The people are circumcised: they keep the pasch. The manna ceaseth. An
angel appeareth to Josue.
5:1. Now when all the kings of the Amorrhites, who dwelt beyond the
Jordan, westward, and all the kings of Chanaan, who possessed the places
near the great sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of
the Jordan before the children of Israel, till they passed over, their
heart failed them, and there remained no spirit in them, fearing the
coming in of the children of Israel.
5:2. At that time the Lord said to Josue: Make thee knives of stone, and
circumcise the second time the children of Israel.
The second time... Not that such as had been circumcised before were to
be circumcised again; but that they were now to renew, and take up again
the practice of circumcision; which had been omitted during their forty
years' sojourning in the wilderness; by reason of their being always
uncertain when they should be obliged to march.
5:3. He did what the Lord had commanded, and he circumcised the children
of Israel in the hill of the foreskins.
5:4. Now this is the cause of the second circumcision: All the people
that came out of Egypt that were males, all the men fit for war, died in
the desert, during the time of the long going about in the way:
5:5. Now these were all circumcised. But the people that were born in
the desert,
5:6. During the forty years of the journey in the wide wilderness, were
uncircumcised: till all they were consumed that had not heard the voice
of the Lord, and to whom he had sworn before, that he would not shew
them the land flowing with milk and honey.
5:7. The children of these succeeded in the place of their fathers, and
were circumcised by Josue: for they were uncircumcised even as they were
born, and no one had circumcised them in the way.
5:8. Now after they were all circumcised, they remained in the same
place of the camp, until they were healed.
5:9. And the Lord said to Josue: This day have I taken away from you the
reproach of Egypt. And the name of that place was called Galgal, until
this present day.
5:10. And the children of Israel abode in Galgal, and they kept the
phase, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, in the plains of
Jericho:
5:11. And they ate on the next day unleavened bread of the corn of the
land, and frumenty of the same year.
5:12. And the manna ceased after they ate of the corn of the land,
neither did the children of Israel use that food any more, but they ate
of the corn of the present year of the land of Chanaan.
5:13. And when Josue was in the field of the city of Jericho, he lifted
up his eyes, and saw a man standing over against him, holding a drawn
sword, and he went to him, and said: Art thou one of ours, or of our
adversaries?
5:14. And he answered: No: but I am prince of the host of the Lord, and
now I am come.
Prince of the host of the Lord, etc... St. Michael, who is called prince
of the people of Israel, Dan. 10.21.
5:15. Josue fell on his face to the ground. And worshipping, said: What
saith my lord to his servant?
Worshipping... Not with divine honour, but with a religious veneration
of an inferior kind, suitable to the dignity of his person.
5:16. Loose, saith he, thy shoes from off thy feet: for the place
whereon thou standest is holy. And Josue did as was commanded him.