The Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

51 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west , and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea , heard how e the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before e the sons of Israel until they had crossed , that their hearts melted , and there was no spirit in them any longer because e of the sons of Israel . 2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua , "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time ." 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth e . 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males , all the men of war , died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt . 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised , but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised . 6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness , until all the nation , that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt , perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord , to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey . 7 Their children whom He raised up in their place , Joshua circumcised ; for they were uncircumcised , because they had not circumcised them along the way . 8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation , they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed . 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua , "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day .

10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth e day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho . 11 On the day after the Passover , on that very day , they ate some of the produce of the land , unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land , so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna , but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year .

Joshua and the Man with a Drawn Sword

13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho , that he lifted up his eyes and looked , and behold , a man was standing 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 He said , "No ; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord ." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth , and bowed down , and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant ?" 15 The captain of the Lord'S host said to Joshua , " Remove your sandals from your feet , for the place where e you are standing is holy ." And Joshua did so .

Israel Passes over the Jordan

31 Then Joshua rose early in the morning ; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan , and they lodged there before they crossed . 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp ; 3 and they commanded the people , saying , "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 "However , there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure . Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go , for you have not passed this way before e ." 5 Then Joshua said to the people , " Consecrate 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 cross over ahead of the people ." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people .

7 Now the Lord said to Joshua , "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel , that they may know that just as I have been with Moses , I will be with you. 8 "You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant , saying , 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan , you shall stand still in the Jordan .' " 9 Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel , "Come here , and hear the words of the Lord your God ." 10 Joshua said , "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite , the Hittite , the Hivite , the Perizzite , the Girgashite , the Amorite , and the Jebusite . 11 "Behold , the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan . 12 "Now then, take for yourselves twelve e men from the tribes of Israel , one man for each e tribe . 13 "It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord , the Lord of all the earth , rest in the waters of the Jordan , the waters of the Jordan will be cut off , and the waters which are flowing down from above e will stand in one heap ."

14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people , 15 and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan , and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows e all its banks all the days of harvest ), 16 the waters which were flowing down from above e stood and rose up in one heap , a great distance away at Adam , the city that is beside e Zarethan ; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah , the Salt Sea , were completely cut off . So the people crossed opposite Jericho . 17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground , until e all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan .