1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from
Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged
there before they passed over.
2 And
it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
3 And
they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the
LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove
from your place, and go after it.
4 Yet
there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by
measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go:
for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
5 And
Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will
do wonders among you.
6 And
Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and
pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went
before the people.
7 And
the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight
of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will
be with thee.
8 And
thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When
ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in
Jordan.
9 And
Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the
LORD your God.
10 And
Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among
you, and that he
will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites,
and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and
the Jebusites.
11 Behold,
the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you
into Jordan.
12 Now
therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a
man.
13 And
it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that
bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters
of Jordan, that the
waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above;
and they shall stand upon an heap.
14 And
it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan,
and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;
15 And
as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests
that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth
all his banks all the time of harvest,)
16 That
the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the
city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came
down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were
cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
17 And
the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry
ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry
ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
