< Joshua 4 >

1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,
Once the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord told Joshua,
2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,
“Choose twelve men from the people, one per 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 tell them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing. Then carry them and set them down at the place where you will camp tonight.’”
4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,
So Joshua sent for the twelve men he had chosen, one from each 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 told them, “Go back into the middle of the Jordan, right in front of the Ark of the Agreement of the Lord your God, and each of you pick up a stone and carry it on your shoulder, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’
This will be a memorial among you so when your children one day ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’
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.”
you can tell them, ‘It's about the time the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord's Agreement went across. When it crossed over the water stopped. These stones are a memorial to the people 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.
The people of Israel did as Joshua told them. The men picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped overnight and placed the stones there, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
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.
Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan right where the priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement had stood, and they are still there to this very 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,
The priests carrying the Ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was done just as the Lord had told the people to do, all that Moses had told Joshua to do. The people crossed over quickly.
11 and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.
Once all the people had crossed over, they watched as the Ark of the Lord was carried across by the priests.
12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.
The armed men from the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh crossed at the head of the people of Israel, as Moses had stipulated.
13 About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.
They numbered about 40,000 men, armed and ready for battle, crossed in the presence of the Lord 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 the Lord confirmed Joshua as great leader in the sight of all the Israelites, and they were in awe of him just as they had been in awe of Moses.
15 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
The Lord had told Joshua,
16 “Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”
“Order the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”
So Joshua told the priests, “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.
The priests came up out of the Jordan carrying the Ark of the Agreement, and as soon as their feet touched dry ground the waters of the Jordan returned to where they had been, overflowing its banks as before.
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.
The people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal, to the east of Jericho, on the tenth day of the first month.
20 And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.
Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan.
21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’
He told the Israelites, “When some day your children ask you their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’
22 you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
you can explain to them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
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 the Lord your God made the Jordan River dry up right in front of you so you all could cross, just as the Lord your God did at the Red Sea which he dried up so we could all cross.
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.”
He did this so everyone on earth would know how powerful the Lord is, and so that you might be in awe of the Lord your God forever.”

< Joshua 4 >