Joshua 4

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

When all the people crossed over the Jordan, Yahweh said to Joshua,

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

“Choose twelve men for yourselves from among the people, one man from each 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.

Give them this command: 'Take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing on the dry ground, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you will spend the night tonight.'”

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

Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the tribes of Israel, 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,

Joshua said to them, “Go over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people 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 sign in your midst for you when your children ask in days to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?'

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.

Then you will say to them, 'The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones will be 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 just as Joshua commanded, and they picked up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh said to Joshua. They set the stones up according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel. They carried the stones with them, over to the place where they camped and they set them down there.

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.

Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River, in the place where the feet of the priests that carried the ark of the covenant stood. The memorial is there to this 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 that carried the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything that Yahweh commanded Joshua to tell the people was completed, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people hurried and they crossed over.

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.

When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before the people.

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 tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh passed before the people of Israel formed up as an army, just as Moses said to them.

13 About forty thousand armed for military service passed over before Jehovah to the war, unto the plains of Jericho.

About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on 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 Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses— all his days.

15 And Jehovah spoke to Joshua, saying,

Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua,

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

“Command the priests who carry 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 commanded 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.

When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the middle of the Jordan, and the soles of their feet were lifted up out on dry ground, then the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed its banks, just as they were four days 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 came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They stayed in Gilgal, east of Jericho.

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

The twelve stones that they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.

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

He said to the people of Israel, “When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?'

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

Tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over 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;

Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you, until you had crossed over, just as Yahweh your God did to the Sea of Reeds, which he dried up for us until we passed over,

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.

so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of Yahweh is mighty, and that you will honor Yahweh your God forever.”