Joshua 4

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

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

2 Chese thou twelue men,

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

3 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.

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 And Josue clepide twelue men, whiche he hadde chose of the sones of Israel, of ech lynage o man;

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

5 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,

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 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?

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

7 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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

12 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.

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

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

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

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

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 And the Lord seide to Josue,

Then the LORD said to Joshua,

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

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

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

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

18 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.

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 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.

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

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

21 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?

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

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

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

23 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,

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

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.”