9. “I know the lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror.
10. For we have heard how the lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.
11. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
12. “Now swear to me by the lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that
13. when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
14. “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the lord gives us the land.”
15. Then, since Rahab’s house was built into the town wall, she let them down by a rope through the window.
16. “Escape to the hill country,” she told them. “Hide there for three days from the men searching for you. Then, when they have returned, you can go on your way.”
17. Before they left, the men told her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions.
18. When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members—your father, mother, brothers, and all your relatives—must be here inside the house.
19. If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death.
20. If you betray us, however, we are not bound by this oath in any way.”
21. “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.
22. The spies went up into the hill country and stayed there three days. The men who were chasing them searched everywhere along the road, but they finally returned without success.