Joshua Parts the Jordan River

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  But because of the murmuring and grumbling of the Children of Israel, and because of unbelief when the spies brought back an evil report, God let the Children of Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that generation had died out.

It came Moses’ time to die.

Joshua took over after the death of Moses as the leader of Israel.  In chapter 1 of Joshua, God promised Joshua that He would be with him.

To enter into the promised land, they must cross over the Jordan River.

Here is the narrative from the book of Joshua from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version, (Amazon.com).

___Joshua chapter 3

1 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and they moved from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

2 And after three days, the officers went through the host,

3 And they commanded the people, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites carrying it, then you shall remove from your place, and go after it.

4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about one thousand yards by measure, don't come near it, so that you'll know the way by which you must go, for you haven't passed this way before."

5 And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."

6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people."  And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I'll begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, so that they will know that as I was with Moses, so I'll be with you.

8 And you shall command the priests that carry the ark of the covenant, saying, When you've come to the bank of the water of Jordan, you shall stand still in Jordan."

9 And Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God."

10 And Joshua said, "Hereby you'll know that the living God is among you, and that he will, without fail, drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into Jordan.

12 Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

13 And it shall occur, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from upstream, and they'll be heaped up."

14 And it occurred, when the people went from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people,

15 And when those who carried the ark had come to Jordan, and the feet of the priests that carried the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest,)

16 That the waters that came down from above stood and rose up on a heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan, and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, the salt sea, failed, and were cut off, and the people passed over opposite Jericho.

17 And the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people had finished passing over Jordan.

___Joshua chapter 4

1 And when all the people had finished passing over Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

2 "Take twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 And command them, saying, Take from here out of the middle of Jordan, out of the place where the priests feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you'll lodge this night."

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man,

5 And Joshua said to them, "Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of Jordan, and every man of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,

6 So that this will be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in the future, saying, What do you mean by these stones?

7 Then you shall answer them, that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off, and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever."

8 And the children of Israel did like Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of Jordan, like the Lord said to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that carried the ark of the covenant stood, and they are there until this day.

10 For the priests that carried the ark stood in the middle of Jordan, until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hurried and passed over.

11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the Lord passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, like Moses spoke to them,

13 About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the Lord to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, like they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And the Lord said to Joshua,

16 "Command the priests that carry the ark of the testimony, to come up out of Jordan."

17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, "Come up out of Jordan."

18 And when the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up out of the middle of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry land, the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all its banks, like they did before.

19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

20 And Joshua tossed those twelve stones that they took out of Jordan in Gilgal.

21 And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, "When your children shall ask their fathers in the future, What do these stones mean?

22 Then you shall let your children know, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until you had passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had gone over,

24 So that all the people of the earth would know the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you'll fear the Lord your God forever."

___Joshua chapter 5

1 And when all the kings of the Amorites, that were on the west side of Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we had passed over, their hearts melted, nor was there spirit in them anymore, because of the children of Israel.

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, "Make for yourselves sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

3 And Joshua made sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised.  All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, all the men of war, died in the wilderness on the way, after they came out of Egypt.

5 Now all the people that came out were circumcised, but all the people that were born in the wilderness on the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised.

6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, 'til all the people that were men of war, who came out of Egypt, had died, because they didn't obey the voice of the Lord, to whom the Lord swore that he wouldn't show them the land that the Lord promised to their fathers that he would give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

7 And their children, whom he raised up instead of them, Joshua circumcised, for they were uncircumcised, because they hadn't circumcised them on the way.

8 And when they had finished circumcising all the people, they stayed in their places in the camp, 'til they were healed.

9 And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I've rolled away the reproach of Egypt off of you.  So the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.

10 And the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.

11 And they ate of the old corn of the land on the next day after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn on the same day.

12 And the manna stopped on the next day after they had eaten of the old corn of the land, nor did the children of Israel have manna anymore, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

13 And when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, see, a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him, and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?"

14 And he said, "No, but as captain of the host of the Lord I've now come."  And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?"

15 And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Take off your shoes, for the place on which you're standing is holy."  And Joshua did.

Chapter 2

What do you do with the waters coming down from upstream if you want to cut off the flow to let people cross the river on dry ground?

Well, of course, you pile them up in a heap, if you’re God.  I don’t know a man that can do that.

When the feet of those carrying the Ark of the Covenant came to the water of the Jordan River, it stopped flowing downstream, and the waters started piling up.

It was a miracle, of course.  One of many miracles God did for his people, the Children of Israel.

And God subdued the inhabitants of the land under Israel, and gave Israel the land.

Later, Israel had Judges that ruled.  Still later, Israel had kings that ruled.

Because of the wickedness of King Solomon, God had to split the nation of Israel into two kingdoms, Israel, and Judah.

Still later, because of the wickedness of Israel, God scattered Israel to the four winds.

But in 1948, according to the Balfour Declaration, Israel began to be reassembled.

God has remained faithful to Israel because of his covenant with Abraham, even though Israel failed to recognize their Messiah, Jesus.

A counterfeit Messiah will come along, The Antichrist, also called the Beast in the book of Daniel.

The Lord gave Israel many victories under Joshua.

Even these days, the Lord has fought for Israel, such as in the “Six Day War.”

It’s not too bad a thing to be an Israeli.  But it’s better to be a Messianic Jew or a Christian.

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.