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And 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. And 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. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah 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 Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. 13 And 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.

14 And 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; 15 and 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), 16 that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way [a]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. 17 And 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Joshua 3:16 Another reading is, off from.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you(A) in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.(B) Tell the priests(C) who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God(D) is among you(E) and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites,(F) Hivites, Perizzites,(G) Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.(H) 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth(I) will go into the Jordan ahead of you.(J) 12 Now then, choose twelve men(K) from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth(L)—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream(M) will be cut off(N) and stand up in a heap.(O)

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant(P) went ahead(Q) of them. 15 Now the Jordan(R) is at flood stage(S) all during harvest.(T) Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing.(U) It piled up in a heap(V) a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,(W) while the water flowing down(X) to the Sea of the Arabah(Y) (that is, the Dead Sea(Z)) was completely cut off.(AA) So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.(AB) 17 The priests(AC) who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,(AD) while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.(AE)

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