The Father Renews His People at Gilgal
Before any fighting, a pause. A new generation is circumcised and left in camp to heal, Passover is kept, and the manna stops the day they eat the land's own food. Then a man with a drawn sword tells Joshua he commands our Father's army.
5 1When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the sea heard that our Father had dried up the Jordan's waters before Israel until they crossed over, their hearts melted and no spirit was left in them because of Israel.
2At that time our Father said to Joshua, "Make yourself flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again, a second time."
3So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised Israel's sons at Gibeath-haaraloth, the Hill of Foreskins. 4This is 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 leaving Egypt. 5Everyone who came out had been circumcised, but those born in the wilderness on the way out of Egypt had not been. 6Israel's people walked forty years in the wilderness until the whole nation—the men of war who left Egypt—died off, because they did not obey our Father's voice. To them our Father swore he would not let them see the land he swore to their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7He raised up their children in their place, and Joshua circumcised them, for they were uncircumcised, not having been circumcised on the way. 8When the circumcision of the whole nation was complete, they stayed in camp until they were healed.
9Then our Father said to Joshua, "Today I rolled away Egypt's disgrace from you." So that place is called Gilgal to this day.
10Israel camped at Gilgal kept the Passover on the fourteenth of the month, in the evening, on the plains of Jericho. 11The day after Passover, on that very day, they ate the land's produce: bread without yeast and roasted grain. 12The manna stopped the day after they ate the land's produce. The Israelites had no more manna; that year they ate the harvest of Canaan.
The Commander of the Father's Army
13Near Jericho, Joshua looked up and saw a man standing before him, sword drawn in hand. He approached and asked, "Are you for us or our enemies?"
14"No," he replied. "I have now come as commander of our Father's army." Joshua fell facedown to the ground, worshiping, and said, "What does my lord say to his servant?"
15The commander of our Father's army said to Joshua, "Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." Joshua did so.
