Joshua 3
1 Early the following morning Joshua and the Israelites set out from Shittim and arrived at the banks of the Jordan. There they all spent the night before crossing over.
And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they broke up from Shittim, and came close to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over.
2 Three days later those in charge of the people went through the camp
And it came to pass at the end of three days, that the officers passed through the midst of the camp.
3 telling the people, “When you see the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord your God carried by the priests, the Levites, you must leave the place where you are and follow it.
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then shall ye break up from your place, and go after it.
4 That way you'll know which way to go, since you haven't been here before. Leave about 3,000 feet between you and the Ark. Don't go near it!”
Nevertheless there shall be a space between you and it, of about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, in order that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Make sure you are pure, because tomorrow the Lord is going to do amazing things among you.”
And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow will the Lord do wonders in the midst of you.
6 Joshua spoke to the priests, “Pick up the Ark of the Agreement and go before the people.” So they picked up the Ark of the Agreement and went ahead of the people.
And Joshua said unto the priests, as followeth, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “What I do today will confirm you as great leader in the sight of all the Israelites, so that they'll realize that just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to make thee great in the eyes of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.
8 Tell the priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement, ‘When you get to the edge of the Jordan, take a few steps into the water and then stop.’”
And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.
9 So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to what the Lord your God has to say to you.
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Approach hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.
10 This is how you will know that the living God is right here with you,” he told them. “You can be sure that he will drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
And Joshua said, Hereby shall ye know that the living God is in the midst of you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Emorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Just watch—the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord of all the earth will cross in front of you through the Jordan.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.
12 Choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe.
And now take yourselves twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man each out of every tribe.
13 The moment the priests carrying the Ark step into the water the river will stop flowing and the water will pile up.”
And it shall come to pass, that as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, namely, the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand up as a wall.
14 So the people broke camp and set out to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the Ark ahead of them.
And it came to pass, when the people broke up from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, and the priests the bearers of the ark of the covenant were before the people;
15 As it was harvest season, the Jordan was full of water, overflowing its banks. But at the very moment the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the water, the river stopped flowing.
And as they that bore the ark were come up to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, [the Jordan, however, had overflowed all its banks all the time of harvest, ]
16 The water piled up a long way upstream, at the town of Adam, near Zarethan, while downstream no more water flowed into the Dead Sea. So the people crossed over, opposite Jericho.
That the waters which came down from above stood still and rose up as a wall, very far from the city Adam, which is beside Zarethan; and those that ran down toward the sea of the plain, the salt sea, failed, were cut off; and the people passed over opposite to Jericho.
17 The priests carrying the Ark stood on the dried-up riverbed of the Jordan as all the people went by, staying there until everyone had crossed over on dry ground.
And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people had finished passing over the Jordan.
