Joshua 3

1And Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over.

1Joshua got up early the next morning; he and all the Israelites left Shittim and traveled to the Jordan River, where they stayed before crossing over.

2And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;

2Three days later, the leaders went through the camp,

3and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

3and gave the people these instructions: 'When you see the priests and Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, you must leave your positions and follow it.'

4Yet 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.

4'But stay about half a mile behind it; do not get close to it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never traveled this path before.'

5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.

5Joshua told the people, 'Purify yourselves, because tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.'

6And 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.

6Then Joshua said to the priests, 'Pick up the ark of the covenant and lead the way for the people.' So they picked up the ark and walked ahead of the people.

7And Jehovah 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.

7The LORD said to Joshua, 'Today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel, so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.'

8And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.

8'Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the Jordan River, go and stand in the water.'

9And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God.

9Joshua said to the Israelites, 'Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.'

10And 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 Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

10Joshua said, 'This is how you will know that the living God is with you and that he will certainly drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.'

11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.

11'Look, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going into the Jordan River ahead of you.'

12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.

12'Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.'

13And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.

13'As soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, step into the Jordan, its water will stop flowing. The water coming downstream will pile up in a heap.'

14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people;

14So the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant leading them.

15and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest),

15The Jordan overflows its banks during the entire harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the river and their feet touched the water at the edge,

16that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

16the water flowing downstream stopped. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

17And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan.

17The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until the whole nation had finished crossing the river.