| And Josua rose early: And they removed from Settim, and came to Jordan, both he and all the children of Israel, and sojourned there before they went over. And after three days the officers went throughout the host, and commanded the people saying: when ye see the ark of the testament Lord your God, and the priests that are Levites bearing it: then depart ye from your places and follow after it. So yet that there be a space between you and it, about a *two thousand cubits by measure. And come not nigh unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not gone by it in times past. And Josua said unto the people, purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord shall show wonders among you.
Then Josua spake unto the priests saying: Take up the ark of the testament, and go before the people. And they took up the ark of the testament, and went before the people.
And the Lord said unto Josua: this day will I begin to magnify thee, in the sight of`all Israel, that they may know how that as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee. And command thou the priests that bear the ark of the testament, saying: when ye are entered a little into the water of Jordan then stand still in it.
Then spake Josua to the children of Israel, saying: come hither and hear the words of the Lord your God. And Josua said: Hereby ye shall know, that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail cast out before you, the Cananites, the Hethites, the Hevites, the Pheresites, the Gergesites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the appointment of the Lord of all the world shall go before you into Jordan. And now take you twelve men of the children of Israel, of every tribe a man. And as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah (the Lord of all the world) tread in the water of Jordan, the water of Jordan shall divide itself and the waters that cometh from above shall stand still upon an heap. And when the people were departed from their tents to go over Jordan, (the priests bearing the ark of the appointment before the people) as soon as they that bare the ark came unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water. Jordan being full over all his banks all the time of harvest: the water that came down from above did stop and stood upon an heap, a great way from Adam, a city beside Zarethan. And the water that went down vanished into the sea of the wilderness called the salt sea as soon as it was divided: and the people went right over against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the appointment of the Lord stood still upon dry land, until all the people were clean over Jordan. |
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