וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּסְעוּ מֵהַשִּׁטִּים וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד הַיַּרְדֵּן הוּא וְכָל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּלִנוּ שָׁם טֶרֶם יַעֲבֹרוּ

Joshua arose early in the morning, and they traveled from Shitim, the place of their encampment; he and all the children of Israel came to the edge of the Jordan, and they stayed the night there before they would cross the river. It appears that this trip took less than a day.

וַיְהִי מִקְצֵה שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים וַיַּעַבְרוּ הַשֹּׁטְרִים בְּקֶרֶב הַמַּחֲנֶה

It was at the end of three days, during which Joshua had commanded the people to prepare themselves (1:11), and on the third day, the officers, who transmitted Joshua’s orders, passed through the midst of the camp.

וַיְצַוּוּ אֶת הָעָם לֵאמֹר כִּרְאוֹתְכֶם אֵת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם נֹשְׂאִים אֹתוֹ וְאַתֶּם תִּסְעוּ מִמְּקוֹמְכֶם וַהֲלַכְתֶּם אַחֲרָיו

They, the officers, commanded the people, saying: When you see the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, containing the Tablets of the Covenant, and when you see the priests, the Levites carrying it, then you shall travel, uproot yourselves, from your place and follow it.

אַךְ רָחוֹק יִהְיֶה בֵּינֵיכֶם וּבֵינָיו כְּאַלְפַּיִם אַמָּה בַּמִּדָּה אַל תִּקְרְבוּ אֵלָיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר תֵּדְעוּ אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ בָהּ כִּי לֹא עֲבַרְתֶּם בַּדֶּרֶךְ מִתְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם

However, there shall be a distance of a measure of two thousand cubits, roughly 1 km, between you and it; do not approach it, as that would be disrespectful, and doing so may endanger you. The ark will lead you, so that you will know the way that you should go, and you will not wander in different directions, for you have not passed on the way previously. This path is entirely new to you. Some explain that the phrase “so that you will know the way” is an explanation for the prohibition against coming close to the ark.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל הָעָם הִתְקַדָּשׁוּ כִּי מָחָר יַעֲשֶׂה ה' בְּקִרְבְּכֶם נִפְלָאוֹת

Joshua said to the people: Prepare yourselves, or purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform wonders in your midst.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים לֵאמֹר שְׂאוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית וְעִבְרוּ לִפְנֵי הָעָם וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית וַיֵּלְכוּ לִפְנֵי הָעָם

Joshua said to the priests, saying: Pick up the Ark of the Covenant, and pass before the people. Until now, the ark had been located inside the camp; now it will be transferred to the front. They, the priests, picked up the Ark of the Covenant, and they went before the people.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אָחֵל גַּדֶּלְךָ בְּעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יֵדְעוּן כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיִיתִי עִם מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ

The Lord said to Joshua: This day I will begin exalting you in the eyes of all Israel. A great sign and wonder will be performed today, and although it will come about for the sake of the nation, your name will be exalted through it. This miracle will be performed so that they, all Israel, may know that as I was with Moses, I will be with you. It will be like the marvels that occurred in the days of Moses, the impact of which is still felt to this day, even though some of them took place forty years ago.

וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית לֵאמֹר כְּבֹאֲכֶם עַד קְצֵה מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן בַּיַּרְדֵּן תַּעֲמֹדוּ

You shall command the priests, bearers of the Ark of the Covenant, saying: Upon your coming to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, when you have left the area of Geon HaYarden, the lowest step of the Jordan Valley, where reeds and bulrushes sprout, you shall stand still in the Jordan.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל גֹּשׁוּ הֵנָּה וְשִׁמְעוּ אֶת דִּבְרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

Joshua said to the children of Israel: Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God. This is the first time Joshua delivers explicit words of prophecy in the name of God.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּזֹאת תֵּדְעוּן כִּי אֵל חַי בְּקִרְבְּכֶם וְהוֹרֵשׁ יוֹרִישׁ מִפְּנֵיכֶם אֶת הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְאֶת הַחִתִּי וְאֶת הַחִוִּי וְאֶת הַפְּרִזִּי וְאֶת הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַיְבוּסִי

Joshua said: With this you will know that the living God is in your midst, and that He will dispossess from before you the Canaanites, and the Hitites, and the Hivites, and the Perizites, and the Girgashites, and the Emorites, and the Yevusites, the seven Canaanite nations.

הִנֵּה אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית אֲדוֹן כָּל הָאָרֶץ עֹבֵר לִפְנֵיכֶם בַּיַּרְדֵּן

Behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Master of the entire earth is passing before you in the Jordan.

וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לָכֶם שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר אִישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ אֶחָד אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט

Now take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. Each tribe shall select a representative for a task that will be explained to them at a later stage. The timing of this command indicates that the role of these twelve men will somehow be connected to the position of the ark.

וְהָיָה כְּנוֹחַ כַּפּוֹת רַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן ה' אֲדוֹן כָּל הָאָרֶץ בְּמֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן יִכָּרֵתוּן הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמָעְלָה וְיַעַמְדוּ נֵד אֶחָד

It will be, when the feet of the priests, bearers of the Ark of the Lord, Master of the entire earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off; the waters that come down from upstream will stand in one mound, like a raised mound or a wall. The waters flowing down the river will pile up to a great height, as though an invisible wall is blocking their path.

וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָעָם מֵאָהֳלֵיהֶם לַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן וְהַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן הַבְּרִית לִפְנֵי הָעָם

It was when the people traveled from their tents, the place of their encampment, to cross the Jordan, and the priests, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant, were traveling before the people, as Joshua had commanded,

וּכְבוֹא נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן עַד הַיַּרְדֵּן וְרַגְלֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן נִטְבְּלוּ בִּקְצֵה הַמָּיִם וְהַיַּרְדֵּן מָלֵא עַל כָּל גְּדוֹתָיו כֹּל יְמֵי קָצִיר

and when the bearers of the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests, bearers of the ark, were immersed in the edge of the water, and the Jordan was overflowing all its banks all the days of harvest, after the winter, when the waters of the river are at their peak,

וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַמַּיִם הַיֹּרְדִים מִלְמַעְלָה קָמוּ נֵד אֶחָד הַרְחֵק מְאֹד מֵאָדָם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר מִצַּד צָרְתָן וְהַיֹּרְדִים עַל יָם הָעֲרָבָה יָם הַמֶּלַח תַּמּוּ נִכְרָתוּ וְהָעָם עָבְרוּ נֶגֶד יְרִיחוֹ

that the waters descending from upstream stood; they rose in one mound. However, this mound was not near the spot where the people crossed the river; rather, it was very far from Adam, the city that is near Tzaretan, another settlement adjacent to the Jordan; and that water, which went down to the sea of the plain, which is the Dead Sea, ceased, was cut off. Since the waters of the river stopped and piled up at a point to the north, all water ceased to flow into the Dead Sea. And the people crossed opposite Jericho, south of Adam.

וַיַּעַמְדוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים נֹשְׂאֵי הָאָרוֹן בְּרִית ה' בֶּחָרָבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן הָכֵן וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹבְרִים בֶּחָרָבָה עַד אֲשֶׁר תַּמּוּ כָּל הַגּוֹי לַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן

The priests, bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, and all Israel were crossing on dry ground, after the water had ceased to flow, until the entire nation had completed crossing the Jordan.