JoshuaChapter 3

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¹Early the next morning Joshua got up. He and all the Israelites left Shittim and went to the Jordan. They camped there before they crossed over. ²After three days the officers went through the camp. ³They gave orders to the people. "Watch for the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. You will see the priests, who are Levites, carrying it. When you do, leave your places and follow it. ⁴But stay about 3,000 feet behind the ark. Don't go near it. Then you will see which way to go, since you have never gone this way before."a ⁵Then Joshua told the people, "Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." ⁶He told the priests, "Pick up the ark of the covenant. Go out in front of the people." So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them. ⁷The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. ⁸Give orders to the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. Tell them, 'When you reach the edge of the water, stand still in the Jordan.'" ⁹So Joshua told the Israelites, "Come here. Listen to the words of the LORD your God." ¹⁰Joshua went on, "Here is how you will know that the living God is among you. You will know he will surely drive out the people ahead of you. He will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. ¹¹Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan. ¹²Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel. Choose one man from each tribe. ¹³The priests will carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth. When their feet touch the water of the Jordan, the flowing water will be cut off. It will stand up in a heap." ¹⁴So the people left their tents to cross the Jordan. The priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. ¹⁵Now the Jordan floods over its banks all through the harvest season. But then the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan. As soon as their feet touched the edge of the water, ¹⁶the flowing water stood still. It piled up far upstream, at a city called Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was cut off completely. So the people crossed over across from Jericho. ¹⁷The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. Meanwhile all Israel crossed over on dry ground. They stood there until the whole nation had crossed the Jordan.