⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you^(A) in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.^{(B) 8} Tell the priests^(C) who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God^(D) is among you^(E) and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites,^(F) Hivites, Perizzites,^(G) Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.^{(H) 11} See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth^(I) will go into the Jordan ahead of you.^{(J) 12} Now then, choose twelve men^(K) from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth^(L)—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream^(M) will be cut off^(N) and stand up in a heap.^(O)”

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant^(P) went ahead^(Q) of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan^(R) is at flood stage^(S) all during harvest.^(T) Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing.^(U) It piled up in a heap^(V) a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan,^(W) while the water flowing down^(X) to the Sea of the Arabah^(Y) (that is, the Dead Sea^(Z)) was completely cut off.^(AA) So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.^{(AB) 17} The priests^(AC) who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground,^(AD) while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.^(AE)