BRAGADAYJAH 656

BRAGADAYJAH 656

After Elgon Joshua turned his attention to Hebron and fought against it. And he took Hebron and smote it with the edge of the sword, its king, and all the cities thereof, and all the people thereof allowing none to escape as he had done unto Eglon. And Joshua returned from Eglon, he and all the company of Israel, and turned his attack on Debir and fought against it. And he took Debir and its king and all the cities and all the people thereof and did to Debir as he had done unto Eglon and Hebron. So Joshua smote all the countries of the Hill  and the south and of the valley and of the springs and of all their kings he left none remaining but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded.  So Joshua gained complete victory over all his enemies from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza and all the country of Goshen unto Gibeon; and all their kings were destroyed and their lands taken in one single campaign as the Lord had promised, because the Lord was with Israel; and then Joshua returned to Gilgal which was his base.

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BRAGADAYJAH 655

BRAGADAYJAH 655

And after dealing thus with the five kings, Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword, including the king and all its inhabitants, allowing none to escape and dealt with the king as he did with the king of Jericho. And he went from Makkedah together with his company of soldiers and fought against Libnah unto Lachish and surrounded and fought against it. And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hands of the Israelites which took it on the second day, and smote with the edge of the sword all the inhabitants thereof as they had done to Libnah.  Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish and Joshua smote him and his people until none were left. And from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon and all Israel with him and they encamped against it and fought against it. And they took it on that day and smote it with the edge of the sword; and all the souls that were therein were utterly destroyed that day as he had done to the other cities.

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BRAGADAYJAH 654

BRAGADAYJAH 654

Then Joshua ordered that the caves be opened up and the five kings brought to him, and they did so and brought all the five kings, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish and the king of Eglon. And it came to that when they were brought out Joshua called all the men of Israel and told the captains of the men of war, to put their feet upon the necks of the five kings.  “Don’t be afraid or be dismayed he encouraged them for thus shall the Lord deal with all your enemies.” and Joshua smote them and slew them and hanged them on five trees. And at the going down of the sun, Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and dumped into the cave from which they were taken and the entrance of the cave sealed with stones.

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BRAGADAYJAH 653

BRAGADAYJAH 653

And on that day when the Lord delivered the Amorites to Joshua in battle, Joshua said in the hearing of all Israel, “Sun stand thou still, upon Gibeon and you Moon in the valley of Ajalon.” And the sun stood still and the Moon stayed until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies, as is recorded; so the sun stood still and hurried not to go down for a whole day. And there was no day like that before or since that the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.  And Joshua and all Israel returned to their camp at Gilgal.  But the five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.  And it was told Joshua the whereabouts of their hiding place. And Joshua ordered that large stones be rolled at the mouth of the cave and also ordered that men be placed at the mouth of the cave to guard it. And while the five kings were thus locked in the cave Joshua gave orders for the continued slaughter of all the Amorites and when this was accomplished they returned to the camp at Makkedah.

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BRAGADAYJAH 652

BRAGADAYJAH 652

After they were surrounded, the men of Gibeon sent messengers to Joshua at Gilgal urging him to come as quickly as he could to their aid to save them because all the kings of the Amorites that dwelt in the mountains had gathered themselves against them.  So Joshua ascended from Gilgal with all his mighty men of war. And the Lord said to Joshua, fear them not; for I have delivered them into your hands, and there shall not be a man of them that shall stand before you.”  So Joshua came unto them suddenly, having marched on them from Gilgal at night.  And the Lord discomforted the enemy before Israel, and they slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon and chased them along the way that goes to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah and unto Makkedah.  And it came to pass that as they fled before Israel and were going down to Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah and they died. And there were more who died from hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

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BRAGADAYJAH 651

BRAGADAYJAH 651

Then it came to pass that when Adonizedek King of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had vanquished Ai, and had utterly destroyed it as he had done with Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai, and her king, and how he had made peace with the Gibeonites who had made peace with Israel and was indeed living among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty . Therefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Hiram, king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon saying, “Come up unto me and help me that we may smite Gibeon because he has made a pact with Joshua and with the children of Israel. Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the kings of Jerusalem, the King of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon gathered themselves together and went up they and all their hosts and encamped before Gibeon and made war against it.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 650

