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The Book of Joshua

Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 3 -

1
And Joshua rises early in the morning, and they journey from Shittim, and come to the Jordan, he and all the sons of Israel, and they lodge there before they pass over.
2
And it comes to pass, at the end of three days, that the authorities pass over into the midst of the camp,
3
and command the people, saying, “When you see the Ark of the Covenant of your God YHWH, and the priests, the Levites, carrying it, then you journey from your place, and have gone after it;
4
only, a distance is between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; you do not come near to it, so that you know the way in which you go, for you have not passed over in the way before.”
5
And Joshua says to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow YHWH does wonders in your midst.”
6
And Joshua speaks to the priests, saying, “Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass over before the people”; and they take up the Ark of the Covenant, and go before the people.
7
And YHWH says to Joshua, “This day I begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel, so that they know that as I was with Moses I am with you;
8
and you, command the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, saying, When you come to the extremity of the waters of the Jordan, stand in the Jordan.”
9
And Joshua says to the sons of Israel, “Come near here, and hear the words of your God YHWH”;
10
and Joshua says, “By this you know that the living God [is] in your midst, and He certainly dispossesses from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite:
11
behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan;
12
and now, take for yourselves twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man—one man for a tribe;
13
and it has been, at the resting of the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of YHWH, Lord of all the earth, in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan are cut offthe waters which are coming down from aboveand they standone heap.”
14
And it comes to pass, in the journeying of the people from their tents to pass over the Jordan, and of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant before the people,
15
and at those carrying the Ark coming to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the Ark have been dipped in the extremity of the waters (and the Jordan is full over all its banks all the days of harvest)—
16
that the waters stand; those coming down from above have risenone heap, very far above Adam, the city which [is] at the side of Zaretan; and those going down by the Sea of the Plain (the Salt Sea), have been completely cut off; and the people have passed through opposite Jericho;
17
and the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH stand on dry ground in the midst of the Jordanestablished, and all Israel are passing over on dry ground until all the nation has completed to pass over the Jordan.
1
Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.
2
After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp;
3
and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then leave your place and follow it.
4
Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits(a) by measure—don’t come closer to itthat you may know the way by which you must go; 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
Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people.” They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
7
The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8
You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9
Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”
10
Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.
11
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord(b) of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.
12
Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.
13
It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap.”
14
When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,
15
and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest),
16
the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho.
17
The priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.

Footnotes

(a)3:4 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters, so 2,000 cubits is about 920 meters.
(b)3:11 The word translated “Lord” is “Adonai.”