Joshua - Chapter 3

¹ Early in the morning, Joshua struck camp and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and there they camped before they crossed.

² Three days later, the officials went through the camp

³ and gave the people these instructions, 'When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God being carried by the levitical priests, you will leave your position and follow it, so that you may know which way to take, since you have never gone this way before.

⁴ Between you and the ark, however, keep a distance of about two thousand cubits: do not go near it.'

⁵ Joshua said to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves, since tomorrow Yahweh will work wonders among you.'

⁶ Joshua then said to the priests, 'Take up the ark of the covenant and cross at the head of the people.' They took up the ark of the covenant and moved to the head of the people.

⁷ Yahweh said to Joshua, 'This very day, I shall begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel so that they will know that, as I was with Moses, so I shall be with you.

⁸ Now, give this order to the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, "When you have reached the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you must halt in the Jordan itself." '

⁹ To the Israelites, Joshua then said, 'Come closer and hear the words of Yahweh your God.'

¹⁰ Joshua said, 'By this, you are to know that the living God is with you and without a doubt will expel the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites before you.

¹¹ Look, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth is about to move into the Jordan at your head.

¹² Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.

¹³ As soon as the priests carrying the ark of Yahweh, Lord of the whole earth, have set the soles of their feet in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off; the upper waters flowing down will stop as a single mass.'

¹⁴ Accordingly, when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people.

¹⁵ As soon as the bearers of the ark reached the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the waters -- the Jordan is in spate throughout the harvest season-

¹⁶ the upper waters stood still and formed a single mass over a great distance, at Adam, the town near Zarethan, while those flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely separated. The people crossed opposite Jericho.

¹⁷ The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firm on dry ground in mid-Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until the whole nation had completed its crossing of the Jordan.

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