Joshua Chapter 3

1 And they said unto Joshua, Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.

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

3 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;

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

5 Yet 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.

6 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.

7 And 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.

8 And Jehovah 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.

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

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

11 And 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 Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

12 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.

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

14 And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.

15 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people;

16 and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest),

17 that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

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

2 And it came to pass at the end of three days, that the officers went through the camp;

3 and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah yourGod, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then remove from your place, and go after it;

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

5 And Joshua said to the people, Hallow yourselves; for to-morrow Jehovah will do wonders in your midst.

6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and go over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 And Jehovah said to 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 will I be with thee.

8 And thou shalt command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, stand still in the Jordan.

9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah yourGod.

10 And Joshua said, Hereby shall ye know that the livingGod is in your midst, and [that] he will without fail dispossess from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going over before you into the Jordan.

12 And now take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.

13 And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan, the waters flowing down from above, shall be cut off, and shall stand up in a heap.

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

15 and when they that bore the ark were come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (and the Jordan is full over all its banks throughout the days of harvest),

16 the waters which flowed down from above stood [and] rose up in a heap, very far, by Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan; and those that flowed down towards the sea of the plain, the salt sea, were completely cut off. And the people went over opposite to Jericho.

17 And the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan. And all Israel went over on dry ground, until all the nation had completely gone over the Jordan.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and departed from Sattin; and they came as far as Jordan, and lodged there before they crossed over.

2 And it came to pass after three days, [that] the scribes went through the camp;

3 and they charged the people, saying, When ye shall see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God, and our priests and the Levites bearing it, ye shall depart from your places, and ye shall go after it.

4 But let there be a distance between you and it; ye shall stand as much as two thousand cubits [from it]. Do not draw nigh to it, that ye may know the way which ye are to go; for ye have not gone the way before.

5 And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

6 And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people: and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and went before the people.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, This day do I begin to exalt thee before all the children of Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so will I also be with thee.

8 And now charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, As soon as ye shall enter on a part of the water of Jordan, then ye shall stand in Jordan.

9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come hither, and hearken to the word of the Lord our God.

10 Hereby ye shall know that the living God [is] among you, and will utterly destroy from before our face the Chananite, and the Chettite and Pherezite, and the Evite, and the Amorite, and the Gergesite, and the Jebusite.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over Jordan.

12 Choose for yourselves twelve men of the sons of Israel, one of each tribe.

13 And it shall come to pass, when the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth rest in the water of Jordan, the water of Jordan [below] shall fail, and the water coming down from above shall stop.

14 And the people removed from their tents to cross over Jordan, and the priests bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord before the people.

15 And when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered upon Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were dipped in part of the water of Jordan; (now Jordan overflowed all its banks about the time of wheat harvest:)

16 then the waters that came down from above stopped; there stood one solid heap very far off, as far as the region of Kariathiarim, and the lower part came down to the sea of Araba, the salt sea, till it completely failed; and the people stood opposite Jericho.

17 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry land in the midst of Jordan; and all the children of Israel went through on dry land, until all the people had completely gone over Jordan.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Igitur Iosue de nocte consurgens movit castra: egredientesque de Setim, venerunt ad Iordanem ipse, et omnes filii Israel, et morati sunt ibi tres dies.

2 Quibus evolutis, transierunt præcones per castrorum medium,

3 et clamare cœperunt: Quando videritis arcam fœderis Domini Dei vestri, et sacerdotes stirpis Leviticæ portantes eam, vos quoque consurgite, et sequimini præcedentes:

4 sitque inter vos et arcam spatium cubitorum duum millium: ut procul videre possitis, et nosse per quam viam ingrediamini: quia prius non ambulastis per eam: et cavete ne appropinquetis ad arcam.

5 Dixitque Iosue ad populum: Sanctificamini: cras enim faciet Dominus inter vos mirabilia.

6 Et ait ad sacerdotes: Tollite arcam fœderis, et præcedite populum. Qui iussa complentes, tulerunt, et ambulaverunt ante eos.

7 Dixitque Dominus ad Iosue: Hodie incipiam exaltare te coram omni Israel: ut sciant quod sicut cum Moyse fui, ita et tecum sim.

