Old TestamentBeginner II · Story 11Joshua 3:1-17

Crossing the Jordan

Joshua leads Israel to the Jordan, where the officers tell the people to follow the ark. Joshua speaks to the priests, the LORD speaks to Joshua, and Joshua speaks to the people. The priests carry the ark into the water, and Israel passes over on dry ground. Read the story in simple English, with the real verse at the end.

Start this storyStory + 4 lessons · ~41 min · free

A group of priests in plain robes stands with the wooden ark on dry ground in the middle of a river, while a long line of people walks across the dry river bed

The words in this story

10 words you will really use: they appear in the story and in the exercises, and come back for review in the next stories.

ark
a special box made of wood; in this story, the box of the covenant that the priests carry
noun
middle
the center of a place or of a thing; the part that is the same distance from every side
noun
covenant
a serious promise between two sides, for example between God and people
noun
tribe
a large group of families that belong to one people
noun
tent
a house made of cloth, for people who stay outside for a time
noun
begin
to start
verb
must
a word that says that something is necessary, or that someone orders it
verb
drive
to make people leave a place; also to move a car and take people in it
verb
rest
to stop working or moving and be still; also to stay in one place
verb
beside
next to something, at its side
preposition

What you'll discover

The moments of the story, in the order they happen.

Israel camps at the Jordan, and the officers tell the people to follow the ark.
Joshua tells the priests to take up the ark, and the LORD says that he will be with Joshua.
Joshua tells Israel to take twelve men, one from every tribe, and says what God will do.
The priests stand in the Jordan, the water above stands still, and all Israel passes over on dry ground.

Original verse

The verse that closes the story, in the World English Bible. After 4 lessons, this is how you read it: the real text, with nothing simplified.

Joshua 3:17 · WEB

The priests who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan.

Context

One detail about the scene, with the work it comes from.

The world of the story

How close could the people come to the ark? Joshua 3:4 says that there was to be a space of about two thousand cubits between the people and the ark.

Source: World English Bible · Public domain

What a story looks like

First the whole story, in simple English with audio for every sentence. Then 4 short lessons, each with a piece of the story, a tip and exercises. At the end, the Bible verse and a little celebration.

The story · 14 sentences, with the meaning of each word on tap, 3 quick questions about the story
4 lessons · a piece of the story, a tip and exercises in each one
The original verse · the Bible text, unadapted, then the next story

Questions about this story

Which Bible passage is this story from?

Joshua 3:1 to 17, in the World English Bible.

What do the officers tell the people to do?

They say: when you see the ark, follow it (Joshua 3:3).

What does the LORD say to Joshua?

He says: today I will begin to magnify you, and I will be with you, as I was with Moses (Joshua 3:7).

Who carries the ark to the Jordan?

The priests carry it before the people (Joshua 3:14).

How does Israel pass over the Jordan?

All Israel passes over on dry ground, while the priests stand firm in the middle of the Jordan (Joshua 3:17).

How close is it to the Bible?

It follows Joshua 3:1 to 17 in order, in short sentences. It leaves out parts of the speeches, the list of peoples, the full river at harvest time and the waters cut off toward the Salt Sea. The real verses at the end are Joshua 3:17, 3:6 and 3:7.

Other questions:Do I need to know English?Does Biblup teach doctrine?