Joshua 3
3
1Early the following morning Joshua and the Israelites set out from Shittim and arrived at the banks of the Jordan. There they all spent the night before crossing over.
2Three days later those in charge of the people went through the camp 3telling the people, “When you see the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord your God carried by the priests, the Levites, you must leave the place where you are and follow it. 4That way you'll know which way to go, since you haven't been here before. Leave about 3,000 feet between you and the Ark. Don't go near it!”
5Then Joshua said to the people, “Make sure you are pure#3:5. “Pure”: a concept of religious purity achieved through specific rituals., because tomorrow the Lord is going to do amazing things among you.”
6Joshua spoke to the priests,#3:6. Presumably on the following day. “Pick up the Ark of the Agreement and go before the people.” So they picked up the Ark of the Agreement and went ahead of the people.
7The Lord said to Joshua, “What I do today will confirm you as a great leader in the sight of all the Israelites, so that they'll realize that just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8Tell the priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement, ‘When you get to the edge of the Jordan, take a few steps into the water and then stop.’”
9So Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to what the Lord your God has to say to you. 10This is how you will know that the living God is right here with you,” he told them. “You can be sure that he will drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11Just watch—the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord of all the earth will cross in front of you through the Jordan. 12Choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe.#3:12. This verse seems out of place and is repeated in 4:2. 13The moment the priests carrying the Ark step into the water the river will stop flowing and the water will pile up.” 14So the people broke camp and set out to cross the Jordan, with the priests carrying the Ark ahead of them.
15As it was harvest season, the Jordan was full of water, overflowing its banks. But at the very moment the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the water, the river stopped flowing. 16The water piled up a long way upstream, at the town of Adam, near Zarethan, while downstream no more water flowed into the Dead Sea. So the people crossed over, opposite Jericho. 17The priests carrying the Ark stood on the dried-up riverbed of the Jordan as all the people went by, staying there until everyone had crossed over on dry ground.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Joshua 3
3
Crossing the Jordan
1Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove#3:1 Or left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2After three days the officers went through the camp#Jos 1:11 3and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,#Dt 17:9,18; 18:1; 31:9; Jos 8:33; 2Ch 23:18; Jr 33:18,21 you are to break camp and follow it. 4But keep a distance of about a thousand yards#3:4 Lit 2,000 cubits between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”
5Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,#Ex 19:10; Nm 11:18; Jos 7:13; 1Sm 16:5; 1Ch 15:12; 2Ch 29:5; 30:3,17; 35:6 because the Lord will do wonders#Ps 72:18; 86:10; 98:1; 106:22; 119:18; Mc 7:15 among you tomorrow.” 6Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.
7The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,#Jos 4:14 so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.#Dt 31:23; Jos 1:5; Jdg 6:16; 1Kg 11:38; Is 43:2; Jr 1:8; 30:11; 46:28 8Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water,#3:8 Lit waters of the Jordan stand in the Jordan.”
9Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10He said, “You will know that the living God is among you#Dt 5:26; Jr 10:10; Hs 1:10; 2Co 3:3 and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites#Ex 33:2; Dt 7:1 11when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth#Ps 97:5; Mc 4:13; Zch 6:5 goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.#Jos 4:2 13When the feet#3:13 Lit soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”#Ex 15:8
14When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant#Ac 7:44–45 ahead of the people. 15Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.#1Ch 12:15; Jr 12:5; 49:19 But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as#3:16 Alt Hb tradition reads mass at Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah#Dt 1:1 — the Dead Sea — was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,#Ex 14:29 while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
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