Joshua 1-3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Encouragement of Joshua
1 After the death of Moses(A) the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua[a] son of Nun,(B) who had served Moses: 2 “Moses My servant is dead.(C) Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan(D) to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,(E) just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon(F) to the great Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites(G)—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.[b](H) 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.(I) I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.(J)
6 “Be strong and courageous,(K) for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.(L) 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you.(M) Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;(N) you are to recite[c] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.(O) 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?(P) Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Prepares the People
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get provisions ready for yourselves, for within three days you will be crossing the Jordan to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit.’”(Q)
12 Joshua said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh:(R) 13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you when he said, ‘The Lord your God will give you rest, and He will give you this land.’(S) 14 Your wives, young children, and livestock may remain in the land Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan.[d] But your fighting men must cross over in battle formation[e] ahead of your brothers[f] and help them 15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He has given you, and they too possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. You may then return to the land of your inheritance(T) and take possession of what Moses the Lord’s servant(U) gave you on the east side of the Jordan.”
16 They answered Joshua, “Everything you have commanded us we will do, and everywhere you send us we will go. 17 We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. And may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.(V) 18 Anyone who rebels against your order and does not obey your words in all that you command him, will be put to death. Above all, be strong and courageous!”(W)
Spies Sent to Jericho
2 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two men as spies(X) from the Acacia Grove,[g] saying, “Go and scout the land, especially Jericho.” So they left, and they came to the house of a woman, a prostitute named Rahab,(Y) and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelite men have come here tonight to investigate the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab and said, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, for they came to investigate the entire land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them.(Z) So she said, “Yes, the men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they were from. 5 At nightfall, when the gate was about to close, the men went out, and I don’t know where they were going. Chase after them quickly, and you can catch up with them!” 6 But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them(AA) among the stalks of flax that she had arranged on the roof. 7 The men pursued them along the road to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as they left to pursue them, the gate was shut.
The Promise to Rahab
8 Before the men fell asleep, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land(AB) and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and everyone who lives in the land is panicking because of you.[h] 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,(AC) and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings you completely destroyed(AD) across the Jordan. 11 When we heard this, we lost heart, and everyone’s courage failed[i] because of you,(AE) for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now please swear to me by the Lord that you will also show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you.[j] Give me a sure sign[k] 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and save us from death.”
14 The men answered her, “We will give our lives for yours. If you don’t report our mission, we will show kindness and faithfulness to you when the Lord gives us the land.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, since she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city. 16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide yourselves there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear, 18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house. 19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his blood will be on his own head,(AF) and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed,[l] his blood will be on our heads. 20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”
21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.
22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had returned. They searched all along the way, but did not find them. 23 Then the men returned, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them. 24 They told Joshua, “The Lord has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”[m]
Crossing the Jordan
3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove[n] with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp(AG) 3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,(AH) you must break camp and follow it. 4 But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards[o] 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.”[p]
5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,(AI) because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” 6 Then he said to the priests, “Take 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.
7 The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,(AJ) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the waters,[q] stand in the Jordan.”
9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among you(AK) and that He will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites(AL) 11 when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth(AM) goes ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now choose 12 men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.(AN) 13 When the feet[r] of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s waters, its waters will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”(AO)
14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant(AP) ahead of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.(AQ) But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge 16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as[s] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah(AR) (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan,(AS) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Joshua 1:1 = The Lord Will Save, or The Lord Is Salvation; Joshua is related to the name Jesus.