BRAGADAYJAH 650

Then the Princes of Egypt in reply to the people that they spare not the Gibeonites said that they would be put to cutting wood and fetching water for all the congregation.  And Joshua called unto them and asked them why they had lied to him saying they were from a far country when in fact they were of the country nigh unto them. And he told them you are cursed and henceforth none of you will be freed. In deed you shall be bondsmen all the rest of your lives, to gather wood and carry water in the house of my God. But they answered Joshua and said, “ Because it was told unto us how your God had commanded Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, we were much afraid for our lives and that is why we tried to deceive you as we have done. So now they pleaded we are in your hands deal with us as you see fit. And hearing their explanation Joshua delivered them out of the hands of the children of Israel so that they did not slay them. And decreed that they be made hewers of wood and drawers of water from that day onwards.

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BRAGADAYJAH 649

BRAGADAYJAH 649

Having stated their ostensible reason for their presence in the camp of the Israelites, the Gibeonites continued to tender the evidence in support, namely moldy bread which they claimed to be freshly baked bread which they had baked before the journey, leaking wine skins and their garments which they claimed to have become worn and torn from the harshness of the journey. Having heard them, Joshua made peace with them to allow them to remain with the Children of Israel; and the princes of the Israeli congregation made o vow with them. And it came to pass that at the end of three days the children of Israel learned that the strangers were in fact their neighbors, and that they journeyed to their lands but struck out not against them. This made the masses of the people angry and wanted to know why no effort was being made to take their land; but the princes pointed out to the people that they were bound by an oath not to wage war on these people
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BRAGADAYJAH 648

BRAGADAYJAH 648

The Hivites offered to make a league with Israel and they said to them, we understand that you want to dwell among us, but how shall we make a league with you? And they said to Joshua “We are thy servants.”  And Joshua asked them, “Who are you, and where are you from?” And they said, From a very far country are we come because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard the fame of him and all that he did in Egypt. And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan which was at Ashtaroth. Therefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us saying, “Take victuals with you for a journey and go to meet them, and say unto them, we are your servants and we are here to make a league with you.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 647

BRAGADAYJAH 647

After that, it happened that when all the kings which were on the other side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the valleys and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites heard of the way Joshua dealt with the king of Ai, they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord.  Also when the inhabitants of Gideon heard what Joshua had done unto Gideon and Ai, they decided to approach Joshua with guile. And went to him pretending to be ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and old wine bottles, with old shoes and clothes upon their person and on their feet and their provisions of bread dry and moldy. And they went to Joshua and the congregation of Israel pretending they had come from a far country and willing to make a league with them.

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www.chaberbooks.comBRAGADAYJAH 645

And so it came to pass that when Joshua and his army had completely destroyed all the men of Ai, they took hold of the king and hanged him on a tree and buried his carcass under a pile of stones at the gate. Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal. This was in accordance with the commandment of Moses to the children of Israel, to build an altar of whole stones upon which no man has lifted up any iron instrument, and they offered up burnt offering unto the Lord as well as peace offerings. And he wrote upon the stones a copy of the laws of Moses which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And all Israel and their officers, and judges and elders, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the priests which bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and before the strangers, as Moses the servant of the Lord had instructed them; and Joshua read the entire book of the law in the presence of all the people.

BRAGADAYJAH 644

BRAGADAYJAH 644

Joshua’s Trap Sprung

So Joshua gave careful instructions to his men which he placed in ambush behind the city, while he placed another forty thousand men in wait, in a valley to the North side of the city.  In the meantime Joshua appeared as if for a frontal assault on the city, and seeing them the men of Ai came rushing towards Joshua and his men, who in accordance with his pre-conceived plan fled before the army and people of Ai, who went chasing after them, feeling sure that they were already defeated and in full retreat, while Joshua and his men ran towards the wilderness causing it to appear they were fleeing for their lives.  Then on a pre-arranged signal from Joshua, the men that were hidden to take the city rushed in and set fire to it as there was no one left to defend it.  When the people of Ai looked back they saw their city on fire, and at the same time the second group of Joshua’s men emerged from their hiding place and attacked the king of Ai and his army and his people.  But by this time it was too late for the inhabitants of Ai.  Joshua and his men at arms descended upon them and cut them down until all were destroyed

Joshua's ambush plan worked

BRAGADAYJAH 643

BRAGADAYJAH 643

BRAGADAYJAH 643

And the Lord told Joshua, “Fear not neither be dismayed at the people of Ai, because he had given the land to Israel. He assured Joshua that he would do unto the people of Ai and their king as he had done unto the King of Jericho; but reminded him to take only the spoils thereof and the cattle thereof as prey. So Joshua arose and all the men of war with him and went up against Ai and chose thirty thousand men of valor and send them by night.

