Joshua 4

1 Now when all the nation had come to the other side of Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,

Once the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord told Joshua,

2 Take twelve men from the people, a man for every tribe,

“Choose twelve men from the people, one per tribe,

3 And say to them, Take up from the middle of Jordan, from the place where the feet of the priests were resting, twelve stones, and take them over with you and put them down in the place where you take your rest tonight.

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 sent for the twelve men, whom he had ready, one man out of every tribe of the children of Israel,

So Joshua sent for the twelve men he had chosen, one from each tribe,

5 And he said to them, Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of Jordan, and let every one of you take up a stone on his back, one for every tribe of the children 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 So that this may be a sign among you; when your children say to you in time to come, What is the reason for these stones?

This will be a memorial among you so when your children one day ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’

7 Then you will say to them, Because the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the Lord's agreement; when it went over Jordan the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones will be a sign for the children of Israel, keeping it in their memory for ever.

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 So the children of Israel did as Joshua gave them orders, and took twelve stones from the middle of Jordan, as the Lord had said to Joshua, one for every tribe of the children of Israel; these they took across with them to their night's resting-place and put them down there.

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 And Joshua put up twelve stones in the middle of Jordan, where the feet of the priests who took up the ark of the agreement had been placed: and there they are 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 For the priests who took up the ark kept there in the middle of Jordan till all the orders given to Joshua by Moses from the Lord had been done: then the people went over quickly.

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 when all the people had come to the other side, the ark of the Lord went over, and the priests, before the eyes 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 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh went over armed before the children of Israel as Moses had said to 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 forty thousand armed for war went over before the Lord to the fight, to the lowlands 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 That day the Lord made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel; and all the days of his life they went in fear of him, as they had gone in fear of 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 Give orders to the priests who take up the ark of witness, to come up out of Jordan.

“Order the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”

17 So Joshua gave orders to the priests, saying, Come up now out of Jordan.

So Joshua told the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

18 And when the priests who took up the ark of the Lord's agreement came up out of Jordan and their feet came out on to dry land, the waters of Jordan went back to their place, overflowing its edges 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 So on the tenth day of the first month the people came up out of Jordan, and put up their tents in Gilgal, on the east side 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 the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, Joshua put up in Gilgal.

Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones that had been taken from the Jordan.

21 And he said to the children of Israel, When your children say to their fathers in time to come, What is the reason for these stones?

He told the Israelites, “When some day your children ask you their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’

22 Then give your children the story, and say, Israel came over this river Jordan on dry land.

you can explain to them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23 For the Lord your God made the waters of Jordan dry before you till you had gone across, as he did to the Red Sea, drying it up before us till we had gone across:

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 So that all the peoples of the earth may see that the hand of the Lord is strong; and that they may go in fear of the Lord your God for ever.

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.”