8 Tu autem præcipe sacerdotibus, qui portant arcam fœderis, et dic eis: Cum ingressi fueritis partem aquæ Iordanis, state in ea.

9 Dixitque Iosue ad filios Israel: Accedite huc, et audite verbum Domini Dei vestri.

10 Et rursum: In hoc, inquit, scietis quod Dominus Deus vivens in medio vestri est, et disperdet in conspectu vestro Chananæum et Hethæum, Hevæum et Pherezæum, Gergesæum quoque et Iebusæum, et Amorrhæum.

11 Ecce, arca fœderis Domini omnis terræ antecedet vos per Iordanem.

12 Parate duodecim viros de tribubus Israel, singulos per singulas tribus.

13 Et cum posuerint vestigia pedum suorum sacerdotes qui portant arcam Domini Dei universæ terræ in aquis Iordanis, aquæ, quæ inferiores sunt, decurrent atque deficient: quæ autem desuper veniunt, in una mole consistent.

14 Igitur egressus est populus de tabernaculis suis, ut transiret Iordanem: et sacerdotes, qui portabant arcam fœderis, pergebant ante eum.

15 Ingressisque eis Iordanem, et pedibus eorum in parte aquæ tinctis (Iordanis autem ripas alvei sui tempore messis impleverat)

16 steterunt aquæ descendentes in loco uno, et ad instar montis intumescentes apparebant procul ab urbe, quæ vocatur Adom usque ad locum Sarthan: quæ autem inferiores erant, in Mare solitudinis (quod nunc vocatur mortuum) descenderunt, usquequo omnino deficerent.

17 Populus autem incedebat contra Iericho: et sacerdotes qui portabant arcam fœderis Domini, stabant super siccam humum in medio Iordanis accincti, omnisque populus per arentem alveum transibat.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Joshua got up early in the morning; and they moved from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel. They camped there before they crossed over.

2 After three days, the officers went through the middle of the camp;

3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, and the Levitical priests bearing it, then leave your place and follow it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way before.”

5 Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”

6 Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and cross over before the people.” They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

9 Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”

10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.

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

13 It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of GOD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap.”

14 When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people,

15 and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest),

16 the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho.

17 The priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 And Joshua riseth early in the morning, and they journey from Shittim, and come in unto the Jordan, he and all the sons of Israel, and they lodge there before they pass over.

2 And it cometh to pass, at the end of three days, that the authorities pass over into the midst of the camp,

3 and command the people, saying, `When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then ye journey from your place, and have gone after it;

4 only, a distance is between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure; ye do not come near unto it, so that ye know the way in which ye go, for ye have not passed over in the way heretofore.'

5 And Joshua saith unto the people, `Sanctify yourselves, for to-morrow doth Jehovah do in your midst wonders.'

6 And Joshua speaketh unto the priests, saying, `Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people;' and they take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people.

7 And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, `This day I begin to make thee great in the eyes of all Israel, so that they know that as I was with Moses I am with thee;

8 and thou, thou dost command the priests bearing the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye come unto the extremity of the waters of the Jordan--in the Jordan ye stand.'

9 And Joshua saith unto the sons of Israel, `Come nigh hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God;

10 and Joshua saith, `By this ye know that the living God <FI>is<Fi> in your midst, and He doth certainly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite:

11 lo, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into Jordan;

12 and now, take for you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, one man--one man for a tribe;

13 and it hath been, at the resting of the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of Jehovah, Lord of all the earth, in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan are cut off--the waters which are coming down from above--and they stand--one heap.'

14 And it cometh to pass, in the journeying of the people from their tents to pass over the Jordan, and of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,

15 and at those bearing the ark coming in unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark have been dipped in the extremity of the waters (and the Jordan is full over all its banks all the days of harvest) --

16 that the waters stand; those coming down from above have risen--one heap, very far above Adam the city, which <FI>is<Fi> at the side of Zaretan; and those going down by the sea of the plain, the Salt Sea, have been completely cut off; and the people have passed through over-against Jericho;

17 and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stand on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan--established, and all Israel are passing over on dry ground till that all the nation hath completed to pass over the Jordan.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).