YAHOSHUA 3

1 And Yahoshua rose early in the morning, and they departed from Shittim and came to the Yardĕn, he and all the children of Yisra’ĕl, and stayed there before they passed over.

2 And it came to be, after three days, that the officers went into the midst of the camp,

3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the Covenant of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim, and the kohenim, the Lĕwites, bearing it, then you shall depart from your place and follow it.

4 “Only, keep a distance between you and it, about two thousand ammah by measure. Do not come near it, so that you know which way to go, for you have not passed over this way before.”

5 And Yahoshua said to the people, “Qadosh yourselves, for tomorrow 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 is doing wonders in your midst.”

6 And Yahoshua spoke to the kohenim, 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.

7 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Yahoshua, “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 kohenim who bear the ark of the Covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the water of the Yardĕn, stand in the Yardĕn.’ ”

9 And Yahoshua said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “Come near, and hear the words of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim.”

10 And Yahoshua said, “By this you shall know that the living Ĕl 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 Aḏon 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 kohenim who bear the ark of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, the Aḏon 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.”

14 And it came to be, when the people departed from their tents to pass over the Yardĕn, with the kohenim bearing the ark of the Covenant before the people,

15 and as those bearing the ark came to the Yardĕn, and the feet of the kohenim bearing the ark dipped in the edge of the water – now the Yardĕn overflows all its banks during all the time of harvest –

16 that 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.

17 And the kohenim bearing the ark of the Covenant of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 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.