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BRAGADAYJAH 642

BRAGADAYJAH 642

The Lord Restored Israel

After the cleansing of Israel culminating in the extinction of Achan and his entire family and possessions, the Lord told Joshua not to be afraid or dismayed, but to arise and gather together all the men of war and go up and take AI, “for I have given the King of AI and its people into thy hand.”   Furthermore God told Joshua to take the spoils of war including the cattle for a prey. God also told Joshua the strategy to use in order to capture the city.  The plan was that thirty thousand brave men covertly take up position near to the city by night.  Then in the morning Joshua and the rest of his army would approach the city as they had done before and was slaughtered; but the plan was for the frontal sham attack to run away from the city gate and have the men of Ai chase after them as before. But the plan idea was to draw them out of the city and for the men in waiting to then overrun the city leaving the men of Ai out in the open from where they could be defeated.

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BRAGADAYJAH 641

BRAGADAYJAH 641

Achan’s Fate

Having received Achan’s confession, Joshua sent men to search Achan’s tent and for certain, the forbidden loot was found hidden in his tent just as he had confessed. And so the items were removed and brought to Joshua and the children of Israel, and laid out before the Lord. And Joshua and all the children of Israel with him, took Achan together with the gold and silver and the garment and his sons and his daughters, his oxen and his sheep and his asses, and everything that belonged to him including the tent itself and carried them into the valley of Achor. And Joshua addressed Achan and said, “Because you have troubled us, the Lord shall trouble you.”  And the whole multitude stoned Joshua and his family and all that were gathered of his, with stones until they died and afterwards they were burnt. And after that they piled up a large heap of stones to mark the spot and the place was named Achor.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 640

BRAGADAYJAH 640

Achan Found Out

So Joshua rose early the next morning and sought Israel by their tribe, and the tribe of Judah was taken. And he examined the family of Judah and he took the family of the Zerahites; and he took the family of the Zerahites man by man and Zabdi was taken. And he brought his household man by man and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi the son of Zarah of the tribe of Judah was taken.  And Joshua said unto Achan, “My son, give I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him, and tell me now what you have done, and do not conceal it from me.”  And Achan answered Joshua and confessed that he had sinned against the Lord, and told in fact all he had done. Among other things, he said, “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them and behold they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent and the silver under it.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 639

BRAGADAYJAH 639

Don’t Lie There Sniveling

As Joshua laid on the ground weeping before the Lord, He told him don’t lie there sniveling before me, get up and consecrate the people, and tell them to consecrate themselves in preparation for tomorrow; for tomorrow this is what the Lord God of Israel says: That which is accursed is among you O Israel, you cannot stand before your enemies until you remove it.  In the morning present yourselves tribe by tribe; the tribe which the Lord selects shall come forward clan by clan; the clan which the Lord selects shall come forward family by family; the family which the Lord selects shall come forward man by man.  And the one caught with the accursed thing shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord, and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel.”  

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BRAGADAYJAH 638

BRAGADAYJAH 638

After the rout at AI, Joshua tore his clothes and laid prostrate, face down on the ground from morning to evening, and opened up his heart and his sorrow to the Almighty God.  “Why God,” he asked, “did you bring us to this place to destroy us, to have the Amorites and the Canaanites make fun of us, and chase and kill us?”  Surely when the other nations hear of our humiliation, they too shall surround us and destroy us.  But the Lord answered Joshua and told him that Israel has sinned; they have stolen, they have lied, they have taken hold of the cursed and forbidden thing; they have laid their hand on and taken the accursed things that they were warned not to take of the possessions of the enemy out of their camp.  That is why the Lord has caused you to be defeated, that is why you were chased out of Ai, and until you make amends the Lord shall be no longer with you.

