Joshua 4

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

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

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

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

3 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)

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

Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had chosen from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.

5 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,

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 bee a signe among you, that whe your children shall aske their fathers in time to come, saying, What meane you 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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

About forty thousand men equipped for war passed before Yahweh, for battle on the plains of Jericho.

14 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.

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 the Lord spake vnto Ioshua, saying,

Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua,

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

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”

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

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

18 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.

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

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They stayed in Gilgal, east of Jericho.

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

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

21 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?

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

Tell your children, 'This is where Israel crossed over the Jordan on dry ground.'

23 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,

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 the people of the worlde may know that the hand of the Lord is mightie, that ye might feare the Lord 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.”