The Message Bible MSG
New Century Version NCV
1 Joshua was up early and on his way from Shittim with all the People of Israel with him. He arrived at the Jordan and camped before crossing over.
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Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia. They traveled to the Jordan River and camped there before crossing it.
2 After three days, leaders went through the camp
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After three days the officers went through the camp
3 and gave out orders to the people: "When you see the Covenant-Chest of God, your God, carried by the Levitical priests, start moving. Follow it.
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and gave orders to the people: "When you see the priests and Levites carrying the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord your God, leave where you are and follow it.
4 Make sure you keep a proper distance between you and it, about half a mile - be sure now to keep your distance! - and you'll see clearly the route to take. You've never been on this road before."
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That way you will know which way to go since you have never been here before. But do not follow too closely. Stay about a thousand yards behind the Ark."
5 Then Joshua addressed the people: "Sanctify yourselves. Tomorrow God will work miracle-wonders among you."
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Then Joshua told the people, "Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
6 Joshua instructed the priests, "Take up the Chest of the Covenant and step out before the people." So they took it up and processed before the people.
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Joshua said to the priests, "Take the Ark of the Agreement and go ahead of the people." So the priests lifted the Ark and carried it ahead of the people.
7 God said to Joshua, "This very day I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel. They'll see for themselves that I'm with you in the same way that I was with Moses.
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Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you great in the opinion of all the Israelites so the people will know I am with you just as I was with Moses.
8 You will command the priests who are carrying the Chest of the Covenant: 'When you come to the edge of the Jordan's waters, stand there on the river bank.'"
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Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Agreement to go to the edge of the Jordan River and stand in the water."
9 Then Joshua addressed the People of Israel: "Attention! Listen to what God, your God, has to say.
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Then Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.
10 This is how you'll know that God is alive among you - he will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
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Here is proof that the living God is with you and that he will force out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites.
11 Look at what's before you: the Chest of the Covenant. Think of it - the Master of the entire earth is crossing the Jordan as you watch.
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The Ark of the Agreement with the Lord of the whole world will go ahead of you into the Jordan River.
12 Now take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.
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Now choose twelve men from among you, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
13 When the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the Chest of God, Master of all the earth, touch the Jordan's water, the flow of water will be stopped - the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap."
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The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Master of the whole world, into the Jordan ahead of you. When they step into the water, it will stop. The river will stop flowing and will stand up in a heap."
14 And that's what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant.
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So the people left the place where they had camped, and they followed the priests who carried the Ark of the Agreement across the Jordan River.
15 When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest),
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During harvest the Jordan overflows its banks. When the priests carrying the Ark came to the edge of the river and stepped into the water,
16 the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap - a long way off - at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho.
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the water upstream stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river near Jericho.
17 And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.
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The priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while all the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.