Chapter 3
1
And Joshua rose early in the morning. They journeyed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the sons of Israel, and they lodged there before they crossed.
2
At the end of three days, the officers passed through the camp.
3
And they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall set out from your places and go after it."
4
Only there shall be distance between you and it of two thousand cubits by measure. Do not approach it, in order that you know the way by which you shall walk, for you have not passed this way before.
5
Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
6
And Joshua said to the priests, "Lift the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people." And they lifted the Ark of the Covenant and walked before the people.
7
And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to magnify you in the eyes of all Israel, so that they will know that just as I was with Moses, I will be with you."
8
And you shall command the priests, the bearers of the ark of the covenant, saying, "When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan."
9
And 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 the living God is among you, and he will dispossess—he will dispossess—from before you the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Hivite and the Perizzite and the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Jebusite."
11
Look, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the Earth is crossing before you into the Jordan.
12
And now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.
13
And it will be when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan—the waters of the Jordan will be cut off; the descending waters from above will stand as one heap.
14
And it was when the people journeyed from their tents to cross the Jordan, and the priests—bearers of the Ark of the Covenant—before the people.
15
And when the bearers of the ark came as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the waters—and the Jordan was full over all its banks, all the days of harvest.
16
And the waters descending from above stood as a single heap, standing far away from the city of Adam, which is beside Zarethan. And those descending toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, came to an end, were cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.
17
And the priests, bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan. In this way all Israel crossed on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Chapter 4
1
And when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua:
2
Take twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe.
3
And they commanded them, saying, "Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, from the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood. You shall carry them over with you and place them in the place where you lodge tonight."
4
Joshua called the two men he had chosen from the Israelites, one man from each tribe.
5
And Joshua said to them, "Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God to the middle of the Jordan, and each of you lift up one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel."
6
so that this will be a sign among you, for your children will ask one day, "What do these stones mean to you?"
7
And you shall say to them, "The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD when it crossed the Jordan—the waters of the Jordan were cut off—and these stones shall be for a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."
8
And the sons of Israel did just as Joshua commanded. And they bore twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan just as the LORD spoke to Joshua, to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. And they crossed with them to the lodging place and set them up there.
9
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, at the spot where the feet of the priests stood—the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant—and they are there to this day.
10
And the priests, the bearers of the ark, stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people was completed, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hurried and crossed.
11
And it was when all the people had finished crossing, and the ark of the LORD had crossed over, and the priests stood before the people.
12
And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over—fifty thousand—before the sons of Israel, just as Moses spoke to them.
13
About forty thousand equipped ones of the host crossed before the LORD for warfare to the plains of Jericho.
14
On that day the LORD made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they feared him just as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.
15
And the LORD said to Joshua, saying:
16
Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony to go up from the Jordan.
17
And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, "Go up from the Jordan."
18
And it was, when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, the soles of the priests' feet were released to the dry ground, and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went as yesterday and three days ago over all its banks.
19
And the people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and encamped at Gilgal on the east edge of Jericho.
20
Joshua set up these twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan at Gilgal.
21
And he said to the sons of Israel, "When your sons ask their fathers tomorrow, saying, 'What are these stones?'"
22
Then you shall inform your sons, saying, "Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground."
23
which the LORD your God dried up—the waters of the Jordan from before you until your crossing—just as the LORD your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up from before us until we crossed.
24
so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is strong, so that you might fear the LORD your God every day.