The men pursued after them the way to the Jordan to the fords: and as soon as those who pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
The first city that the Israelites had to conquer was Jericho, for it blocked their passage through the mountain pass to the land beyond. Joshua sent two men ahead to spy out Jericho, and although their presence in the city was discovered, they received protection from a prostitute named Rahab (2:1-7).