< Joshua 3 >

1 Therfor Josue roos bi nyyt, and mouede tentis; and thei yeden out of Sechym, and camen to Jordan, he and alle the sones of Israel, and dwelliden there thre daies.
And so, Joshua arose in the night, and he moved the camp. And they departed from Shittim, and they went to the Jordan: he, and all the sons of Israel, and they remained there for three days.
2 And whanne tho daies weren passid, crieris yeden thorouy the myddis of tentis,
After these things unfolded, announcers passed through the midst of the camp,
3 and bigunnen to crie, Whanne ye seen the arke of boond of pees of youre Lord God, and the preestis of the generacioun of Leuy berynge it, also rise ye, and sue the biforgoeris;
and they began to proclaim: “When you will see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests of the stock of Levi carrying it, you also shall rise up and follow those who are going before you.
4 and a space of twey thousynde cubitis be bitwixe you and the arke, that ye moun se fer, and knowe bi what weie ye schulen entre, for ye `yeden not bifore bi it; and be ye war, that ye neiye not to the arke.
And let there be, between you and the ark, the space of two thousand cubits, so that you may be able to see it from far away, and to know along which way you should advance. For you have not walked this way before. And be careful that you do not approach the ark.”
5 And Josue seide to the puple, Be ye halewid, for to morew the Lord schal make merueilis among you.
And Joshua said to the people: “Be sanctified. For tomorrow the Lord will accomplish miracles among you.”
6 And Josue seide to the preestis, Take ye the arke of the boond of pees `of the Lord, and go ye bifor the puple. Whiche filliden the heestis, and tooken the arke, and yeden bifor hem.
And he said to the priests: “Take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people.” And they fulfilled the orders, and they took it and walked before them.
7 And the Lord seide to Josue, To dai Y schal bigynne to enhaunse thee bifor al Israel, that thei wite, that as Y was with Moises, so Y am also with thee.
And the Lord said to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that, just as I was with Moses, so also am I with you.
8 Forsothe comaunde thou to preestis, that beren the arke of bond of pees, and seie thou to hem, Whanne ye han entrid in to a part of the watir of Jordan, stonde ye therynne.
Now instruct the priests, who are carrying the ark of the covenant, and say to them, ‘When you will have entered into a part of the water of the Jordan, stand still in it.’”
9 And Josue seide to the sones of Israel, Neiye ye hidur, and here ye the word of youre Lord God.
And Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Approach to here, and listen to the word of the Lord your God.”
10 And eft he seide, In this ye schulen wite that the Lord God lyuynge is in the myddis of you; and he schal distrye in youre siyt Cananey, Ethei, Euey, and Feresei, and Gergesei, and Jebusei, and Amorrei.
And again, he said: “By this shall you know that the Lord, the living God, is in your midst, and that he shall scatter in your sight, the Canaanite and the Hittite, the Hivite and the Perizzite, likewise the Girgashite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite.
11 Lo! the arke of boond of pees of the Lord of al erthe schal go bifor you thorouy Jordan.
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth shall go before you through the Jordan.
12 Make ye redi twelue men of the twelue lynagis of Israel, bi ech lynage o man.
Prepare twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
13 And whanne the preestis, that beren the arke of boond of pees of the Lord God of al erthe, han set the steppis of her feet in the watris of Jordan, the watris that ben lowere schulen renne doun, and schulen faile; forsothe the watris that comen fro aboue schulen stonde togidere in o gobet.
And when the priests who are carrying the ark of the Lord, the God of the entire earth, will have placed the steps of their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the waters that are lower will run down and pass away, and those that are approaching above will stand together in a mass.”
14 Therfor the puple yede out of her tabernaclis to passe Jordan; and the preestis that baren the arke of boond of pees yeden bifor the puple.
And the people departed from their tents, so that they might cross the Jordan. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant were advancing before them.
15 And whanne the preestis entriden in to Jordan, and her feet weren dippid in the part of watir; forsothe Jordan `hadde fillid the brynkis of his trow in the tyme of `ripe corn;
And as soon as they entered into the Jordan, and their feet were dipped in a portion of the water, (now the Jordan, since it was the time of the harvest, had filled the banks of its channel, )
16 the watris yeden doun, and stoden in o place, and wexiden grete at the licnesse of an hil, and apperiden fer fro the citee that was clepid Edom, `til to the place of Sarthan; sotheli the watris that weren lowere yeden doun in to the see of wildirnesse, which is now clepid the deed see, `til the watris failiden outirli.
the descending waters stood still in one place, and, swelling up like a mountain, they were seen from far away, from the city that is called Adam, even as far as the place of Zarethan. But those that were lower ran down into the Sea of the Wilderness, (which is now called the Dead Sea, ) until they entirely passed away.
17 Forsothe the puple yede thorouy Jordan; and the preestis, that baren the arke of the boond of pees of the Lord, stoden gird on the drie erthe in the myddis of Jordan, and al the puple passide thorouy the drie trow.
Then the people advanced opposite Jericho. And the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord were standing, fully-dressed, upon dry soil in the midst of the Jordan, and all the people passed over, through the channel that was dried up.

< Joshua 3 >