3 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.