Joshua 3:1-17

Joshua was up bright and early the next morning. They broke camp, and Joshua led the Israelites from Acacia to the eastern bank of the Jordan. There they set up camp and waited until they crossed over. After three days, the leaders of the people went throughout the camp giving orders to the people, “Watch for the priests of the tribe of Levi to lift the ark of the covenant of YAHWEH your God. When it starts moving, follow it so you’ll know which way to go, since you’ve never marched this way before. Follow about a half mile behind the ark; don’t go near it.” Joshua instructed the people, “Get yourselves ready! Set yourselves apart for YAHWEH! Tomorrow, YAHWEH will perform for us great miracles!” Joshua told the priests, “Raise up the ark of the covenant and step out ahead of the people.” So they lifted the ark onto their shoulders and marched in front of the people. YAHWEH said to Joshua, “This very day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel so that they will realize that I am with you in the same way I was with Moses. You are to command the priests who carry the ark of the covenant with these words: ‘Carry the ark to the edge of the Jordan and wade into the water.’ ” Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of YAHWEH your God. This is how you will know for sure that the Living God is among you. As you advance into the land, he will drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go before you and prepare a way for you through the Jordan. Now select twelve men from among the people, one man from each tribe. “The moment the feet of the priests carrying the ark of YAHWEH, the Lord of all the earth, touch the water of the Jordan, a great miracle will happen! The water flowing downstream toward you will stop and pile up as if behind a dam.” Now it was time for the early harvest, and the river was overflowing at flood stage. When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests went in front of them carrying the ark of the covenant on their shoulders. The very moment the priests with the ark dipped their feet in the river’s edge, the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing and piled up in a solid wall as far upstream as Adam, a place near Zarethan. YAHWEH completely cut off the flow of the river so that it drained downstream toward the Desert Sea (the Dead Sea). So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests stood firmly on dry ground in the riverbed with the ark on their shoulders. The entire nation passed by the ark as they completed their miracle-crossing on dry ground.

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