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BRAGADAYJAH 637

BRAGADAYJAH 637

Joshua’s Curse of Jericho

Having conquered and burnt it to the ground, Joshua placed a curse on anyone who would rebuild that city.  “Cursed before the Lord be any one who rebuild this city,” Joshua swore. At the cost of his first son will he lay the foundation; at the cost of his youngest son will he set up its gates.

So the Lord continued with Joshua. And at that time he sent spies to A located on the East of Bethel with instructions to go and spy out the land.  And they returned and reported that there was no need for all the men at arms should go up against AI because only a few men were there.  They recommended to Joshua that two or three thousand men should be able to capture the city easily. So Joshua sent three thousand men and they were routed by the men of AI who chased and killed some of them; and hearing the news the hearts of the people of Israel melted and they were afraid.

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BRAGADAYJAH 636

BRAGADAYJAH 636

Events on the Seventh Day

The children of Israel for six days, marched around the city walls of Jericho, and save for the noise of the trumpets it was as peaceful as could be.  The inhabitants of the city must have looked upon the marchers as a bunch of depraved fools engaging in a senseless exercise in futility.  So one could imaging that on the seventh morning little interest w as shown in the spectacle of the march, nor were particularly concerned about the marchers.  They might even have been encouraged asking themselves what was there to fear. But wait a minute, this time it was different. The Israelites had risen and taken to the march at the breaking of the dawn and began to march around the city not once as before, but seven times, they circled the city and this time Joshua commanded them to shout, and the people shouted and the walls came tumbling down, and the city was captured, and the inhabitants killed, all except Rahab and her family because the Lord had spared her because she had given help to the two spies; and Joshua reminded the men that she and her family were not to be harmed. So entering into the city, Joshua commanded the two spies to go into the house of Rahab and bring her out as they had promised to do and after they had done so, Joshua set fire to the entire city.  

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BRAGADAYJAH 635

BRAGADAYJAH 635

The Fall of Jericho

As the Lord instructed Joshua, so Joshua commanded the people.  He spoke with them and executed God’s plan as follows: On the first day the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the Lord went forward blowing their trumpets followed by the ark of the covenant of the Lord; the armed guards marched ahead of the priests who were blowing their trumpets and the priests were followed by the rear guards which followed the ark.  During all this time the priests continued blowing their trumpets. But the people kept silent as Joshua had instructed them not to give a war cry.  Do not raise your voices, do not say a word, Joshua advised them, “No, not until the time I tell you to shout.”  So on the first day the procession marched around the city and having done so, returned to their homes; and this procession in this order, with the seven priests blowing seven trumpets was repeated every day for six days at the end of each day, returning to their tents in silence save for the blowing of the trumpets by the priests.

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BRAGADAYJAH 634

BRAGADAYJAH 634

God assured Joshua of Victory over Jericho

After his encounter with the Divine Captain, Joshua found himself upon an enemy, namely the people of Jericho lodged within a highly fortified city, so that no one could go out or come in, and Joshua saw no way in. But the Lord appeared unto him and assured him, and said, “Don’t worry, I have already delivered into your hand, this city, its king and all its fighting men.  All you have to do is walk around it with the fighting men once per day for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram’s horn in front of the ark.  And on the seventh day have the priests march around the city seven times and blow the trumpets and when you hear a long blast of the trumpet, have the people shout with a great shout and the walls of the city will fall down and the men of Israel will be all to climb over and possess the city. 

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BRAGADAYJAH 633

BRAGADAYJAH 633

The Divine Captain

And it came to pass when Joshua was at Jericho that he looked up and saw a man towering over him with a drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua confronted him and asked him whether he was a friend or a foe. And the man answered and said, “I am captain of the hosts of the Lord I am now come. And Joshua knelt down before him and did obeisance and asked, “What does my lord has to say to me thy servant?” And the captain of the Lord’s host told Joshua, “Loose thy feet from off thy feet for the place on which you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.

