Crossing the Jordan
1
Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim
and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
2
After three days the officers went throughout the camp,
3
giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of
the LORD your God , and the priest, who are Levites, carrying it,
you are to move out from your positions and follow it.
4
Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.
But keep a distance of about a thousand yards (about 900 meters)
between you and the ark; do not go near it."
5
Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves,
for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you."
6
Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and
pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them.
7
And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of
all Israel, so they may know what I am with you as I was with Moses.
8
Tell the priests whocarry the ark of the covenant:
'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters,
go and stand in the river.' "
9
Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of
the LORD your God.
10
This is how you will know that the living God is with you
and that he will certainly drve out before you the Canaanites, Hittites,
Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.
11
See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of
all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.
12
Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.
13
And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD - the Lord of all the
earth - set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off
and stand up in a heap."
14
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan,
the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.
15
Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.
Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan
and their feet touched the water's edge,
16
the water from upstream stopped flowing.
It piled up in a heap a great distance away,
at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan.
while the water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Salt Sea) was
completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
17
The priest who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on
dry grond in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until
the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
