Joshua 3–4

3RD CHAPTER

Crossing the Jordan River

¹Joshua got up early the next morning. He and all the Israelites left Shittim. They came to the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. 

²Three days later the officers went through the camp. ³They told the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the promise of the Lord your God and the Levitical priests who carry it, break camp and follow them. ⁴However, stay about half a mile behind them. Don’t come any closer to them so that you will know which way to go because you have not gone this way before.” 

⁵Joshua told the people, “Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy because tomorrow the Lord will do miracles among you.” 

⁶Joshua also told the priests, “Take the ark of the promise, and go ahead of the people.” They did as they were told. 

⁷Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. ⁸Order the priests who carry the ark of the promise, ‘When you step into the water of the Jordan River, stand there.’ ” 

⁹So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here, and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰Joshua continued, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly force the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites out of your way. ¹¹Watch the ark of the promise of the Lord of the whole earth as it goes ahead of you into the Jordan River. ¹²Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. ¹³The priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of the whole earth, will stand in the water of the Jordan. Then the water flowing from upstream will stop and stand up like a dam.” 

¹⁴So they broke camp to cross the Jordan River. The priests who carried the ark of the promise went ahead of the people. ¹⁵(The Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest season.)^aWhen the priests who were carrying the ark came to the edge of the Jordan River and set foot in ¹⁶the water, the water stopped flowing from upstream. The water rose up like a dam as far away as the city of Adam near Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the Sea of the Plains (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. Then the people crossed from the east side ⸤of the Jordan River⸥ directly opposite Jericho. ¹⁷The priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. 

4TH CHAPTER

A Reminder of the Crossing

¹The whole nation finished crossing the Jordan River. The Lord had told Joshua, ²“Choose one man from each of the 12 tribes. ³Order them to pick up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan, where the priests’ feet stood firmly. Take the stones along with you, and set them down where you will camp tonight.” 

⁴Joshua called the 12 men whom he had selected (one from each tribe). ⁵He said to them, “Go to the middle of the Jordan River in front of the ark of the Lord your God. Each man must take a stone on his shoulder, one for each tribe of Israel. ⁶This will be a sign for you. In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ ⁷You should answer, ‘The water of the Jordan River was cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s promise. When the ark crossed the Jordan, the river stopped flowing. These stones are a permanent reminder for the people of Israel.’ ” 

⁸The people of Israel did as Joshua had ordered. They took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel. They took them from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there. 

⁹Joshua also set 12 stones in the middle of the Jordan River, where the priests who carried the ark of the promise had stood. The stones are still there today. 

¹⁰The priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan. They stood there until everything the Lord had ordered Joshua to tell the people had been carried out. This was as Moses had told Joshua. The people hurried to the other side. ¹¹As soon as everyone had crossed, the priests with the Lord’s ark crossed and went ahead of them. 

¹²The men of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh did as Moses had told them. They marched across in battle formation ahead of the people of Israel. ¹³About 40,000 armed men crossed the river in front of the Lord to the plains of Jericho for battle. 

¹⁴On that day the Lord honored Joshua in the presence of all the Israelites. As long as Joshua lived, the Israelites respected him in the same way they had respected Moses. 

¹⁵The Lord said to Joshua, ¹⁶“Order the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come out of the Jordan River.” 

¹⁷So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come out of the Jordan.” 

¹⁸The priests who carried the ark of the Lord’s promise came out of the middle of the Jordan. When their feet stepped onto dry land, the water of the Jordan returned to its seasonal flood level. 

¹⁹On the tenth day of the first month, the people came out of the Jordan River. They made their camp at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. ²⁰At Gilgal Joshua set up the 12 stones they had taken from the Jordan. ²¹He said to the people of Israel, “In the future when children ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²²the children should be told that Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. ²³The Lord your God dried up the Jordan ahead of you until you had crossed, as he did to the Red Sea until we had crossed. ²⁴The Lord did this so that everyone in the world would know his mighty power and that you would fear the Lord your God every day of your life.”