Joshua

And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

1Joshua got up early in the morning. He and all the people of Israel left a place called Shittim. They walked to the Jordan River. They camped there before crossing it.

2And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;

2Three days went by. Then the leaders walked all through the camp.

3And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

3They gave the people orders. The ark of the covenant was a special box that showed God was with His people. Priests, the men who served God, would carry it. The leaders said, "When you see the ark go, leave your places and follow it."

4Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

4"But stay far back from it. Leave about two thousand cubits between you and the ark. Do not come close to it. That way you will see which way to go. You have never traveled this way before."

NoteA cubit was an old way to measure length, about the length of a grown-up's forearm. Two thousand cubits is roughly half a mile.

5And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

5Then Joshua said to the people, "Make yourselves clean and ready for God. Tomorrow the LORD will do wonderful things among you."

6And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

6Joshua said to the priests, "Pick up the ark of the covenant. Carry it ahead of the people." So they picked it up and went ahead of them.

7And the LORD 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.

7The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will start to make you great in front of all Israel. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses."

8And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

8"Give this order to the priests who carry the ark. Tell them, 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's water, stand still in the river.'"

9And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.

9So Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here. Listen to the words of the LORD your God."

10And 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 Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

10Joshua said, "Here is how you will know the living God is with you. He will surely drive out the people living in this land as you come. They are the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites."

11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

11"Look! The ark of the covenant belongs to the Lord of the whole earth. It will go into the Jordan River ahead of you."

12Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

12"Now pick twelve men from the tribes, the big families of Israel. Choose one man from each tribe."

13And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

13"The priests will carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of the whole earth. When their feet touch the water, the river will stop. The water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap."

14And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;

14So the people packed up their tents to cross the Jordan. The priests carried the ark of the covenant in front of them.

15And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)

15It was harvest time, when the Jordan runs over its banks. The priests carrying the ark came to the river. Their feet touched the edge of the water.

16That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

16Then the water coming from upstream stopped and piled up in a heap. It backed up far away, near the town of Adam, beside Zaretan. The water flowing down to the Salt Sea was cut off. So the people crossed the river near the city of Jericho.

NoteThe Salt Sea is the lake we now call the Dead Sea. Its water is so salty that fish cannot live in it.

17And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

17The priests held the ark and stood still on dry ground in the middle of the river. All the people of Israel walked across on dry ground. They kept going until every one of them had crossed the Jordan.