Joshua 4

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

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

2 Take you twelve men out of the people, one man out of every tribe,

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

3 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.

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 And Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had appointed of the children of Israel, a man out of every tribe;

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

5 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,

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 that this may be a sign in your midst. When your children ask hereafter, saying, What mean ye by these stones?

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

7 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 in array before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken 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 military service passed over before Jehovah to the war, unto 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 Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they had feared Moses, all the days of his life.

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 And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

The Lord had told Joshua,

16 Command the priests who bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.

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

17 And Joshua commanded the priests, saying, Come up out of the Jordan.

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

18 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.

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 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.

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 those twelve stones which they had taken out of the Jordan did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

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

21 And he spoke to the children of Israel, saying, When your children hereafter ask their fathers, saying, What [mean] these stones?

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

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

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

23 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;

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 that all peoples of the earth might know the hand of Jehovah, that it is mighty; that ye might fear Jehovah your God continually.

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.”