Joshua 4

1 And when they were passed over, the Lord said to Josue:

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

2 Choose twelve men, one of every tribe:

“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

3 And command them to take out of the midst of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set in the place of the camp, where you shall pitch your tents this night.

and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”

4 And Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children of Israel, one out of every tribe,

So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

5 And he said to them: Go before the ark of the Lord your God to the midst of the Jordan, and carry from thence every man a stone on your shoulders, according to the number of the children of Israel,

and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,

6 That it may be a sign among you and when your children shall ask you tomorrow, saying: What mean these stones?

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

7 You shall answer them: The waters of the Jordan ran off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, when it passed over the same: therefore were these atones set for a monument of the children of Israel for ever.

you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

8 The children of Israel therefore did as Josue commanded them, carrying out of the channel of the Jordan twelve stones, as the Lord had commanded him, according to the number of the children of Israel, unto the place wherein they camped, and there they set them.

Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.

9 And Josue put other twelve stones in the midst of the channel of the Jordan, where the priests stood that carried the ark of the covenant: and they are there until this present day.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

10 Now the priests that carried the ark, stood in the midst of the Jordan till all things were accomplished which the Lord had commanded Josue to speak to the people, and Moses had said to him. And the people made haste and passed over.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,

11 And when they had all passed over, the ark also of the Lord passed over, and the priests went before the people.

and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.

12 The children of Ruben also and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasses, went armed before the children of Israel as Moses had commanded them.

The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

13 And forty thousand fighting men by their troops, and bands, marched through the plains and fields of the city of Jericho.

About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

14 In that day the Lord magnified Josue in the sight of all Israel, that they should fear him, as they had feared Moses, while he lived.

On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

15 And he said to him:

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

16 Command the priests, that carry the ark of the covenant, to come up out of the Jordan.

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

17 And he commanded them, saying: Come ye up out of the Jordan.

So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

18 And when they that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, were come up, and began to tread on the dry ground, the waters returned into the channel, and ran as they were wont before.

When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

19 And the people came up out of the Jordan, the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Galgal, over against the east side of the city of Jericho.

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

20 And the twelve stones which they had taken out of the channel of the Jordan, Josue pitched in Galgal,

And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

21 And said to the children of Israel: When your children shall ask their fathers, tomorrow, and shall say to them: What mean these stones?

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’

22 You shall teach them and say: Israel passed over this Jordan through the dry channel.

you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23 The Lord your God drying up the waters thereof in your sight, until you passed over: As he had done before in the Red Sea, which he dried up till we passed through:

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

24 That all the people of the earth may learn the most mighty hand of the Lord, that you also may fear the Lord your God for ever.

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”