Joshua 4

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

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

2 Choose twelve men, one of every tribe:

“Choose twelve men from the people, one per 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 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 Josue called twelve men, whom he had chosen out of the children of Israel, one out of every tribe,

So Joshua sent for the twelve men he had chosen, 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 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 it may be a sign among you and when your children shall ask you tomorrow, saying: What mean these stones?

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

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 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 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.

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 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 right where the priests carrying the Ark of the Agreement had stood, and they are still there to this very 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.

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

Once all the people had crossed over, they watched as the Ark of the Lord was carried across by the priests.

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 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 And forty thousand fighting men by their troops, and bands, marched through the plains and fields of the city 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 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 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 he said to him:

The Lord had told Joshua,

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

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

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

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

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, the tenth day of the first month, and camped in Galgal, over against the east side of the city 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 the twelve stones which they had taken out of the channel of the Jordan, Josue pitched in Galgal,

Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones that had been 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?

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

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

you can explain to them, ‘This is where the Israelites 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 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 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 everyone on earth would know how powerful the Lord is, and so that you might be in awe of the Lord your God forever.”