Israel Crosses the Jordan

3 Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing over.^{(A) 2} At the end of three days, the officers went through the camp^{(B) 3} and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it,^{(C) 4} so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits; do not come any nearer to it.” ⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”^{(D) 6} To the priests Joshua said, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on in front of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went in front of the people.

⁷ The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.^{(E) 8} You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ”^{(F) 9} Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites:^{(G) 11} the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. ¹² So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.^{(H) 13} When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”^(I)

¹⁴ When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water,^{(J) 16} the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea,^[a] were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.^{(K) 17} While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.^(L)

Paul Defends Himself

³⁷ Just as Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” The tribune^[a] replied, “Do you know Greek? ³⁸ Then you are not the Egyptian who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”^{(A) 39} Paul replied, “I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city; I beg you, let me speak to the people.”^{(B) 40} When he had given him permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people for silence, and when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew^[b] language, saying:^(C)

22 “Brothers^[c] and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.”^(D)

² When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew,^[d] they became even more quiet. Then he said:^(E)

³ “I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.^{(F) 4} I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison,^{(G) 5} as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.^(H)

Paul Tells of His Conversion

⁶ “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.^{(I) 7} I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ ⁸ I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth^[e] whom you are persecuting.’ ⁹ Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.^{(J) 10} I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’^{(K) 11} Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.^(L)

¹² “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,^{(M) 13} came to me, and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. ¹⁴ Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,^{(N) 15} for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard.^{(O) 16} And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’^(P)

Paul Sent to the Gentiles

¹⁷ “After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance^{(Q) 18} and saw Jesus^[f] saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ ¹⁹ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.^{(R) 20} And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.’^{(S) 21} Then he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the gentiles.’ ”^(T)

Paul and the Roman Tribune

²² Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

Twelve Stones Set Up at Gilgal

4 When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, ² “Select twelve men from the people, one from each tribe,^{(A) 3} and command them, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood, carry them over with you, and lay them down in the place where you camp tonight.’ ”^{(B) 4} Then Joshua summoned the twelve men whom he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe. ⁵ Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ so that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’^{(C) 7} then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.”^(D)

⁸ The Israelites did as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua, carried them over with them to the place where they camped, and laid them down there.^{(E) 9} (Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood, and they are there to this day.)^(F)

¹⁰ The priests who bore the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over in haste. ¹¹ As soon as all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed over to the front of the people. ¹² The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed before the Israelites, as Moses had ordered them.^{(G) 13} About forty thousand armed for war crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle.

¹⁴ On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him, as they had stood in awe of Moses all the days of his life.^(H)

¹⁵ The Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant to come up out of the Jordan.” ¹⁷ Joshua therefore commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” ¹⁸ When the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan and the soles of the priests’ feet touched dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.^(I)

¹⁹ The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.^{(J) 20} Those twelve stones that they had taken out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal,^{(K) 21} saying to the Israelites, “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’^{(L) 22} then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’^{(M) 23} For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea,^[a] which he dried up for us until we crossed over,^{(N) 24} so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”^(O)

The New Generation Circumcised

5 ^[b]When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the Israelites.^(P)

²³ And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air,^{(A) 24} the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him. ²⁵ But when they had tied him up with straps,^[a] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman person who is uncondemned?”^{(B) 26} When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman.” ²⁷ The tribune came and asked Paul,^[b] “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” ²⁸ The tribune answered, “It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.” ²⁹ Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him.

Paul before the Council

³⁰ Since he wanted to find out what Paul^[c] was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them.^(C)

23 While Paul was looking intently at the council he said, “Brothers,^[d] up to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God.”^{(D) 2} Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth.^{(E) 3} At this Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting there to judge me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law you order me to be struck?”^{(F) 4} Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare to insult God’s high priest?” ⁵ And Paul said, “I did not realize, brothers, that he was high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a leader of your people.’ ”^(G)

⁶ When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, “Brothers,^[e] I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection^[f] of the dead.”^{(H) 7} When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸ (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)^{(I) 9} Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”^{(J) 10} When the dissension became violent, the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force, and bring him into the barracks.^(K)

¹¹ That night the Lord stood near him and said, “Keep up your courage! For just as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must bear witness also in Rome.”^(L)