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The people cross the Jordan

3 Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites left Shittim. They put up their tents beside the Jordan River. They waited to cross the river.

² Three days later, the Israelite leaders went to every tent. ³ They commanded the people, ‘The Levite priests will carry the Covenant Box of the Lord your God. When you see them, you must leave here and you must follow them. ⁴ They will show you the way to go because you have never been here before. But do not go too near to the Covenant Box. Stay about 1,000 metres behind it.’

⁵ Joshua said to the people, ‘Make yourselves ready to serve the Lord as his holy people. Tomorrow, the Lord will do great miracles among you.’

⁶ He said to the priests, ‘Pick up the Covenant Box, and carry it in front of the people.’ So they picked it up, and they went on in front of the people.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to make all the Israelite people respect you. They will know that I am with you, in the same way that I was with Moses. ⁸ The priests that are carrying the Covenant Box must go to the shore of the Jordan River. Tell them to go into the water and to stand there.’

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ The God who lives for ever is with you. He will certainly chase the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites out from this land. ^{[ a ]} Then you will have their land. The Lord will show you that he will certainly do this. ¹¹ Look now! The Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan River in front of you. ¹² Now choose 12 men, one from each tribe of Israel's family. ¹³ Watch the priests who are carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as their feet touch the water of the river, you will see that the water stops running. It will rise up like a wall.’

¹⁴ So the Israelite people prepared to leave their tents. The priests carried the Covenant Box towards the Jordan River. The people followed them. ¹⁵ It was the time of the harvest and there was a lot of water coming down the river. But when the priests reached the shore of the river with the Covenant Box and their feet touched the water, ¹⁶ the water stopped. It stopped a long way up the river, at a town called Adam. That is near Zarethan. The water going down to the Salt Sea stopped completely. So the people crossed the river near Jericho city. ¹⁷ The priests stood in the middle of the river on dry ground, with the Lord 's Covenant Box. While they stood there, all the Israelite people walked across the river on dry ground. In that way, the whole nation arrived on the other side of the river.

Footnotes

3:10 Many different tribes lived in the land of Canaan.

Miracle at the Jordan River

3 Early the next morning, Joshua and all the Israelites got up and left Acacia. They traveled to the Jordan River and camped there before they crossed it. ² After three days the leaders went through the camp. ³ They gave orders to the people: “When you see the Levite priests carrying the Box of the Agreement of the Lord your God, follow them. ⁴ But do not follow too closely. Stay about 1000 yards ^{[ a ]} behind them. You have not been here before, but if you follow them, you will know where to go.”

⁵ Then Joshua told the people, “Make yourselves pure. Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among us.”

⁶ Then Joshua said to the priests, “Take the Box of the Agreement and go across the river in front of the people.” So the priests lifted the Box and carried it in front of the people.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great man for all the Israelites to see. Then the people will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. ⁸ The priests will carry the Box of the Agreement. Tell them this, ‘Walk to the shore of the Jordan River and stop just before you step into the water.’”

⁹ Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ Here is proof that the living God is really with you and that he will surely defeat your enemies. He will defeat the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites; he will force them to leave their land. ¹¹ The Box of the Agreement of the Lord of the whole world will go before you as you cross the Jordan River. ¹² Now choose twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ¹³ The priests will carry the Holy Box of the Lord . He is the Lord of the whole world. They will carry that Box in front of you into the Jordan River. When they enter the water, the water of the Jordan River will stop flowing and fill behind that place like at a dam.”

¹⁴ The priests carried the Box of the Agreement, and the people left the place they had camped. The people started going across the Jordan River. ¹⁵ (During harvest time the Jordan River overflows its banks, so the river was at its fullest.) The priests who were carrying the Box came to the shore of the river. When they stepped into the water, ¹⁶ immediately the water stopped flowing and piled up like a wall. The water piled up high a long way up the river—all the way to Adam (a town near Zarethan). And the water flowing down to the sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. The people crossed the river near Jericho. ¹⁷ The ground at that place became dry, and the priests carried the Box of the Agreement of the Lord to the middle of the river and stopped. They waited there while all the Israelites walked across the Jordan River on dry land.

Footnotes

Joshua 3:4 1000 yards Literally, “2000 cubits” (888 m).

3 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

² And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

³ 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 ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

⁴ Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

⁵ And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

⁶ And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, 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 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

⁸ And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

⁹ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.

¹⁰ And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among 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 Amorites, and the Jebusites.

¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

¹² Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

¹³ And it shall come to pass, 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 Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

¹⁴ And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

¹⁵ And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

¹⁶ That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

¹⁷ And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

Israel Crosses the Jordan

3 Then Joshua got up early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from ^{( A )} Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they spent the night there before they crossed. ² Then ^{( B )} at the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; ³ and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ^{( C )} ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. ⁴ However, there shall be a distance between you and it of about ^{[ a ]} two thousand cubits by measurement. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”

⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, “ ^{( D )} Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you.” ⁶ And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

⁷ Now the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to ^{( E )} exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they will know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. ⁸ So you shall command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” ⁹ Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ And Joshua said, “By this you will know that ^{( F )} the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly ^{( G )} drive out from you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. ¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of ^{( H )} the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. ¹² Now then, ^{( I )} take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. ¹³ And it will come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord , the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, that is , the waters which are ^{[ b ]} flowing down from above; and they will ^{( J )} stand in one heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying ^{( K )} the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵ and when those who were carrying the ark came up to the Jordan and the feet of the priests carrying the ark ^{[ c ]} stepped down into the edge of the water (for the ^{( L )} Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), ¹⁶ then ^{( M )} the waters which were ^{[ d ]} flowing down from above stood and rose up in ^{( N )} one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were ^{[ e ]} flowing down toward the sea of the ^{( O )} Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm ^{( P )} on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

Footnotes

Joshua 3:4 About 3,000 ft. or 914 m
Joshua 3:13 Lit going
Joshua 3:15 Lit were dipped in
Joshua 3:16 Lit going
Joshua 3:16 Lit going

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The people cross the Jordan

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Miracle at the Jordan River

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Israel Crosses the Jordan

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Crossing the Jordan

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The people cross the Jordan

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Miracle at the Jordan River

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Israel Crosses the Jordan

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Crossing the Jordan

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