Joshua 4

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

And when all the people were wholy gone ouer Iorden, (after the Lord had spoken vnto Ioshua, saying,

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

Take you twelue me out of the people, out of euery tribe a man,

3 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.’”

And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the middes of Iorden, out of the place where the Priestes stoode in a readinesse, twelue stones, which ye shall take away with you, and leaue them in the lodging where you shall lodge this night)

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

Then Ioshua called the twelue men, whome he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of euery tribe a man,

5 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.

And Ioshua said vnto them, Go ouer before the Arke of the Lord your God, euen through the middes of Iorden, and take vp euery man of you a stone vpon his shoulder according vnto the nomber of the tribes of the children of Israel,

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

That this may bee a signe among you, that whe your children shall aske their fathers in time to come, saying, What meane you by these stones?

7 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.’”

Then ye may answere them, That the waters of Iorden were cut off before the Arke of the couenant of the Lord: for when it passed through Iorden, the waters of Iorden were cut off: therefore these stones are a memoriall vnto the children of Israel for euer.

8 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.

Then ye children of Israel did euen so as Ioshua had commanded, and tooke vp twelue stones out of the mids of Iorden as ye Lord had said vnto Ioshua, according to the nomber of the tribes of the children of Israel, and caried them away with them vnto the lodging, and layd them down there.

9 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.

And Ioshua set vp twelue stones in the middes of Iorden, in the place where the feete of the Priests, which bare the Arke of the couenant stood, and there haue they continued vnto this day.

10 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.

So the Priests, which bare ye Arke, stoode in the middes of Iorden, vntill euery thing was finished that ye Lord had comanded Ioshua to say vnto the people, according to all that Moses charged Ioshua: then the people hasted and went ouer.

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

When all the people were cleane passed ouer, the Arke of the Lord went ouer also, and the Priests before the people.

12 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.

And the sonnes of Reuben, and the sonnes of Gad, and halfe the tribe of Manasseh went ouer before the children of Israel armed, as Moses had charged them.

13 They numbered about 40,000 men, armed and ready for battle, crossed in the presence of the Lord to the plains of Jericho.

Euen fourty thousand prepared for warre, went before the Lord vnto battel, into ye plaine of Iericho.

14 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.

That day the Lord magnified Ioshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared him, as they feared Moses all dayes of his life.

15 The Lord had told Joshua,

And the Lord spake vnto Ioshua, saying,

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

Commande the Priests that beare ye Arke of the testimonie, to come vp out of Iorden.

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

Ioshua therefore commanded the Priests, saying, Come ye vp out of Iorden.

18 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.

And when the Priests that bare the Arke of the couenant of ye Lord were come vp out of the middes of Iorden, and assoone as the soles of the Priests feete were set on the dry land, the waters of Iorde returned vnto their place, and flowed ouer all the bankes thereof, as they did before.

19 The people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal, to the east of Jericho, on the tenth day of the first month.

So the people came vp out of Iorden the tenth day of the first moneth, and pitched in Gilgal, in the Eastside of Iericho.

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

Also the twelue stones, which they tooke out of Iorden, did Ioshua pitch in Gilgal.

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

And he spake vnto ye childre of Israel, saying, When your children shall aske their fathers in time to come, and say, What meane these stones?

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

Then ye shall shew your children, and say, Israel came ouer this Iorden on dry land:

23 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.

For the Lord your God dryed vp ye waters of Iorden before you, vntill ye were gone ouer, as the Lord your God did the red Sea, which hee dryed vp before vs, till we were gone ouer,

24 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.”

That all the people of the worlde may know that the hand of the Lord is mightie, that ye might feare the Lord your God continually.