The Bible in Basic English BBE
Good News Translation GNT
1 Then Joshua got up early in the morning, and, moving on from Shittim, he and all the children of Israel came to Jordan and were there for the night before going over.
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The next morning Joshua and all the people of Israel got up early, left the camp at Acacia, and went to the Jordan, where they camped while waiting to cross it.
2 And at the end of three days, the men in authority over the people went through the tents,
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Three days later the leaders went through the camp
3 Giving the people their orders, and saying, When you see the ark of the agreement of the Lord your God lifted up by the priests, the Levites, then get up from your places and go after it;
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and told the people, "When you see the priests carrying the Covenant Box of the Lord your God, break camp and follow them.
4 But let there be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits: come no nearer to it, so that you may see the way you have to go, for you have not been over this way before.
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You have never been here before, so they will show you the way to go. But do not get near the Covenant Box; stay about half a mile behind it."
5 And Joshua said to the people, Make yourselves holy, for tomorrow the Lord will do works of wonder among you.
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Joshua told the people, "Purify yourselves, because tomorrow the Lord will perform miracles among you."
6 Then Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the agreement and go over in front of the people. So they took up the ark of the agreement and went in front of the people.
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Then he told the priests to take the Covenant Box and go with it ahead of the people. They did as he said.
7 And the Lord said to Joshua, From now on I will give you glory in the eyes of all Israel, so that they may see that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
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The Lord said to Joshua, "What I do today will make all the people of Israel begin to honor you as a great man, and they will realize that I am with you as I was with Moses.
8 And you are to give orders to the priests who take up the ark of the agreement, and say, When you come to the edge of the waters of Jordan, go no further.
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Tell the priests carrying the Covenant Box that when they reach the river, they must wade in and stand near the bank."
9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, Come to me here: and give ear to the words of the Lord your God.
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Then Joshua said to the people, "Come here and listen to what the Lord your God has to say.
10 And Joshua said, By this you will see that the living God is among you, and that he will certainly send out from before you the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Hivite and the Perizzite and the Girgashite and the Amorite and the Jebusite.
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As you advance, he will surely drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. You will know that the living God is among you
11 See, the ark of the agreement of the Lord of all the earth is going over before you into Jordan.
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when the Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth crosses the Jordan ahead of you.
12 So take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, a man from every tribe.
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Now choose twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel.
13 And when the feet of the priests who take up the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, come to rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan will be cut off, all the waters flowing down from higher up, and will come together in a mass.
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When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place."
14 So when the people went out from their tents to go over Jordan, the priests who took up the ark of the agreement were in front of the people;
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It was harvest time, and the river was in flood. When the people left the camp to cross the Jordan, the priests went ahead of them, carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as the priests stepped into the river,
15 And when those who took up the ark came to Jordan, and the feet of the priests who took up the ark were touching the edge of the water (for the waters of Jordan are overflowing all through the time of the grain-cutting),
16 Then the waters flowing down from higher up were stopped and came together in a mass a long way back at Adam, a town near Zarethan; and the waters flowing down to the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were cut off: and the people went across opposite Jericho.
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the water stopped flowing and piled up, far upstream at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The flow downstream to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and the people were able to cross over near Jericho.
17 And the priests who took up the ark of the agreement of the Lord kept their places, with their feet on dry land in the middle of Jordan, while all Israel went over on dry land, till all the nation had gone over Jordan.
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While the people walked across on dry ground, the priests carrying the Lord's Covenant Box stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people had crossed over.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.