Joshua 4

1 And it came to pass, when all the nation had made an end of passing over the Jordan, that Yahweh slake unto Joshua, saying:

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

2 Take unto you, from among the people, twelve men, one man severally from each tribe;

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

3 and command ye them, saying, Take you up from hence, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where stood the feet of the priests with firm footing, twelve stones; —and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging-place where ye shall lodge, tonight.

And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the middle of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night.

4 So Joshua called unto the twelve men whom he had made ready, from among the sons of Israel, —one man severally out of each 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 said unto them: Pass ye over, before the ark of Yahweh your God, into the midst of the Jordan, —and lift ye up, each man one stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel:

And Joshua said to them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:

6 that this may be a sign in your midst, —for your sons will ask in time to come, saying, What mean these stones to you?

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

7 Then shall ye say unto them—That the waters of the Jordan, were cut off, from before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, when it passed into the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan, were cut off. So shall these stones become a memorial unto the sons of Israel, unto times age-abiding.

Then you shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel for ever.

8 And the sons of Israel did so, as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, as spake Yahweh unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel, —and carried them with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

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

9 Twelve stones also, did Joshua set up in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where stood the feet of the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant, —and they have remained there until this day.

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bore the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there to this day.

10 Now, the priests who were bearing the ark, continued standing in the midst of the Jordan, until everything was finished which Yahweh commanded Joshua, to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua, —the people therefore hasted, and passed over.

For the priests which bore the ark stood in the middle of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hurried and passed over.

11 And so it was, as soon as all the people had made an end of passing over, —then passed over the ark of Yahweh, and the priests, in presence of the people.

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

12 Also the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, passed over, armed, before the sons of Israel, —as Moses had spoken unto them:

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spoke to them:

13 about forty thousand, equipped for the war, passed over before Yahweh, to battle, into the waste plains of Jericho.

About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD to battle, to the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day, did Yahweh magnify Joshua in the eyes of all Israel, —and they revered him, as they revered 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 Then spake Yahweh unto Joshua, saying:

And the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,

16 Command the priests who are bearing the ark of testimony, —that they come up out of the Jordan.

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

17 So Joshua commanded the priests, saying, —Come ye up out of the Jordan.

Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come you up out of Jordan.

18 And it came to pass, when the priests who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came up out of the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the feet of the priests were withdrawn unto the dry ground, then returned the waters of the Jordan unto their place, and went, as before, over all his banks.

And it came to pass, when the priests that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the middle of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up to the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned to their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.

19 So, the people, came up out of the Jordan, on the tenth of the first month, —and encamped in Gilgal, at the eastern end of Jericho.

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

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

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

21 Then spake he unto the sons of Israel, saying, —When your sons shall ask, in time to come, of their fathers, saying, —What mean these stones?

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

22 then shall ye let your sons know, saying, —On dry ground, came Israel over this Jordan;

Then you shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 in that Yahweh your God dried up the waters of the Jordan, from before you, until ye had passed over, —as Yahweh your God had done unto the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over:

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until you were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

24 that all the peoples of the earth might know the hand of Yahweh, that, firm, it is; that they might revere Yahweh your God, all the days.

That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that you might fear the LORD your God for ever.