1Tidligt næste morgen brød Josva og Israels folk op fra lejren ved Shittim og kom ned til Jordanfloden. Der slog de lejr, indtil de var parat til at gå over floden.2Tre dage senere gik lederne rundt i lejren3med følgende besked til folket: „Når I ser præsterne bryde op og gå af sted med pagtens ark, skal I følge efter.4De vil gå foran jer og vise vej. Men der skal være en afstand på en kilometer[1] mellem jer og arken. I må ikke komme for tæt på den.”5Derefter sagde Josva til folket: „Sørg for at være rituelt rene, for i morgen vil Herren gøre undere iblandt jer.”6Til præsterne sagde han: „I skal tage pagtens ark og gå i spidsen for folket.” Og de accepterede at tage pagtens ark og gå foran folket.7Om natten sagde Herren til Josva: „I dag vil jeg sørge for, at du vinder stor respekt blandt Israels folk. Alle skal få at se, at jeg er med dig, ligesom jeg var med Moses.8Sig til præsterne, som skal bære pagtens ark: Når I kommer til flodens bred, skal I gå et skridt ud i den og blive stående.”9Næste morgen kaldte Josva folket sammen og sagde: „Hør efter, hvad Herren, jeres Gud, siger.10I dag vil I se et bevis på, at den levende Gud er midt iblandt jer. Det vil give jer mod til at tro på, at han også vil drive landets indbyggere på flugt foran jer—alle kana’anæerne, hittitterne, hivvitterne, perizzitterne, girgashitterne, amoritterne og jebusitterne.11Arken, der tilhører Herren—hele jordens Herre—skal bane vej for jer gennem floden.12I skal udvælge 12 mænd, en fra hver stamme.13Så snart præsterne med arken træder ud i floden, vil vandstrømmen nordfra standse og hobe sig op som en vold.”14-15Så brød folket op for at gå over floden, og præsterne, som bar pagtens ark, gik foran dem. Det var i høsttiden, hvor Jordanfloden går over sine bredder. Men da præsterne trådte ud i floden,16standsede vandet, som kom nordfra, hobede sig op og stod som en vold ved byen Adam nær Saretan, mens vandet på sydsiden flød bort i retning af Det Døde Hav, indtil flodlejet var tørt, så folket kunne gå over lige ved Jeriko.17Mens folket gik over, stod præsterne med arken midt ude i det udtørrede flodleje.
1Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. (Josva 2,1)2At the end of three days the officers went through the camp (Josva 1,10)3and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. (5.Mos 31,9; 5.Mos 31,25; Josva 3,8)4Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits[1] in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” (2.Mos 19,12)5Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (2.Mos 19,10; 2.Mos 19,14; 3.Mos 20,7; 4.Mos 11,18; Josva 7,13; 1.Sam 16,5; Joel 2,16)6And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. (4.Mos 4,15)7The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. (Josva 1,5; Josva 4,14; 1.Krøn 29,25; 2.Krøn 1,1)8And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” (Josva 3,3; Josva 3,17)9And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”10And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. (2.Mos 13,5; 2.Mos 33,2; 5.Mos 5,26; 5.Mos 7,1; 1.Sam 17,26; Salm 44,2)11Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth[2] is passing over before you into the Jordan. (5.Mos 9,3; Mika 4,13; Zak 4,14; Zak 6,5)12Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. (4.Mos 13,2; Josva 4,2; Josva 4,4)13And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” (2.Mos 15,8; Josva 3,11; Josva 3,15; Salm 78,13; Salm 114,3)14So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, (Ap G 7,44)15and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), (Josva 3,13; Josva 4,18; Josva 5,10; Josva 5,12; 1.Krøn 12,15; Jer 12,5; Jer 49,19; Jer 50,44)16the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. (1.Mos 14,3; 4.Mos 34,3; 5.Mos 1,1; 1.Kong 4,12; 1.Kong 7,46)17Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. (2.Mos 14,29; Josva 4,22)