Joshua 3 | King James Version

King James Version

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.

New International Reader’s Version

Israel goes across the River Jordan

1 Early one morning Joshua and all the Israelites started out from Shittim. They went down to the River Jordan. They camped there before they went across it. 2 After three days the officers went all through the camp. 3 They gave orders to the people. They said, ‘Watch for the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. The priests, who are Levites, will be carrying it. When you see it, you must move out from where you are and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go. You have never gone this way before. But don’t go near the ark. Stay about 1,000 metres away from it.’ 5 Joshua said to the people, ‘Set yourselves apart to the LORD. Tomorrow he’ll do amazing things among you.’ 6 Joshua said to the priests, ‘Go and get the ark of the covenant. Walk on ahead of the people.’ So they went and got it. Then they walked on ahead of them. 7 The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to honour you in the eyes of all the Israelites. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8 Speak to the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. Tell them, “When you reach the edge of the River Jordan, go into the water and stand there.” ’ 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘Come here. Listen to what the LORD your God is saying. 10 You will soon know that the living God is among you. He will certainly drive out the people now living in the land. He’ll do it to make room for you. He’ll drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 The ark will go into the River Jordan ahead of you. It’s the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth. 12 Choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel. Choose one from each tribe. 13 The priests will carry the ark of the LORD. He’s the Lord of the whole earth. As soon as the priests step into the Jordan, it will stop flowing. The water that’s coming down the river will pile up in one place. That’s how you will know that the living God is among you.’ 14 So the people took their tents down. They prepared to go across the River Jordan. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 The water of the Jordan was going over its banks. It always does that at the time the crops are being gathered. The priests came to the river. Their feet touched the water’s edge. 16 Right away the water coming down the river stopped flowing. It piled up far away at a town called Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off. So the people went across the River Jordan opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD. They stopped in the middle of the river and stood on dry ground. They stayed there until the whole nation of Israel had gone across on dry ground.