Joshua 4

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

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

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

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

3 and charge them; and you 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 you shall encamp for the night.

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.

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

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

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 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:

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

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?

7 then you may explain to your 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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:

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

About forty thousand armed for war went over before the Lord to the fight, to the lowlands 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.

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.

15 And the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,

Then the Lord said to Joshua,

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

Give orders to the priests who take up the ark of witness, to come up out of Jordan.

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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.

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:

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

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.