Joshua, Nun's son. They told him everything that had happened to them. 24They said to Joshua, "The LORD has definitely given the entire land into our power. In addition, all of the land's population has melted down in fear because of us."
Directions for crossing the Jordan
Joshua 3Joshua took down the camp early in the morning. He and all the Israelites marched out of Shittim and came to the Jordan, where they stayed overnight before crossing. 2At the end of three days the officers went through the middle of the camp. 3They commanded the people, "As soon as you see the LORD your God's chest containing the covenant and the levitical priests carrying it, you are to march out from your places and follow it. 4But let there be some distance between you and it, about three thousand feet. Don't come near it! You will know the way you should go, even though you've never traveled this way before."
5Joshua said to the people, "Make yourselves holy! Tomorrow the LORD will do wonderful things among you."6Then Joshua said to the priests, "Lift up the covenant chest. Go along in front of the people." So they lifted up the covenant chest and went in front of the people.
7The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to make you great in the opinion of all Israel. Then they will know that I will be with you in the same way that I was with Moses. 8You are to command the priests who carry the covenant chest, 'As soon as you come to the bank of the Jordan, stand still in the Jordan.'"
9Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come close. Listen to the words of the LORD your God."10Then Joshua said, "This is how you will know that the living God is among you and will completely remove the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites before you. 11Look! The covenant chest of the ruler of the entire earth is going to cross over in front of you in the Jordan. 12Now pick twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe. 13The soles of the priests' feet, who are carrying the chest of the LORD, ruler of the whole earth, will come to rest in the water of the Jordan. At that moment, the water of the Jordan will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand still in a single heap."
Marching across the Jordan
14The people marched out from their tents to cross over the Jordan. The priests carrying the covenant chest were in front of the people. 15When the priests who were carrying the chest came to the Jordan, their feet touched the edge of the water. The Jordan had overflowed its banks completely, the way it does during the entire harvest season. 16But at that moment the water of the Jordan coming downstream stood still. It rose up as a single heap very far off, just below Adam, which is the city next to Zarethan. The water going down to the desert sea (that is, the Dead Sea) was cut off completely. The people crossed opposite Jericho. 17So the priests carrying the LORD's covenant chest stood firmly on dry land in the middle of the Jordan. Meanwhile, all Israel crossed over on dry land, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.
Twelve stones at Gilgal
Joshua 4When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2"Pick twelve men from the people, one man per tribe. 3Command them, 'Pick up twelve stones from right here in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests had been firmly planted. Bring them across with you and put them down in the camp where you are staying tonight.'"
4Joshua called for the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one man per tribe. 5Joshua said to them, "Cross over into the middle of the Jordan, up to the LORD your God's chest. Each of you, lift up a stone on his shoulder to match the number of the tribes of the Israelites. 6This will be a symbol among you. In the future your children may ask, 'What do these stones mean to you?'7Then you will tell them that the water of the Jordan was cut off before the LORD's covenant chest. When it crossed over the Jordan, the water of the Jordan was cut off. These stones will be an enduring memorial for the Israelites."
8The Israelites did exactly what Joshua ordered. They lifted twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, matching the number of the tribes of the Israelites, exactly as the LORD had said to Joshua. They brought them over to the camp and put them down there. 9Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests had stood while carrying the covenant chest. They are still there today.
Crossing completed
10Meanwhile, the priests carrying the chest were standing in the middle of the Jordan. They stood there until every command that the LORD had ordered Joshua to tell the people had been carried out. This was exactly what Moses had commanded Joshua. The people crossed over quickly. 11As soon as all the people had finished crossing, the LORD's chest crossed over. The priests then moved to the front of the people. 12The people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh crossed over, organized for war ahead of the Israelites, exactly as Moses had told them. 13Approximately forty thousand armed for war crossed over in the LORD's presence to the plains of Jericho, ready for battle. 14The LORD made Joshua great in the opinion of all Israel on that day. So they revered him in the same way that they had revered Moses during all of his life.
15The LORD said to Joshua, 16"Command the priests carrying the chest containing the testimony to come up out of the Jordan."
17So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up from the Jordan."18The priests carrying the LORD's covenant chest came up from the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet touched dry ground. At that moment, the water of the Jordan started flowing again. It ran as before, completely over its banks. 19The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month.c They camped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
Stones at Gilgal
20Joshua set up at Gilgal those twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 21He said to the Israelites, "In the future your children will ask their parents, 'What about these stones?'22Then you will let your children know: 'Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.'23This was because the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you crossed over. This was exactly what the LORD your God did to the Reed Sea.d He dried it up before us until we crossed over. 24This happened so that all the earth's peoples might know that the LORD's power is great and that you may always revere the LORD your God."
Enemy kings react
Joshua 5All the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings near the sea heard that the LORD had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over. Then their hearts melted. They lost all courage because of the Israelites.
Circumcision
2At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make yourself flint knives. Circumcise the Israelites for a second time."3So Joshua made flint knives for himself. He circumcised the Israelites at Foreskins Hill. 4This is the reason Joshua did so: All the people who went out of Egypt, that is, all the men who were soldiers, had died in the desert on the way after they left Egypt. 5All the people who went out were circumcised. But none of the people born in the desert on the way after they had left Egypt had been circumcised. 6This was because the Israelites journeyed forty years in the desert until the whole nation died off. These were the men old enough to fight who went out from Egypt and who hadn't obeyed the LORD. The LORD had pledged to them never to show them the land that the LORD had pledged to their ancestors to give us. It is a land full of milk and honey. 7Joshua circumcised their children, the ones the LORD had set in their place. They were uncircumcised because they hadn't been circumcised on the way. 8After the whole nation had undergone circumcision, they remained in the camp until they got well again. 9Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the