- Joshua 1:4 Lit and to the Great Sea, the going down of the sun
- Joshua 1:8 Or meditate on
- Joshua 1:14 = east of the Jordan River
- Joshua 1:14 Or over armed
- Joshua 1:14 = fellow Israelites
- Joshua 2:1 Or from Shittim
- Joshua 2:9 Or land panics at your approach
- Joshua 2:11 Lit and spirit no longer remained in anyone
- Joshua 2:12 Lit to your father’s house
- Joshua 2:12 Or a sign of truth
- Joshua 2:19 Lit if a hand should be on him
- Joshua 2:24 Or also panics at our approach
- Joshua 3:1 Or left Shittim
- Joshua 3:4 Lit 2,000 cubits
- Joshua 3:4 Lit yesterday and the day before
- Joshua 3:8 Lit waters of the Jordan
- Joshua 3:13 Lit soles of the feet
- Joshua 3:16 Alt Hb tradition reads mass at
Joshua 1-3
New King James Version
God’s Commission to Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ (A)assistant, saying: 2 (B)“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 (C)Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 (D)From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 (E)No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; (F)as I was with Moses, so (G)I will be with you. (H)I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 (I)Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law (J)which Moses My servant commanded you; (K)do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may [b]prosper wherever you go. 8 (L)This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but (M)you[c] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 (N)Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; (O)do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The Order to Cross the Jordan
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for (P)within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 “Remember (Q)the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall [d]pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 until the Lord has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. (R)Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God (S)be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
Rahab Hides the Spies(T)
2 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men (U)from [e]Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
So they went, and (V)came to the house of a harlot named (W)Rahab, and [f]lodged there. 2 And (X)it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
4 (Y)Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 (But (Z)she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: (AA)“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that (AB)the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land (AC)are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord (AD)dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and (AE)what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you (AF)utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we (AG)heard these things, (AH)our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for (AI)the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, (AJ)swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to (AK)my father’s house, and (AL)give me [g]a true token, 13 and (AM)spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the Lord has given us the land, that (AN)we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
15 Then she (AO)let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
17 So the men said to her: “We will be (AP)blameless[h] of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, 18 (AQ)unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, (AR)and unless you [i]bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. 19 So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be [j]guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, (AS)his [k]blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be [l]free from your oath which you made us swear.”
21 Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. 23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly (AT)the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”
Israel Crosses the Jordan
3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out (AU)from [m]Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, (AV)after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, (AW)“When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, (AX)and the priests, the Levites, [n]bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 (AY)Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 And Joshua said to the people, (AZ)“Sanctify[o] yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, (BA)“Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.”
So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to (BB)exalt[p] you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, (BC)as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 You shall command (BD)the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, (BE)you shall stand in the Jordan.’ ”
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that (BF)the living God is among you, and that He will without fail (BG)drive out from before you the (BH)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 (BI)the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, (BJ)take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, (BK)as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, (BL)the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they (BM)shall stand as a heap.”
14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the (BN)ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and (BO)the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the (BP)Jordan overflows all its banks (BQ)during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away [q]at Adam, the city that is beside (BR)Zaretan. So the waters that went down (BS)into the Sea of the Arabah, (BT)the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; (BU)and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
Footnotes
- Joshua 1:6 give as a possession
- Joshua 1:7 have success or act wisely
- Joshua 1:8 you shall be constantly in
- Joshua 1:14 cross over ahead of
- Joshua 2:1 Heb. Shittim
- Joshua 2:1 Lit. lay down
- Joshua 2:12 a pledge of truth
- Joshua 2:17 free from obligation to this oath
- Joshua 2:18 Lit. gather
- Joshua 2:19 free from obligation
- Joshua 2:19 guilt of bloodshed
- Joshua 2:20 free from obligation to
- Joshua 3:1 Heb. Shittim
- Joshua 3:3 carrying
- Joshua 3:5 Consecrate
- Joshua 3:7 make you great
- Joshua 3:16 Qr., many mss. and vss. from Adam
Joshua 1-3
The Message
1 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant:
“Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”
The Taking of the Land
10-11 Then Joshua gave orders to the people’s leaders: “Go through the camp and give this order to the people: ‘Pack your bags. In three days you will cross this Jordan River to enter and take the land God, your God, is giving you to possess.’”
12-15 Then Joshua addressed the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He said, “Remember what Moses the servant of God commanded you: God, your God, gives you rest and he gives you this land. Your wives, your children, and your livestock can stay here east of the Jordan, the country Moses gave you; but you, tough soldiers all, must cross the River in battle formation, leading your brothers, helping them until God, your God, gives your brothers a place of rest just as he has done for you. They also will take possession of the land that God, your God, is giving them. Then you will be free to return to your possession, given to you by Moses the servant of God, across the Jordan to the east.”
