Joshua 4

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

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua,

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

“Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe,

3 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.'”

and command them: ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan where the priests were standing, carry them with you, and set them down in the place where you spend the night.’”

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

So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,

5 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.

and said to them, “Cross over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of Israel,

6 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?'

to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

7 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.'”

you are to tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters were cut off.’ Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever.”

8 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.

Thus the Israelites did as Joshua had commanded them. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each tribe of Israel, just as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them to the camp, where they set them down.

9 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.

Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan, in the place where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant stood. And the stones are there to this day.

10 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.

Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until the people had completed everything the LORD had commanded Joshua to tell them, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried across,

11 When all the people had finished crossing over, the ark of Yahweh and the priests crossed over before the people.

and after everyone had finished crossing, the priests with the ark of the LORD crossed in the sight of the people.

12 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.

The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

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

About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

14 On that day Yahweh made Joshua great in the eyes of all Israel. They honored him—just as they honored Moses— all his days.

On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.

15 Then Yahweh spoke to Joshua,

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

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

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

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

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

18 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.

When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up out of the Jordan and their feet touched the dry land, the waters of the Jordan returned to their course and overflowed all the banks as before.

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

On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.

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

And there at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

21 He said to the people of Israel, “When your descendants ask their fathers in times to come, 'What are these stones?'

Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’

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

you are to tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

23 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,

For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as He did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over.

24 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.”

He did this so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may always fear the LORD your God.”