Joshua 4

1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

Take for you twelve men out of the people, a man out of every tribe,

3 and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”

and command ye them, saying, Take for you here out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge this night.

4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

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

5 and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,

And Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

that this may be a sign among you, that, when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do ye mean by these stones?

7 you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

Then ye shall say to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.

8 Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.

And the sons of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood, and they are there to this day.

10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,

For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that Jehovah commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua. And the people hastened and passed over.

11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.

12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

And the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the sons of Israel, as Moses spoke to them.

13 About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

About forty thousand ready armed for war passed over before Jehovah to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

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

15 Then the LORD said to Joshua,

And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

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

18 When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and went over all its banks, as formerly.

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

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

20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’

And he spoke to the sons of Israel, saying, When your sons shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What do these stones mean?

22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

Then ye shall let your sons know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

For Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were passed over,

24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”

that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty, that ye may fear Jehovah your God forever.