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BRAGADAYJAH 632

BRAGADAYJAH 632

Reason for Circumcision

Now it happened that all the people who came out of Egypt walked in the wilderness for forty years until all the men of war were perished because they did not obey the voice of the Lord, and unto whom the Lord swore He would not show them the land promised unto their fathers. So the children born in the wilderness God raised up in their stead, and them Joshua circumcised, after which they remained in their camp until they had healed. And the Lord told Joshua that He had now rolled away the reproach of Egypt, so that the name of that place where the circumcision took place and the reproach removed was called Gilgal. After that still residing at Gilgal, the children of Israel kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. And on the day after the Passover, the children of Israel ate of the old grain of the land and unleavened cakes and parched grain; and after that day there was no more manna; so they ate the fruit of the land of Canaan for the rest of that year.

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BRAGADAYJAH 631

BRAGADAYJAH 631

Fear Falls on Amorites/New Generation Circumcised

And it came to pass that when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the western side of the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel until they were passed over, their hearts melted within them, and there was no fighting spirit in them anymore, because they feared the children of Israel.  And at that time, the Lord told Joshua to make three sharp knives and circumcise again the children of Israel a second time.  And Joshua made sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskin. And the reason why Joshua was told to circumcised all the people of Israel was because all those who had come out of Egypt, namely all the men of war, had died in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt.

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BRAGADAYJAH 630

BRAGADAYJAH 630

The Red Sea Comparison

So the children of Israel crossed over the river Jordan as it were on dry land on the tenth day of the first month and set up camp in Gilgal on the East border of Jericho.  And the twelve stones which were brought out of the Jordan Joshua set up as a monument in Gilgal, and having done so, he addressed the people and said, “When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come the meaning of the twelve stones, then they shall be told, that their fathers came over the river Jordan on dry land; for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you until you were passed over as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we were gone over. That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord that it is mighty; that ye might fear the Lord your God forever.”

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BRAGADAYJAH 629

BRAGADAYJAH 629

The Waters returned

Now it came to pass that when all of the children of Israel had completely passed over, the ark of the Lord and the priests also passed over.  And the children of Rueben and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the children of Israel as Moses had before commanded them. There were about forty thousand prepared for war unto battle to the plains of Jericho.  And on that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him as they feared Moses all the days of his life. And the Lord told Joshua to command the priests that they come up out of the Jordan and he did so. And it came to pass that as soon as the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord lifted the soles of their feet out of the midst of the Jordan, and set their feet on dry land that the waters returned and overflowed the banks of the Jordan.

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BRAGADAYJAH 628

BRAGADAYJAH 628

The Two Sets of Stones

And it came to pass that when all the children of Israel had completely passed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua and said, “Take twelve men of the people out of every tribe and command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan at the place where the soles of the feet of the priests stood firm, twelve stones and carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place where you spend the first night; and Joshua having chosen twelve men commanded them as God had commanded him. These stones Joshua informed them were to be signs for future generations to observe, so that when their children should ask them about the significance of the stones, they would be able to tell them the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over the water which was cut off so that they crossed over on dry land, and these stones were kept as a reminder for us and for you. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan where the soles of the feet of the priests stood, also for a memorial for future generations so that there were memorialized, two sets of twelve
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BRAGADAYJAH 626

BRAGADAYJAH 627

The Children of Israel crossed over the River Jordan

Now, therefore, instructed Joshua, take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man, and it shall come to pass that as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from the waters which come down from above, and stand in one heap. And it came to pass that when the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who were bearing the ark touched the waters, the waters coming down from above stood and raised up in one heap; and the waters flowing from all directions stopped flowing, and the sole of the feet of the priests stood on dry land and the people were able to pass over the river Jordan as on dry land.

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BRAGADAYJAH 626

BRAGADAYJAH 625

Sanctify yourselves, said Joshua

On the eve of their preparation to cross over Jordan, Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves for the Lord would on the morrow, do wonders among them. And Joshua also spoke to the priests and told them to take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over ahead of the people; and they lifted the ark of the covenant and led off before the people.  And the Lord told Joshua, “This day will I begin to magnify thee in the in the sight of all Israel so that they may know that I was with Moses, so am I also with you.  And you shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant and say to them that when they come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, they shall stand still in the Jordan. So Joshua summoned them near and told them what the Lord had to say that they may know there is a living God among them who will not fail to drive out from before them the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites the Girgashites and the Amorites. For behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan.

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