16-18 They answered Joshua: “Everything you commanded us, we’ll do. Wherever you send us, we’ll go. We obeyed Moses to the letter; we’ll also obey you—we just pray that God, your God, will be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who questions what you say and refuses to obey whatever you command him will be put to death. Strength! Courage!”
Rahab
2 Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies: “Go. Look over the land. Check out Jericho.” They left and arrived at the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “We’ve just learned that men arrived tonight to spy out the land. They’re from the People of Israel.”
3 The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They’re spies; they’ve come to spy out the whole country.”
4-7 The woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, two men did come to me, but I didn’t know where they’d come from. At dark, when the gate was about to be shut, the men left. But I have no idea where they went. Hurry up! Chase them—you can still catch them!” (She had actually taken them up on the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax that were spread out for her on the roof.) So the men gave chase down the Jordan road toward the fords. As soon as they were gone, the gate was shut.
8-11 Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, “I know that God has given you the land. We’re all afraid. Everyone in the country feels hopeless. We heard how God dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt, and what he did to the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you put under a holy curse and destroyed. We heard it and our hearts sank. We all had the wind knocked out of us. And all because of you, you and God, your God, God of the heavens above and God of the earth below.
12-13 “Now promise me by God. I showed you mercy; now show my family mercy. And give me some tangible proof, a guarantee of life for my father and mother, my brothers and sisters—everyone connected with my family. Save our souls from death!”
14 “Our lives for yours!” said the men. “But don’t tell anyone our business. When God turns this land over to us, we’ll do right by you in loyal mercy.”
15-16 She lowered them down out a window with a rope because her house was on the city wall to the outside. She told them, “Run for the hills so your pursuers won’t find you. Hide out for three days and give your pursuers time to return. Then get on your way.”
17-20 The men told her, “In order to keep this oath you made us swear, here is what you must do: Hang this red rope out the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house—father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Anyone who goes out the doors of your house into the street and is killed, it’s his own fault—we aren’t responsible. But for everyone within the house we take full responsibility. If anyone lays a hand on one of them, it’s our fault. But if you tell anyone of our business here, the oath you made us swear is canceled—we’re no longer responsible.”
21 She said, “If that’s what you say, that’s the way it is,” and sent them off. They left and she hung the red rope out the window.
22 They headed for the hills and stayed there for three days until the pursuers had returned. The pursuers had looked high and low but found nothing.
23-24 The men headed back. They came down out of the hills, crossed the river, and returned to Joshua son of Nun and reported all their experiences. They told Joshua, “Yes! God has given the whole country to us. Everybody there is in a state of panic because of us.”
The Jordan
3 1-4 Joshua was up early and on his way from Shittim with all the People of Israel with him. He arrived at the Jordan and camped before crossing over. After three days, leaders went through the camp and gave out orders to the people: “When you see the Covenant-Chest of God, your God, carried by the Levitical priests, start moving. Follow it. Make sure you keep a proper distance between you and it, about half a mile—be sure now to keep your distance!—and you’ll see clearly the route to take. You’ve never been on this road before.”
5 Then Joshua addressed the people: “Sanctify yourselves. Tomorrow God will work miracle-wonders among you.”
6 Joshua instructed the priests, “Take up the Chest of the Covenant and step out before the people.” So they took it up and processed before the people.
7-8 God said to Joshua, “This very day I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel. They’ll see for themselves that I’m with you in the same way that I was with Moses. You will command the priests who are carrying the Chest of the Covenant: ‘When you come to the edge of the Jordan’s waters, stand there on the river bank.’”
9-13 Then Joshua addressed the People of Israel: “Attention! Listen to what God, your God, has to say. This is how you’ll know that God is alive among you—he will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Look at what’s before you: the Chest of the Covenant. Think of it—the Master of the entire earth is crossing the Jordan as you watch. Now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Chest of God, Master of all the earth, touch the Jordan’s water, the flow of water will be stopped—the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap.”
14-16 And that’s what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap—a long way off—at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho.
17 And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson