Joshua 4

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

And whanne thei weren passid ouer, the Lord seide to Josue,

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

Chese thou twelue men,

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.’”

by ech lynage o man, and comaunde thou to hem, that thei take fro the myddis of the trow of Jordan, where the `feet of preestis stoden, twelue hardiste stoonys; whiche thou schalt sette in the place of castels, where ye schulen sette tentis in this nyyt.

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

And Josue clepide twelue men, whiche he hadde chose of the sones of Israel, of ech lynage o 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 he seide to hem, Go ye bifore the arke of youre Lord God to the myddis of Jordan, and bere ye fro thennus in youre schuldris ech man o stoon, bi the noumbre of the sones of Israel,

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

that it be a signe bitwixe you. And whanne youre sones schulen axe you to morewe, that is, in tyme `to comynge, and schulen seie, What wolen these stonus `to hem silf?

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.’”

ye schulen answere to hem, The watris of Jordan failiden bifor the arke of boond of pees of the Lord, whanne the arke passide Jordan; therfor these stoonus ben set in to mynde of the sones of Israel, til in to withouten ende.

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.

Therfor the sones of Israel diden as Josue comaundide to hem, and baren fro the myddis of the trow of Jordan twelue stoonys, as the Lord comaundide to hem, bi the noumbre of the sones of Israel, `til to the place in which thei settiden tentis; and there thei puttiden tho stonys.

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.

Also Josue puttide othire twelue stoonys in the myddis of the trow of Jordan, where the preestis stoden, that baren the arke of boond of pees of the Lord; and tho stoonys ben there `til in to present dai.

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.

Forsothe the preestis, that baren the arke, stoden in the myddis of Jordan, til alle thingis weren fillid, whiche the Lord comaundide, that Josue schulde speke to the puple, as Moises hadde seide to hym. And the puple hastide, and passide.

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

And whanne alle men hadden passid, also the arke of the Lord passide, and the preestis yeden bifor the puple.

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.

Also the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and half the lynage of Manasse, yeden armed bifor the sones of Israel, as Moyses comaundide to hem.

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

And fourti thousynde of fiyters yeden bi her cumpanyes and gaderyngis on the pleyn and feeldi places of the citee of Jerico.

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.

In that day the Lord magnyfiede Josue bifor al Israel, that thei schulden drede hym, as thei dreden Moises, while he lyuede yit.

15 The Lord had told Joshua,

And the Lord seide to Josue,

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

Comaunde thou to the preestis that beren the arke of boond of pees, that thei stie fro Jordan.

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

And Josue comaundide to hem, and seide, Stie ye fro Jordan.

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 whanne thei hadden stied, berynge the arke of boond of pees of the Lord, and hadde bigunne to trede on the drie erthe, the watris turneden ayen in to her trowe, and flowiden, as tho weren wont 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.

Forsothe the puple stiede fro Jordan in the tenthe dai of the firste monethe, and thei settiden tentis in Galgalis, ayens the eest coost of the citee of Jerico.

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

Also Josue puttide in Galgalis the twelue stonys, whiche thei hadden take fro the trow of Jordan.

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

And he seide to the sones of Israel, Whanne youre sones schulen axe to morewe her fadris, and schulen seie to hem, What wolen these stoonys `to hem silf?

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

ye schulen teche hem, and ye schulen seie, We passiden this Jordan bi the drie botme,

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 oure Lord God driede the watris therof in oure siyt, til we passiden, as he dide bifore in the Reed See, which he driede while we passiden,

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 alle the puplis of londis lurne the strongeste hond of the Lord, that also ye drede youre Lord God in al tyme.