 我們來到這地的時候，你要把這條朱紅線繩繫在縋我們下去的窗戶上，並要使你的父母、弟兄，和你父的全家都聚集在你家中。
2:19 凡出了你家門往街上去的，他的罪（原文是血）必歸到自己的頭上，與我們無干了。凡在你家裡的，若有人下手害他，流他血的罪就歸到我們的頭上。
2:20 你若洩漏我們這件事，你叫我們所起的誓就與我們無干了。」
2:21 女人說：「照你們的話行吧！」於是打發他們去了，又把朱紅線繩繫在窗戶上。
2:22 二人到山上，在那裡住了三天，等著追趕的人回去了。追趕的人一路找他們，卻找不著。
2:23 二人就下山回來，過了河，到嫩的兒子約書亞那裡，向他述說所遭遇的一切事；
2:24 又對約書亞說：「耶和華果然將那全地交在我們手中；那地的一切居民在我們面前心都消化了。」

 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” ⁶ (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) ⁷ So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof ⁹ and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.^{[b] 11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

¹² “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

²² When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. ²³ Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”

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    喇合被稱為「妓女」應該不是因為她是從事性服務的工作，而是因為她不忠於耶利哥王，幫助以色列人的探子的原因！「妓女」應該是一種反諷的用詞，不是她的是「妓女」！更何況在耶穌基督的家譜中也有她的名字：「撒門從喇合氏生波阿斯；波阿斯從路得氏生俄備得；俄備得生耶西；耶西生大衛王。大衛從烏利亞的妻子生所羅門；」（馬太福音1:5-6）

    她不僅幫助那兩個探子隱藏，還鼓勵他們說：「我知道耶和華已經把這地賜給你們，並且因你們的緣故我們都驚慌了。這地的一切居民在你們面前心都消化了；因為我們聽見你們出埃及的時候，耶和華怎樣在你們前面使紅海的水乾了，並且你們怎樣待約旦河東的兩個亞摩利王西宏和噩，將他們盡行毀滅。我們一聽見這些事，心就消化了。因你們的緣故，並無一人有膽氣。耶和華─你們的上帝本是上天下地的上帝。現在我既是恩待你們，求你們指著耶和華向我起誓，也要恩待我父家，並給我一個實在的證據，要救活我的父母、弟兄、姊妹，和一切屬他們的，拯救我們性命不死。」

    從喇合的話中，讓我們看見上帝也做工在外邦人的心中，尤其是一個外邦女子，大家所輕視與看不起的人，上帝竟然安排她來幫助以色列，不僅完成當時的拯救，更是預備基督的重要一員，讓人一看到這名字就讚美上帝的奇妙！願我們的生命，也能像喇合一般為上帝所使用，讓人看見上帝的榮耀！