Joshua 3:6

Brenton's Septuagint

And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people: and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and went before the people.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua spoke to the Kohanim, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

King James Version
And Joshua spake unto 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.

Lexham English Bible
And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

English Standard Version
And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

New Century Version
Joshua said to the priests, "Take the Ark of the Agreement and go ahead of the people." So the priests lifted the Ark and carried it ahead of the people.

New English Translation
Joshua told the priests, "Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

Amplified Bible
Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over [the river] ahead of the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went on ahead of the people.

New American Standard Bible
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.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Also Ioshua spake vnto the Priestes, saying, Take vp the Arke of the couenant, and goe ouer before the people: so they tooke vp the Arke of the couenant, & went before the people.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Carry the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people." So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

Contemporary English Version
Then Joshua turned to the priests and said, "Take the chest and cross the Jordan River ahead of us." So the priests picked up the chest by its carrying poles and went on ahead.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Y'hoshua said to the cohanim, "Take the ark for the covenant, and go on ahead of the people." They took the ark for the covenant and went ahead of the people.

Darby Translation
And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and go over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Joshua said to the priests, "Take the Box of the Agreement and go across the river in front of the people." So the priests lifted the Box and carried it in front of the people.

George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua said to the priests, 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.

Good News Translation
Then he told the priests to take the Covenant Box and go with it ahead of the people. They did as he said.

Literal Translation
And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant and go before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And vnto the prestes he sayde: Beare ye the Arke of ye couenaut, and go before the people. Then bare they the Arke, and wente before the people.

American Standard Version
And Joshua spake unto 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.

Bible in Basic English
Then Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the agreement and go over in front of the people. So they took up the ark of the agreement and went in front of the people.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah spake vnto the priestes, saying: Take vp the arke of the couenaunt, and go ouer before the people. And they toke vp the arke of the testament, and went before the people.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joshua spoke unto the priests, saying: 'Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on before the people.' And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua spake vnto the Priests, saying, Take vp the Arke of the Couenant, and passe ouer before the people. And they tooke vp the Arke of the Couenant, and went before the people.

English Revised Version
And Joshua spake unto 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.

Berean Standard Bible
And he said to the priests, "Take the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people." So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Josue seide to the preestis, Take ye the arke of the boond of pees `of the Lord, and go ye bifor the puple. Whiche filliden the heestis, and tooken the arke, and yeden bifor hem.

Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua speaketh unto the priests, saying, `Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people;' and they take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people.

Update Bible Version
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.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. They took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

New King James Version
Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

New Living Translation
In the morning Joshua said to the priests, "Lift up the Ark of the Covenant and lead the people across the river." And so they started out and went ahead of the people.

New Life Bible
Joshua said to the religious leaders, "Take up the special box of the agreement and cross over in front of the people." So they took up the special box of the agreement and went in front of the people.

New Revised Standard
To the priests Joshua said, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on in front of the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went in front of the people.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take ye up the ark of the covenant, and pass on before the people. So they took up the ark of the covenant, and went on before the people.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to the priests: Take up the ark of the covenant, and go before the people. And they obeyed his commands, and took it up, and walked before them.

Revised Standard Version
And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on before the people." And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.

THE MESSAGE
Joshua instructed the priests, "Take up the Chest of the Covenant and step out before the people." So they took it up and processed before the people.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
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.

Contextual Overview

¹ And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and departed from Sattin; and they came as far as Jordan, and lodged there before they crossed over. ² And it came to pass after three days, that the scribes went through the camp; ³ and they charged the people, saying, When ye shall see the ark of the covenant of the Lord our God, and our priests and the Levites bearing it, ye shall depart from your places, and ye shall go after it. ⁴ But let there be a distance between you and it; ye shall stand as much as two thousand cubits from it. Do not draw nigh to it, that ye may know the way which ye are to go; for ye have not gone the way before. ⁵ And Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you. ⁶ And Joshua said to the priests, Take up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and go before the people: and the priests took up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and went before the people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take up: Joshua 3:3, Numbers 14:15, Numbers 10:33, Micah 2:13, John 14:2, John 14:3, Hebrews 6:20

Reciprocal: Numbers 4:33 - under the hand Deuteronomy 9:1 - to pass Joshua 3:14 - bearing the ark Joshua 6:6 - Take up the ark Joshua 8:33 - priests 2 Samuel 15:24 - bearing 1 Kings 8:3 - the priests took up 2 Chronicles 5:4 - the Levites Acts 7:45 - Jesus

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
And the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:2
Now the serpent was the most crafty of all the brutes on the earth, which the Lord God made, and the serpent said to the woman, Wherefore has God said, Eat not of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:12
And God said to him, Who told thee that thou wast naked, unless thou hast eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it alone not to eat?

Genesis 3:14
And the Lord God said to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.

Genesis 3:15
And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle and all the brutes of the earth, on thy breast and belly thou shalt go, and thou shalt eat earth all the days of thy life.

Genesis 3:17
And to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pains and thy groanings; in pain thou shalt bring forth children, and thy submission shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 3:19
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

Genesis 6:2
And it came to pass when men began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,

Genesis 39:7
And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and said, Lie with me.

Joshua 7:21
I saw in the spoil an embroidered mantle, and two hundred didrachms of silver, and one golden wedge of fifty didrachms, and I desired them and took them; and, behold, they are hid in my tent, and the silver is hid under them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua spoke unto the priests,.... On the morrow, that is, on the tenth day of the month, the day on which they went over Jordan:

saying, take up the ark of the covenant; in which the law was put, which was the covenant between God and the people, from whence the ark had this name; and in which it was typical of Christ, in whom both the law, the covenant of works, was fulfilled, and with whom the covenant of grace was made; who is the Mediator; surety, and messenger of it, and in whom all the blessings and promises of it are, and with whom it is, and will be kept for evermore: the ark, the priests were ordered to take up and bear on their shoulders; for no other way might they carry it; these typified the ministers of Christ who bear his name, his Gospel in the world, see Acts 9:15;

and pass over before the people; over the river Jordan, to direct them in the way through it, and encourage them to follow them:

and they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people; from the place where they had lodged the night before to the brink of the river.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They took up - i. e. on the day following. The course of events is anticipated.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 3:6. Spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark — It is remarkable that the priests, not the Levites, whose ordinary business it was were employed to carry the ark on this occasion. Calmet conjectures that this was because it was probably carried without being wrapped up in its curtains, as it always was when the Levites carried it. Though it was the business of the Levites, the sons of Kohath, to carry the ark; yet on certain occasions the priests alone performed this office.

1. In the present case.

2. When they encompassed Jericho, Joshua 6:6.

3. When it was carried to the war against the Philistines by the priests, the sons of Eli, 2 Samuel 15:25.

4. When David sent it back to Jerusalem, at the time he was obliged to fly from it, through the rebellion of his son Absalom, 2 Samuel 15:25; and,

5. At the time that it was taken out of the tabernacle, to be deposited in the temple; see 1 Kings 8:6-11. These were the most solemn occasions, and on such alone, we may presume, the priests performed this office instead of the Levites.

In all their former marches the ark was carried in the centre of this immense camp; (see the scheme at the end of Numbers 2:2 of the book of Numbers;) but now it was to proceed at the head of the army, and to go before them, and at such a distance, about three quarters of a mile, that the whole camp might see it as their guide.