Joshua 4

1 And it comes to pass, when all the nation has completed to pass over the Jordan, that YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying,

And it came to pass, when all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying:

2 “Take for yourselves twelve men out of the people, one man—one man out of a tribe;

'Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

3 and command them, saying, Take up for yourselves from this [place], from the midst of the Jordan, from the established standing-place of the feet of the priests, twelve stones, and you have removed them over with you, and placed them in the lodging-place in which you lodge tonight.”

and command ye them, saying: Take you hence out of the midst of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood, twelve stones made ready, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place, where ye shall lodge this night.'

4 And Joshua calls to the twelve men whom he prepared out of the sons of Israel, one man—one man out of a tribe;

Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man;

5 and Joshua says to them, “Pass over before the Ark of your God YHWH into the midst of the Jordan, and each of you lift up one stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel,

and Joshua said unto them: 'Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel;

6 so that this is a sign in your midst when your children ask hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones to you?

that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying: What mean ye by these stones?

7 That you have said to them, Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off, at the presence of the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH; in its passing over into the Jordan the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones have been for a memorial to the sons of Israel for all time.”

then ye shall say unto them: Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.'

8 And the sons of Israel do so as Joshua commanded, and take up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as YHWH has spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, and remove them over with them to the lodging-place, and place them there,

And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as the LORD spoke unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

9 even the twelve stones Joshua has raised up out of the midst of the Jordan, the place of the standing of the feet of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, and they are there to this day.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests that bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there unto this day.

10 And the priests carrying the Ark are standing in the midst of the Jordan until the completion of the whole thing which YHWH commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, and the people hurry and pass over.

And the priests that bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua; and the people hastened and passed over.

11 And it comes to pass, when all the people have completed to pass over, that the Ark of YHWH passes over, and the priests, in the presence of the people;

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed on, and the priests, before the people.

12 and the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the half of the tribe of Manasseh, pass over, by fifties, before the sons of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them;

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, passed on armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke unto them;

13 about forty thousand, armed ones of the host, passed over before YHWH for battle, to the plains of Jericho.

about forty thousand ready armed for war passed on in the presence of the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day YHWH has made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel, and they fear him, as they feared Moses, all [the] days of his life.

On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

15 And YHWH speaks to Joshua, saying,

And the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying:

16 “Command the priests carrying the Ark of the Testimony, and they come up out of the Jordan.”

'Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of the Jordan.'

17 And Joshua commands the priests, saying, “Come up out of the Jordan.”

Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying: 'Come ye up out of the Jordan.'

18 And it comes to pass, in the coming up of the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH out of the midst of the Jordan—the soles of the feet of the priests have been drawn up into the dry ground—and the waters of the Jordan return to their place, and go over all its banks as before.

And it came to pass, as the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the midst of the Jordan, as soon as the soles of the priests' feet were drawn up unto the dry ground, that the waters of the Jordan returned unto their place, and went over all its banks, as aforetime.

19 And the people have come up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and encamp in Gilgal, in the extremity east of Jericho;

And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.

20 and these twelve stones, which they have taken out of the Jordan, Joshua has raised up in Gilgal.

And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal.

21 And he speaks to the sons of Israel, saying, “When your sons ask their fathers hereafter, saying, What [are] these stones?

And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying: 'When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying: What mean these stones?

22 Then you have caused your sons to know, saying, Israel passed over this Jordan on dry land;

then ye shall let your children know, saying: Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 because your God YHWH dried up the waters of the Jordan at your presence, until your passing over, as your God YHWH did to the Red Sea which He dried up at our presence until our passing over;

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we were passed over,

24 so that all the people of the land know the hand of YHWH—that it [is] strong, so that you have feared your God YHWH [for] all the days.”

that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty; that ye may fear the LORD your God for ever.'