The Scriptures (ISR 1998) 1And Yehoshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Shittim and came to the Yardĕn, he and all the children of Yisra’ĕl, and stayed there before they passed over. 2And it came to be, after three days, that the officers went into the midst of the camp, 3and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of יהוה your Elohim, and the priests, the Lĕwites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4“Only, keep a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, so that you know which way to go, for you have not passed over this way before.” 5And Yehoshua said to the people, “Set yourselves apart, for tomorrow יהוה is doing wonders in your midst.” 6And Yehoshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7And יהוה said to Yehoshua, “This day I begin to make you great before the eyes of all Yisra’ĕl, so that they know that I am with you as I was with Mosheh. 8“And you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the water of the Yardĕn, stand in the Yardĕn.’ ” 9And Yehoshua said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “Come near, and hear the words of יהוה your Elohim.” 10And Yehoshua said, “By this you shall know that the living Ěl is in your midst, and that He is certainly driving out from before you the Kena‛anites and the Ḥittites and the Ḥiwwites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Yeḇusites: 11“See, the ark of the covenant of the Master of all the earth is passing over before you into the Yardĕn. 12“And now, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, one man from every tribe. 13“And it shall be, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of יהוה, the Master of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of the Yardĕn, that the waters of the Yardĕn are cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and stand as a heap.” 14And it came to be, when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Yardĕn, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15and as those bearing the ark came to the Yardĕn, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark dipped in the edge of the water – now the Yardĕn overflows all its banks during all the time of harvest – 16that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Aḏam, the city that is beside Tsarethan. And the waters going down into the Sea of the Araḇah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Yeriḥo. 17And the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of יהוה stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Yardĕn. And all Yisra’ĕl passed over on dry ground, until all the nation had completely passed over the Yardĕn. |