Joshua 4

1 And when the people had completely passed over Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

And it came to pass, when all the nation had made an end of passing over the Jordan, that Yahweh slake unto Joshua, saying:

2 Take men from the people, one of each tribe,

Take unto you, from among the people, twelve men, one man severally from each tribe;

3 and charge them; and ye shall take out of the midst of Jordan twelve fit stones, and having carried them across together with yourselves, place them in your camp, where ye shall encamp for the night.

and command ye them, saying, Take you up from hence, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where stood the feet of the priests with firm footing, twelve stones; —and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge, tonight.

4 And Joshua having called twelve men of distinction among the children of Israel, one of each tribe,

So Joshua called unto the twelve men whom he had made ready, from among the sons of Israel, —one man severally out of each tribe;

5 said to them, Advance before me in the presence of the Lord into the midst of Jordan, and each having taken up a stone from thence, let him carry it on his shoulders, according to the number of the twelve tribes of Israel:

and Joshua said unto them: Pass ye over, before the ark of Yahweh your God, into the midst of the Jordan, —and lift ye up, each man one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel:

6 that these may be to you continually for an appointed sign, that when thy son asks thee in future, saying, What are these stones to us?

that this may be a sign in your midst, —for your sons will ask in time to come, saying, What mean these stones to you?

7 then thou mayest explain to thy son, saying, The river Jordan was dried up from before the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth, when it passed it: and these stones shall be for a memorial for you for the children of Israel for ever.

Then shall ye say unto them—That the waters of the Jordan, were cut off, from before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, when it passed into the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan, were cut off. So shall these stones become a memorial unto the sons of Israel, unto times age-abiding.

8 And the children of Israel did so, as the Lord commanded Joshua; and they took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, (as the Lord commanded Joshua, when the children of Israel had completely passed over, ) and carried these stones with them into the camp, and laid them down there.

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

9 And Joshua set also other twelve stones in Jordan itself, in the place that was under the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and there they are to this day.

Twelve stones also, did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where stood the feet of the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant, —and they have remained there until this day.

10 And the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood in Jordan, until Joshua [had] finished all that the Lord commanded him to report to the people; and the people hasted and passed over.

Now, the priests who were bearing the ark, continued standing in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished which Yahweh commanded Joshua, to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, —the people therefore hasted, and passed over.

11 And it came to pass when all the people had passed over, that the ark of the covenant of the Lord passed over, and the stones before them.

And so it was, as soon as all the people had made an end of passing over, —then passed over the ark of Yahweh, and the priests, in presence of the people.

12 And the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses commanded them.

Also 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 had spoken unto them:

13 Forty thousand armed for battle went over before the Lord to war, to the city of Jericho.

about forty thousand, equipped for the war, passed over before Yahweh, to battle, into the waste plains of Jericho.

14 In that day the Lord magnified Joshua before all the people of Israel; and they feared him, as [they did] Moses, as long as he lived.

On that day, did Yahweh magnify Joshua in the eyes of all Israel, —and they revered him, as they revered Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

Then spake Yahweh unto Joshua, saying:

16 Charge the priests that bear the ark of the covenant of the testimony of the Lord, to go up out of Jordan.

Command the priests who are bearing the ark of testimony, —that they come up out of the Jordan.

17 And Joshua charged the priests, saying, Go up out of Jordan.

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

18 And it came to pass when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord were gone up out of Jordan, and set their feet upon the land, [that] the water of Jordan returned impetuously to its place, and went as before over all its banks.

And it came to pass, when the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the feet of the priests were withdrawn unto the dry ground, then returned the waters of the Jordan unto their place, and went, as before, over all his banks.

19 And the people went up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month; and the children of Israel encamped in Galgala in the region eastward from Jericho.

So, the people, came up out of the Jordan, on the tenth of the first month, —and encamped in Gilgal, at the eastern end of Jericho.

20 And Joshua set these twelve stones which he took out of Jordan, in Galgala,

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

21 saying, When your sons ask you, saying, What are these stones?

Then spake he unto the sons of Israel, saying, —When your sons shall ask, in time to come, of their fathers, saying, —What mean these stones?

22 Tell your sons, that Israel went over this Jordan on dry land,

then shall ye let your sons know, saying, —On dry ground, came Israel over this Jordan;

23 when the Lord our God had dried up the water of Jordan from before them, until they had passed over; as the Lord our God did to the Red Sea, which the Lord our God dried up from before us, until we passed over.

in that Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan, from before you, until ye had passed over, —as Yahweh your God had done unto the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over:

24 That all the nations of the earth might know, that the power of the Lord is mighty, and that ye might worship the Lord our God in every work.

that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of Yahweh, that, firm, it is; that they might revere Yahweh your God, all the days.