1 J oshua got up early in the morning. He and all the people of Israel left Shittim and came to the Jordan. And they stayed there before they crossed.

Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the Israelites, and lodged there before passing over.

2 A fter three days the leaders went among the tents.

After three days the officers went through the camp,

3 T hey told the people, “When you see the special box of the agreement of the Lord your God with the religious leaders carrying it, leave your places and follow it.

Commanding the people: When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being borne by the Levitical priests, set out from where you are and follow it.

4 T hen you may know the way to go, for you have not passed this way before. But stay about 1, 000 long steps away from it. Do not come near it.”

Yet a space must be kept between you and it, about 2, 000 cubits by measure; come not near it, that you may know the way you must go, for you have not passed this way before.

5 T hen Joshua said to the people, “Make yourselves holy. For tomorrow the Lord will do powerful works among you.”

And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

6 J oshua said to the religious leaders, “Take up the special box of the agreement and cross over in front of the people.” So they took up the special box of the agreement and went in front of the people.

Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people. And they took it up and went on before the people.

7 T he Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to give you honor in the eyes of all Israel. Then they may know that I will be with you just as I have been with Moses.

The Lord said to Joshua, This day I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

8 T ell the religious leaders who are carrying the special box of the agreement, ‘When you come to the water of the Jordan River, stand still in it.’”

You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.

9 T hen Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here. Listen to the words of the Lord your God.”

Joshua said to the Israelites, Come near, hear the words of the Lord your God.

10 A nd Joshua said, “You will know that the living God is among you because He will be sure to drive away from in front of you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Jebusite.

Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you and that He will surely drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.

11 S ee, the special box of the agreement of the Lord of All the earth is crossing over in front of you in the Jordan.

Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan!

12 N ow choose twelve men from the families of Israel, one man for each family.

So now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

13 T he religious leaders who carry the special box of the agreement of the Lord of All the earth, will rest their feet in the water of the Jordan. Then the water of the Jordan will be cut off. The water flowing down from above will gather together in one place.”

When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord of all the earth shall rest in the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan coming down from above shall be cut off and they shall stand in one heap.

14 S o the people left their tents to cross the Jordan. The religious leaders carried the special box of the agreement in front of the people.

So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,

15 T hey carried it to the Jordan and put their feet in the water. (For the Jordan water floods during the time of gathering grain.)

And when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were in the brink of the water—for the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest—

16 T hen the water flowing down from above stood and rose up in one place far away at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, was all cut off. So the people crossed beside Jericho.

Then the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.

17 T he religious leaders who carried the special box of the agreement of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. And all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had crossed the Jordan.

And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.