Crossing the Jordan

3 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove^[a] 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^{(A) 3} and commanded the people, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests,^(B) you are to break camp and follow it. ⁴ But keep a distance of about a thousand yards^[b] 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.”

⁵ Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,^(C) because the Lord will do wonders^(D) among you tomorrow.” ⁶ Then 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.

⁷ The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel,^(E) so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.^{(F) 8} Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water,^[c] 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^(G) and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites^{(H) 11} when the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth^(I) goes ahead of you into the Jordan. ¹² Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.^{(J) 13} When the feet^[d] 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.”^(K)

¹⁴ When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant^(L) ahead of the people. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season.^(M) 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^[e] Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah^(N)—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,^(O) while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

The Ark

¹⁰ “They are to make an ark^(A) of acacia wood, forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high.^{[a] 11} Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it and place them on its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other side. ¹³ Make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. ¹⁶ Put the tablets of^[b] the testimony that I will give you into the ark.^{(B) 17} Make a mercy seat^(C) of pure gold, forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide.^{[c] 18} Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering^(D) the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. ²¹ Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.^{(E) 22} I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim^(F) that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

Exhortations to Godliness

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus^(A)— ²⁰ he has inaugurated^[a] for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh^(B))— ²¹ and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,^{(C) 22} let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.^(D)