Joshua 4

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

And it came to pass when the whole nation had completely gone over the Jordan, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

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

Take you twelve men out of the people, one 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 them, saying, Take up hence out of the midst of the Jordan, from 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,

And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed of the children 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 before the ark of Jehovah your God into the midst of the Jordan, and lift up each of you a stone [and put it] upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children 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 in your midst. When your children ask hereafter, saying, What mean ye 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, That the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; when it went through the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

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 children of Israel did so, as Joshua had commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as Jehovah had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging-place, 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 twelve stones did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant had stood firm; 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,

And the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished that Jehovah had commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. And the people hasted 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 had completely gone over, that the ark of Jehovah went 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 children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, went over in array before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.

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

About forty thousand armed for military service passed over before Jehovah to the war, unto 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 had 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.”

And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, Come 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 had come up out of the midst of the Jordan, [when] the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on to the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, and they flowed as previously, over all its banks.

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 of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the eastern extremity 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 had taken out of the Jordan did 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 children of Israel, saying, When your children hereafter ask their fathers, saying, What [mean] these stones?

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

then ye shall let your children know, saying, On dry land did Israel come over this Jordan;

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.

because Jehovah your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye had passed over, as Jehovah your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had 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 peoples of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye might fear Jehovah your God continually.