Joshua 3

1Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the sons of Israel, and they spent the night there before they crossed over.

2And at the end of three days, the officers went through the midst of the camp.

3And they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahweh your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it.”

4Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. 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.

5Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”

6Then Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7And Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you great in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that just as I was with Moses, I will be with you.”

8And you shall command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.’

9Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here and hear the words of Yahweh your God.”

10And Joshua said, “By this you will know that the living God is among you, and that he will surely drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.”

11Look, the ark of the covenant, the Lord of all the earth, is crossing ahead of you in the Jordan.

12Now take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.

13And when the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters flowing down from above will be cut off in the Jordan, and they will stand in one heap.

14And it happened, when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, and the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were before the people,

15And when those carrying the ark came as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (now the Jordan was full over all its banks all the days of harvest),

16the waters flowing down from above stood still; they rose up in one heap, very far away, at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. And those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off, and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

17And the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel was crossing on dry ground until the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan.